The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1901-02-09
SAM" LEWIS.
The Most Noted English Money Lender,
His Personality and Methods.

| His Personality and Methods.
Samuel Lewis might have been calle
| the "prince of usurers." He belonge
| to a profession deservedly unpopular
| but he was at the head of 1t, ana wa
not to be confused with practitioners 0
the Gordon type. He did not prey upol
the poor and needy, but lived upon TN
follies of his time.
He said once that he had a million o
money on paper, and every name on
in "Debrett," and there is little reason
to doubt the statement. lie was TIT
society monye lender, and few OF TN
young spendthrifts VINO have dragged
honored family names into the bank
ruptcy and other courts got there with
out little friendly assistance from
SAM Lewis.
He stuck to his own line OF business
Time and again he was offered trading
illustrating bills OF the most unim
peachable characterize discount. HI
absolutely refused to have anything t.
do with them. That class of business
was not in his way.
! He was not entirely rapacious, MOI
altogether heartless, but when once he
had established a monetary connection
with a man it was not his fault If the
intimacy, usually so satisfactory in its
results to Sam" Lewis, were broker
off. When once he had made an agree
ment with man he kept him to it tc
the very letter.
avnp11nnt ir,ct apcn of This ig IN he
found in letter which Sir George Lew
is addressed to The Times in April 1898
on the subject of west End Usurers. u
I'm the year 1884" wrote Sir George
"a rich Australian sent his son to Eng
land to be educated at Cambridge. He
had an allowance of $500 year. He
was 20 years old. In December, 1854, he
made the acquaintance Of Samuel Lewis
of Cork street, to whom he gave three
promissory notes at three months, one
for ESQ, dated December A, 1884, one
for $500, dated January II, 1885, and
one for $3.50, dated January n, 1856
together. e1,5oO. Samuel Lewis gave
him $3.50.
Directly the father heard that his son
was in the hands of a money lender
he telegraphed to the manager of one
OF the Australian banks in London to
send his son back by the next boat.
This was done, but the young mans
university career was ruined. The bank
manager then came to me, and saw
Samuel Lewis and offered to repay him
the amount he had advanced, with S
per cent. interest. He refused the offer,
and | then told him that as the under
graduate was under age the claim could
not be legally enforced against him.
Samuel Lewis replied: I have his let
ter, in which he states that he Is Of
age, and can prosecute him for OBJ
tanning money by false pretences. I
said that was not possible, because he
was not now In the country. On Janu-
airy 5, 1856, l forwarded to Samuel
Lewis t65O, together with G10O for in
terest, and ne returned to me the UNDER
graduates promissory notes for 6l,50O,
together with the discriminating letter !"
Such were samuel LeWis's methods,
yet no less an authority In money lend
ing questions than the late Lord Chief
Justlce-and LORD russell OF killowen
was severe critic OF the business of
usury-once gave him no mean testi-
III was az the close Oh the IA.
nous Spender-Ciay case
The action, 1t VIII be remembered,
was brought by Mr.. Lewis to recover
from II. Spender-Clay, at that time a
wealthy supaltern IN the Life Guards,
the sum OF 9ll,0O0 odd on two promis-
sorry notes winch he had signed at the
request of Lord William Neyill, the son
y the MARQUIS OF Abergavenny. The
aerence put forward by Mr.. clay was
mat ne was not liable, because he was
nduced 10 sign the pllls without KNOW
ng thelr nature by means OF fraudu-
ent TRICK practlced by Lord William
Nevill who, as indeed it was afterward
proved, mad covered the main portion
u the oils with plotting paper.
Commenting during his summing up
IN the part that Sam Lewis had
played IN the matter, he said His
Mr.. LeW1s's) business of bill discount
ng and money lending was not very
popular one, but let them at least be
ust to those who carried 1t on. The
'laintir had been for 80 years at the
anne address In Cork street, and there
lad been no attempt to show that he
deserved other than the name of man
Who was honorably engaged
1t is typical of the scale upon which |
Sam" Lewis conducted his business
hat in a period of two or three years !
he monetary transactions between /
imself and Lord William Nevill en-
raced an amount of something like