Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1905-10-20
MILLIONAIRE BEGGARS
A Great Many of Them Have Become I'M
menseIy Wealthy.

That is strangely romantic and al
most unknown story, which links
abraham Fidler, the beggar, with one
of the greatest and most highly placed
of the millionaires. AS boy A braham
was Kidnapped from his home in Odessa,
but he escaped from captors and be
came one of the most successful beg.
gars who ever found charity comfort
able substitute for honest work.
After bis death at Nice, in August
ast, securities worth 100000 were
found attached to his body. and with
them was will bequeathiug the for
tune to Lord Roths schild, giving as the
reason for such singular request that
money goes to money" To Lord
Rotbschild the fortune thus rOmanti.
c4lly acquired has proved source of
9 nbarras ssment and trou BILE, for be has
b I'D to employ number of lawyers to
discover the testator's next of kin with
the object of handing to them bis un
desired legacy.
| Italy seems to be paradise for clev.
er and unscrupulous beggars, for it
was in that country that Tori, who
died a few years ago. reaped bis rich
harvest of charitable dOles. When at
last the beggar died his sOrdid rooms
We're found to be treasure bonses OF
silver. gold and securities. When they
had been thoroughly ransacked the
spoil amounted to no less that 2, 900, 900 |
francs, all of which went to two nephews |
of Tori, who were in a deplorable |
condition of poverty and to whom the |
old man would not give crust of bread
during his life.
Another Italian beggar who found
his profession highly profitable was
Alberto Righotti, who for so years and
more solicited aims in the chief cities
of his native country. Alberto ap
pears to have been born under lucky
star, for early in his career as mendi-
can't be won prize of over SIS, 600 with
lottery ticket given to lin by one of
his patrons, and by lucky investment
more than trebled its value. When he
died in a wretched garrett in Rome in
1899 be left the whole of bis fortune.
amounting to $3.50, 600. to oignor lStel
Iuti, one of the wealthiest men to Italy,
whose father had been bis most liberal
and constant almsglver.
Even milionaires do not, as rule,
carry fortune with Them on their
walks abroad, like a certain beggar
who has for many years frequented the
neigh borhood of the opera house in
Paris. One hot summer g day few
years ago this mendicant was prostrat
ed by sunstrOke and was taken in an
state to the nearest hOspl
jal. When his clothes were removed
le was found to be wearing a belt
which was literally stuffed with bank
notes of the value of 800, 900 francs, or,
roughly, f12 900 Most remarkable
still is the stcry of another Partisan
Deggar, Henri Bompard, who was ar
ested in the Boulevard SebastopOl a
few months ago for assaulting with |
lis crutcb a gentleman who refused
lim aims. On him was found leath-
II bag, suspended from his neck, con-
aiming hundreds of precious stones,
,ut and uncut, the val ue of which was
aid to be at least l30 900 francs For
many years Bompard had been in the
labit of investing his savings. in this
and portable form and had
,hus accumulated gems which might
Well fill society queen with envy.
Just 10 years ago there died In Au-
xerre, a beggar in whose cellar were
400 bottles of wine of rare and costly |
vintage, more than century old, while
a single trunk revealed coins and se-
curites amounting to more than ,0OO,-
000 francs
And Gustave Marcelin, whose career
as mendicant came to an end three
years earlier, in AvignOn, left behind
him the snug little fortune of 1O0,00O
francs, with directions that it should
be equally divided between the city OF
Avignon aud local charity bureau.
Only last year there died in a wretch
ed lodging OF the Rue de Flandre,
Paris, one Marguer N, who was
said to be a member of one of the oldest |
and most aristocratic French families. |
AS a schoolgirl she had eloped with a |
young scapegrace. who quickly aban |
doned her, and thus thrown pennlless |
on the world she assumed the role of a |
professional beggar. For go years she
oiled her profession and boarded her
aims until when she died she Was &C
tually drawing all income of over 80, 900
francs year from her investments i'll
government securities.
To give one more instance of mendi
can't Croesuses, it is said that the rich
est of them all now living is one Simon
| Oppasich, whose misfortune of being
born without legs and arms be has
turned to excellent financial account.
A quarter of century ago be had
saved Gl5, 900; eight years later. chiefly
| Iby.speeulation, he had increased this
fortune to e65 900, and today this lucky
beggar is credited with possessing the
income of a chancellor of the exchequer.
Exchange.
|