The Butler weekly times. (Butler, Mo.) 1881-1918, 1908-04-30
A Young French Walters
Career in Frenzied Finance

lun, France. Si1 years ago he"
financial star OF the first magnitude
began TO shine In Paris and provin-
cial cities, lighting the way Tor French
savings 80 sure and safe profits. Yes
terday the multi-millionaire chief oi
vast mining, banking and Industrial
interests made one OF the most bril-
liant figures OF the gay French capt.
tai. One OF his companies alone had
sixty branches in France Every
company he had hoated was high
above par,
To-day an audacious embezzler
lies In the Sante prison, charged With
swindling French investors out OF
twenty million dollars.
These persons are one and the
same-Rochette, the Mephlstopheles
OF French investors, cursed at this
hour from Calais TO Marseilles In ten
thousand families. No more roman
tic figure has appeared on the Paris
ian scene for o long time; and only
30 years old
Eight years ago, when he was a
cafe waiter at the Melun railway bar,
he wore the white apron, the alpaca
dress coat without tailsl, the low
cut vest, white, stiff shirt front, turn
over collar and butterfly" blacl
necktie OF his trade. French cali
walters are the most standstill, un
rising, un ambitious and c0ntentet
types. Tley seem TO be satisfied Il
be spectators to the lie OF leisure
pleasure and bright movement II
which they move.
The cafe waiter, Rochette, In th
year 1899, seemed TO be just like hi
brethren. He was young man G
"a years, avid Of gratuitous chea
pleasures, knocking down drinks
flirting with servant girls on thel
day out, pocketing tips from the
cent bee ~.gratuity TO the 20 cer
qualification for adroitly passing
love letter. His sole financial ope
ations consisted In buying up ba
' silver pieces TO pass on suspectin
foreigners. His pocket money We
: seldom more than the last 2-cent 81
! he received.
> Then peasant uncle died and 81
1 young cafe waiter came In Tor 81 ,oC
y as his heir. 1t was the only none
d in his family. And just here Is whe
= Rochette showed himself differe
from all other cafe walters. iii
: per cent OF them In France wou
at seek TO buy a small cafe with tht
81 900. To be "patron"-"boss'
is always their vague, dreamy am
,te tion. And the other so per ce
ew would have methodically blown
~. their 81 900 on the races. neglt
,u. TO mention that one source OF re
IT. nue. Tor cafe walters In all France
in the clandestine placing OF Gland
tn tine bets with clandestine bookml
nts ers at the official Paris Mutual prize
to The law iorbids betting except on
Ne. race track; and hall the populatl
Cor wants to bet quietly In town; 81
in cafe walters become the chief Int
the mediary OF u vast underground g
I'm. TEN. So, you understand TO he
ing daily confidant and custodian OF
ry. citing sport breeds desire so pl
,ss. bets On their own account.
nso Rochelle dropped all OF this.
IN" dropped his apron, the delights
ma. dope. life, the lazy spectacular rol
van OF his profession and the meritori
int. ambition to be patron"
, 30 Rochette put on a business sui
ons neat tweeds. He went to Paris.
are took cheap board. He entered a |
iness college rather noted Tor
hard brilliancy OF the students 1t
l. turned out; and there Monster RI
tee, ette worked with feverish diligel
Igo, all day and half the night, to fitf
ton self for "affairs," as the French |
can which Is not exactly what we m
lion by "business," but close to 1t.
sent InAmerica, the land oicorrespo
bite ence schools, iace-sbout like
q to may not seem much. In France
ach. simply phenomenal, one might
hite morbid. This was In 1899-190O
Ion, In 1901 we have q glimpse of \
aper sieur Rochette, placed as capable
ohm trusted bookkeeper with the thel
New nous banker, Berger, founder
IQ-o<o. ~ oo,c.o ofaa