The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-07-16

4 u4AltiOIl4s ana mat the remaining. Two nlli-
ions will go with equal felicity before his
death.
He gave a friend his yacht, one Of the
| finest ever anchored in the Sound.
HIS home was great gallery Of yalu-
| able paintings from abroad. He has given
some Of them to the Brooklyn Institute.
| More have gone to friends and many to
strangers. He has met several men on
! the street or in Prospect park whom he
| has taken home and presented with a
| painting worth double their own fortune.
He throws gold and silver coins to chill
dren in the park, as George Francis Train
| does.
He calls passers-by into the house II
their faces or manners cath his fancy
and gives them pieces Of the gold and
silver family plate.
II casual visitors admire any article OF
| furniture or virtu in the house he sends
It around next day.
He gave a Stradivarius violin to a little
| girl in London whose brother he met
aboard ship.
He meets persons when he Is shopping
and invites them to hts home to look over
| his curios the relics Of travel. more than
to accept their choice Of the collection.
He presented Brooklyn Institute his IL
library. one Of the finest in America. 1t
| comprised 15,C00 volumes. The collection
covers almost all branches of literature.
Books of travel predominant. for their
owner IS one Of the greatest of modern
travellers. Biography is next, then his
tory, then theology and works on phil
| ology. There are bibles in all the Ian
guages and dialects in which they have
been printed, Including Tamil. Marks.
BaIatonga, Gorpatee, Mohawk and
Banselk Hunda. A set Of four books on
photography cost 81 0O9. From all Of which
it will be inferred that Mr.. Bell Is one Of
the greatest bibliophiles of this age. So
great IS his love for books that as soon
az he had presented his library to the
Brooklyn Institute. he began collecting
another from sheer fondness of text and
cover. The last night he spent in ATneri-
ca. the night his son lay dead at st. Pet
er's hospital. he spent in cataloguing his
new and considerable library that will
go to some charitable institution, but new
er to his son. Charles A. Bell.
Like most wealthy widowers. Mr.. Bell
promise suits. So great and so frequent
has been this trouble that the Brooklyn
Monte Cristo made his last housekeeqer
sign a contract promising she would not
sue him for breach Of promise before he
would engage her.
Two housekeepers successfully sued him
for damaSes for their affections. He acte1
as his own attorney and escaped convic-
ticn in both cases.
Then came a suit that tried his legal
skill to the utmost. Gossip whispered that
his legal mind was not so nimble on this
occasion because his heart was enlisted
for the plaintiff: that indeed If the plain
tiff had not been so hasty. he the defend
ant, would have married her. The plain
tiff in this breach of promise suit was
beautiful young girl, an organist.
The Brooklyn Monte Cristo is a music
lover. He especially likes the sonorous
tones of pipe organ. Accordingly he had
a pipe organ built in that part of the
Sands street mansion which Ne named the
chapel. There are stained glass windows
and an altra in the chapel. Mr. Bell
spent a small fortune upon this chapel.
It was a curious within Of an avowed in
fdel.
He engaged a church organist to play
for him in the church chapel every Sum
day afternoon. 1t was his nearest ap-
proach to worship No one ever saw him
in chucr except on his wedding day.
The church organist proved to be a
rarely beautiful girl She drew wondrous
harmonies from the big organ in the pri-
vate chapel on Sands street. The old mill
ioraire thought of the paintings of St
Cecilia, and said she was more beautiful
than any OF them. One October afternoon
she played his favorite air. 'The Lost
Chord" The rest Of the story she told
In the courts. At the conclusion Of the
air the old millionaire kissed her fingers
and said all of the fond, foolish things
men fifty years younger are apt to say
on such occasions. She says he proposed
marriage, and that she consented to be
his bride. Monte Cristo' got of this
time with small costs.
A suicide club claims the aged Monte
Cristo as a member. Among his possess
ions In the library on the top floor of No.
50 Sands street Is letter Of farewell from
one Of his friends who was a weary of the
world and killed himself.
In the library is a tiny silver urn con-
tanning the ashes of a favorite servant
of whose body he had ordered cremated.
He keeps. there to. yellow letter, worn
thin and ink pale by time.
II Is written in a delicate old-fashioned
hand Sometimes the strange old man
reads a PARTON Of this letter TO his chance
visitors. 1t is always the same portion.
You have always been generous as far
4 ha fina-fQHp1
letter saws. The millionaire never reads
more than that. It is the last letter from
his wife.
He received 1t while abroad. The next
news OF her came by cable. 1t was brief
She Is dead
He folds the letter carefully and puts
It away In a quaint mahogany box. II the
box has not been given away, 1t may.
when the old man Is dead. yield its secret
The world may know then why this
strange man hated his beautiful wife and
| children. ADA PATTERSON.
Eastman, Ga. July 4.-Win Wilson.
coiored. was hanged here today for the
| murder Of Marshal Osborn. OF Chauncey
county.
Berlin. July H-The Reichszangier to-
day publisher further DEGREES issued by
the various federal states against the i'm
portation Of fresh meats from Belgium 10
! Germany.
Belgrade. July -4-Blazo Petrovics. i
relative OF Prince Nicolas o. MOHtcnc-
Gro. has been arr, sttd on a cha -s,e az
cor Tlicity ir he r cent attempt To- asaas-
si.,ate former Ring MilanO Of ServIa-