Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-09-03
A Charlatan Who
Long Duped the Gar
PARIS, August .

=; * g y. 49, a, :; $50.
| Special Correspondence Of The Star
| PARIS. August &c. 1905.
Almost unnoticed there has Just died a,
St Julien ArbresIe. in the department of
| the Rhone. remarkab BILE man who through
| his pretensions to the possession OF mar
| velous occult powers for considerable
/ period, il is said. exercised an influence over
| the Car OF Russia greater than that
| welded by any other human being. He
was during that time the power behind the
| throne of the autocrat Philippe Laudard
was the name OF this modern CagI.oslro
| but for reasons intimately connected with
| various shady transactions and a term OF
imprisonment in French jail. the memory
| OF which he desired 20 efrace, he dropped
| his surname and for several years has been
known to his dupes NJ. Philippe.
His origin is yelled in mystery. lie
/ claimed to be Frenchman. but ACCORDING
! to the TcTJort OF the secret police, VINO hunt
ed up his record at the time several infiu-
ential folk in Russia were trying to destroy
| his ascendancy over the car he was the
son of Turkish pasta and was born in a
Constantinopie harem. His father. feeling
! MS own position none too secure. sent the
10Y TO Paris when mere shaver to be edu-
Gated and trained in the ways OF western
| civilization Before he was well out of his
| teens his father van. shed-a victim to one
| OF those mysterious disappearance which
are OF common occurrence in the domains
| Of Abdul the damned" The lad was turned
| adrift TO shift for himself and developed
remarkable resourcefulness in obtaining a
diving, though for a time his wits brought
him in little else
For short time he was a butchers as
| hon ha
| languages and dabbIed in journalism. After
\ that he was successfully an insurance
agent. railway clerk, an assistant man
| ager OF a hotel and then Spectator on
| the bourse. At that latter game he lost
what little money he had accumulated As
Tace-track gambler he met with little
better success.
At one time when his fortunes were at
low ebb he picked up few francs as an
! artists model Later on he obtained a Job
as doorkeeper and attendant to a pro-
fesslonal hypnotist and medium. The man
| took fancy to the versatile Philippe and
! hnding that he was We'll equipped TO play
the rogue. instructed him in the mysteries
OF ms art and taught him how to imper-
senate spooks and fool the credulous. Pitt
| lppe proved such an apt pupil that il was
! not long before he had ousted his mas err
| and was running the show himself
STU! he did not prosper. Fortune had bet
| ter things In store for him than impartIug
messages from the dead to poor folk at a
| franc head; but he was to undergo many
ups and downs before he found his oppor-
tunity to fly at much higher game When
| he was almost penniless he obtained n ST
uation as valet TO Russian nobleman, and
IN that capacity spent several years I'm Rus
| Sla and became proficient I'm the language
Later he opened a school at ST Petershurp
for teaching boxing dancing and fencing
Inoush ne was an adept at each OF these
arts he could not make his school paw
he returned to Paris and opened a salon
Here he practiced mediumship and hypno-
tism and added mira culous healing and as
trology to his occult stock in trade For
Drlet time he made money but ADVERSELY
again overlook him. Reduced to perjury. he
became a waiter in a boulevard cafe After
a Few months he found a better billet as
Dilllard marker In a fashionable Paris club
But ne could never hold any lob long He
was soon adrift again and picked I'M A
precartous living as q hotel tout at rail-
way stations. Then he fell into the hands
OF the police. He was arrested on the
charge of stealing several hundred francs
from the proprietor of the hotel convicted
ana sentenced to three months hard labor
That experience sickened him Of Paris
When he was released he made his way to
ST. petersburg, where he gave exhibitions
oi MS hypnotic powers at private parties
ana entertainments 1t proved the turning
point In his career. The tickle Jade whom
he had wooed In so many guises wItbou,
success smiled upon him. He attracted
the attention of the Grand Duke Vladimir
uncle of the car. and OF his wife. the
Grand Duchess Marie Pavlona They In
troduced him to the car after witnessing
his powers.
According to the story which finds Gre
dence in the highest circles In Russia thers
was a plot behind this of which several
great noblemen in Russia were cognizant
being n N nm
strong leanings toward mysticism II was
calculated that man of Philippe's audac-
ity, cunning and strong personality. aided
by his mediumistic pretensions would soon
OBTAIN an ascendency over the ruler of Rus
sia- Then when this result had been
achleVed II was proposed to spread broad
cast stories OF how Nicholas II was domi-
| mated thereby rendering him ridiculous in
the eyes Of the powerful bureaucracy and
weakening his influence with the nation
generally. which would rebound to the adj
vantage of the reactionary clique.
Philippe was well fitted for the role I'm
this lgnoble intrigue. for which-unknown
TO himself many assert, though others de-
clare he was well paid for 1.-THE had been
selected big, brown-bearded man, with
piercing black eyes. handsome II somewhat
sensuous features. and impressive manners
he well filed the popular conception of tho
magician who can summon spirits from the
will.
The car. some declare, took to this
strong, burly man who claimed such won
drous powers. just little boy at school
attaches himself to some big boy who can
protect him. Perplexed by many counsel
lors and Incapable OF relying on his own
judgment, he jumped at the chance of OBJ
tanning guidance from his predecessors and
others Of the mighty dead which Philippe
offered him. 1t is said that after witnessing
various displays OF Philippe's undoubted
hypnotic powers the car consented to let
Philippe hypnotic him several times on the
pretense that II would place the car zen
rapporti with the spirits who wished to
communicate with him. Thus he establish-
ed a complete ascendency over the will OF
the ruler Of all the Russians
1t was not long before the INSCRIPTIONS
adventurer, who had often been hard put
to 1t to obtain square meal, found himself
fairly wallowing In luxuries with a suite
OF rooms reserved for him In each of the
cars palaces, and a stan OF royal domes-
tics to wait upon him. He had his own car
riages and horses and was frequently driven
about in state under the protection OF the