The Portland daily press., 1901-01-30
THE NAPOLEON OF UsURERs
How sam Lewis ofLondon FIssced His
Noble but Impeeunious Friend.


(Phiiadelphia Evening Telegraph
''Sam" Lewis, who was 90 years Of age
at the time OF his death had for many
years carried on the business OF monsv
lending at usurious rates, and lie l,aid to
have accumulated 50 much money that
he actually did not know what to do
with It. lie lived In Injurious style at
% Grosvenor Square, London, and had
more than one splendid seat In the
country. and In town and country alike
such persons As would oondssosnd to no.
cept his hospitality. With the pretended
object Of getting rid OF some OF his SUPER
fiuous cash, he was accustomed to visit
Monte Carlo, but always. as he COM
plaIned, with the result of making more
nc ney than he lost. Once, It IL said,
he "broke the bank," and is credited
with having distributed half OF his win
nings among the poor of Marseilles.
Lewis was, In fact, rather proud Of his
munificence to the poor. but he fairly
glosted when pluokinR the aristocratic
speudthrifts who were his only patrons,
as he steadfastly refused to transact bust
ness with ordinary persons. He was
known to everybody who mad money to
borrow and not too much security upon
which to borrow IL. 10 him It was that
the gilded youth Of England turned first
In their difficulties. He know them all.
and they all knew him, and he had even
acquired among these sometimes frivo-
GUS young persons the reputation OF
being not such a bad fellow after all, in
his way. Sixty per cent was very likely
to be mitigated by impulses OF charitable
considerations for those of his clients to
whom Lewis took a liking.
Some OF the recent more notable patrons
of Lewis mBy be mentioned. One Of
these was the Earl Of Clancarty, tho fifth
holder OF the title, VINO, about twelve
courtesy title OF ViscOunt Dunlo, mar
ried Belle Billion, a variety singer, upon
whom the osllow youth ssquendered vast
sums OF money which he had obtained
from Lewis. The latter found ClanSarty
n very undesirable debtor. and in his
effort to enforce such settlement as was
possible had recourse to advertising the
noble Earl In the London Gazette as
debtor who would not pay his bills
Another steady patron OF Lewis was the
late reprobate Marquis OF Ailesbury-
known generally as the "CostermoDger
Marquis who, when he came into he
family titles and estates on the death OF
his grandfather, IN 1885 was found to owe
Lewis a sum Of ESQ. 900, which he had
borrowed ON post-oDits and squandered
on the notorious Dolly Tester OF tho
London variety stage, whom he finally
married. 10 enable him to repay Lewis
for his accommodations, the Marquis. in
4 anRagfral azfata nf SaRgF-
make to Lord Iveagh-an alienation which
mis- uAcle and heir.pf esumptive. Lord
Henry Bruce attempted in vain to pre-
vent by a resort to the courts, When the
case was In litigation this charming
young Ieer swore that he was still reoeiy-
ing money from Lewis; that, In fact, he
was mainly dependent upon him for his
daily maintenance, aud that Lewis stood,
as it were, be tween him and starvation.
Lord Iveagh had agreed to pay nearly
E800, O00 for SAvernake, the greater part
OF which would have gone to Lewis. The
latter bad promised, IL the thing went
through, to allow Lord Ailesbury 1000
a year for the remainder Of his life, but
this pittance DIV no means suited the |
view or Marchioness Dolly, who firmly /
refused to release her jointure, or mar
riags settlement, righta over the estate.
Before the business was finally cleared up
tins Marquis die1, and Lewis was lsft in
the huron for once.
About this time Lewis also sustained a /
heavy loss through the operations OF /
clique of swindiers uuder the lead or
Frank lay Tor, alias Frank Tarbo, who /
the johnny" Irving gang in New York /
city. Lewis always refused TO make
known the amount OF his losses In this
ar the game Dy which he
was Induced to surrender his cash, hut
1t Is believed that the swindlsIs bilked
MIN through younger sons, who ~ere
their most frC quent direct victims
One OF the latest scandals in which 4
Lewis figured was the cass OF Lord Will /
liam NeviIl, the fourth son OF the Mar
auis of Abergavenny, who In February,
1898, plsa1ed guilty to fraud ard was sem
snced to tive years imprisonment HIS
financial difficulties were first ven I a.ed
10 a suit brought by Lewis in the proceed
ing year against an officer q the Guards
named Clay, through whom he ran {
dashed two notes for Ell. GOO for Lord
william Nevill Lewis acknowledged on
the witness stand on this occasion that
l. ord william had Teen raging MIN from /
so to 40 per cent for his aeC0mmoc alton
Lewis nas often been denounced for his (
practices. but never 50 forcihly and efie'- 4
lively as he was during the inquiry by n !
Houss of Commons committee in 10 the !
evils OF money-lsnding about three years
ago. Sir George Lewis, the eminent
lawyer, and a member of the highest
in the Jewish community OF |
London, in his argument before this COM
nitbee complained particularly Of the /
q transactions of such men as "Sam"
Lewis. Sir George said that "the Jewish /
loathed and desplsed them,
refused to a low them to hold any posi- /
lion in the Jewish ranks and the Jewish
-abbis preached against them and their
practices"
SPEECH OF THE |
KING