The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1901-02-16
SOCIETY MONEY .INDER
SAM" LEWIS, THE MOST NOTED
NAN IN HIS BUSINESS IN
). -. ENGLAND
DID NOT PREY UPON NEEDY
Not Entirely Rapacious Nor Heart
less, but Usually Maintained Any
business Intimacy That Had
Once Been Established.

.u.- "a
samuel Lewis might have been called
the prince Of usurers." He belonged
to profession deservedly unpopular.
says the London Mail, but he, was at tina
mead OF IT, and was not to be confused
| with practitioners OF the Gordon type
ne oid not prey upon the poor and needy
out lived upon the foliies of his time
He said once that he had a million Of
money on paper. and every name on 1t
In "Debrett,'' and there Is little reason
to doubt the statement. He was the
society money lender, and few OF the
young spendthrifts who have dragged
rc-cred ten'i,v. names. into the bank
ruptcy and other courts got there "...l-
out a 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-
peachabie characterize discount. He
absolutely refused to have anything to
do with them That class of business
was not in his way.
He was not entirely rapacious, nor a;-
together heartless, but when once he
had established a monetary connection
with a man 1t was not his fault II the
intimacy, usually so satisfactory In It's
results to "Sam' Lewis, was broken
off, When once he had made an ag1e:-
ment with man he kept. him to 1t
to the very letter.
An excellent instance Of this is to be
found in letter which Sir George Lewis
addressed to."The Times In April. ,1S:3S,
on the, subject Of West End Usurers.''1
In 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 a year. He
y olor
he made the acquaintance Of Samuel
Lewis, Of Cork street, to whom he gave
three promissory notes at three months,
one for G75O, dated Dec. 4, 1884; one for
e6O0. dated Jan. II, 1885. and one loG
e25O. dated Jan q, 13s5-together, f1,ooo
Samuel Lewis gave him G55o.
directly the father heard that Ills son
was in the hands Of a money lender he
teleeraphed to the manager of Gne OF tn,
Australian banks IN London to eeni MS
son back BY the next beat. This Was
dome. but the young mans university
career was ruined. The bank manage
then came to me, and J. saw Samuel
Lewis and offered to repay him tie
amount he had advanced, with 5 per cent
interest. He refused the offer, and l.
then told him that as the undergraduate
was under age the claim could not b.
legally enforced against. Samuel Lewis
replied: 7 have mis- letter. In which ll3
states that he IS OF age, and I can pros
ecute hin, Tor obtaining money by false
pretenses. said that vas net possible,
because lie was not now III the country.
On Jan. j, 1856, I forwarded to Samuel
Lewis ESQ together With G1UD for inter
est and he returned to me. the under
graduates pron:issory notes for 81 500
together with the discriminating letter.
Such were Samuel Lewis methods, yer
no less authority on money lending aues-
hon, no Ia TO ,.hiof Inst ~
Lord Russell. Of .Killowen, was a severe
critic Of the business CT usury-once gave
him TO mean testimonial. 1t was at the
close Of the famous Spender-Clay case.
The action, it will be remembered, was
brought by Mr.. Lewis to recover from
II. Sperder-Clay, at that time a wealthy
subaltern in the Life GUARDS. the sum
Of 9n,c odd on two pronissory note.
which he had signed at the request Of
Lord William Novii, the son Of the Mar
quis Of Abergavenny. The defense put
forward by Mr.. Clay Was that he was
not liable, because he was induced 70
sign the bills without knowing their ma
ture by means Of fraudulent trick prac-
ticed by Lord William Nevil, who, as in
deed it was afterward proved, had COW
cred" the main portion Of the bills VITA
plotting Paper &C., ,---.-
Commenting during the summing up
on the part that Sam" Lewis had Played
in the matter, he said: His tMr. LeWisD
business Of bill discourting and money
lending Was not a very popular one, Du.
let them at. least be just to those who
carried II on. The plaintiff had been for
thirty years at the same address in Cork
street and there had been To attempt
to show that he deserved other than the
Eanc Of man vino was honsrabty en-
gagged" .r s=-E-t-
It is typical Of the scale upon which
G ON tod
In 4 period OF two or three years the
monetary transactions between himself
and Lord William Nevill embraced an
amount Of something like GS0,66o.,
In chara cter Sam was What is bAst
Described as bluff. He could, if ne
what rough and ready way. but. or, the
other hand, IL he had no desire to make
himself agreeable he took no pains ii,
disguise the fact. 1FIe had q keen sense
of huu,or. and his ready wit often stood
him in good stead.
He lived in beautiful house in Gros-
venor square, and OF late years there,
popular bostesses than Mrs. Sam"
Lewis, who is noted for her dinners and
driving capabilities. ~
Sam" Lewis horses were finer than
most peoples In town. ne stables o.
the house in Grosvelior sq1a:e are built
III a sDy0eWDs1I CUllOuS ldSnlOI, tfl, S.olocS
being lodged on the first floor.
Sam" Lewis often lauashingly confess
ed that he had so much money that hs
had no idea what, to do with. It. To ST
rid Of seme Of this supertiuGils veal d
he made q habit OF go;1ig to Monte Carlo.
He often complained, however. that ho
was SO unlucky in HI, object that lie
made moro than NE lost. On one famous
occasion. indeed. he broke the bank, and,
In despair Of beng able 10 spend the
moneg. he Distributed half OF it among
The poor Of Narcotics This is no. fhs
Only instance of his generosity. sa3,d If a
4 beggar accosted him as he wandered W
! and down Bend street-a ;ay.rite c;sten
of his-Ee was not likely to 80 empty
away.
/ Ee was. in fact, rather proud o. his
! 1runiiiceglcc &c tile poJr. 1t was TIE rich
wer.9isa1s .tl1e gildeG youth, upon .yh n
he .c.ssi 10 practices re usurfrus arts;
and t.toss who knew h,rG vel say h It
he did not SO much out OF greed for gain
rs from q queer. half ,iu1l,ss"55s.s .gr.irc Q
Of spelling the gSl,tIans q he ev.Iyed
from curious and Exceptionally per-
verse nature. sl;ss
Puget sound Lumber eut.ut.
Les. year the Puget seu,ll sayrci ]
and Single mill at Fairharen, Wash .
y cut Is. ss1, 7ss feet OF lumber asa .9s6 600
shingles. he output o. a,.ngIes il, 1900