The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1908-05-21
ONCE BANKRUPT
DIED WEALTHY
One of Spitzel Brothers who Figured
In Manila in Imperial
Days.
HE LEAVES A 10000, 900 ESTATE.
He Skipped Out of Australia Dis
honored Twenty-Five
Years Ago.
E LEAVES A s1O,OOO,OOO ESTATE.
Manila Cablenews-American.


Many Manlans will remember the
Spitzel brothers, who were in bust
ness here during the days of the en-
pire, and who got into trouble for al
legged selling of arms to the insurgents
One of them was a familiar figure
about the Orient hotel in 1900 and for
two years later The elder, Louis Spit
eel, died year ago in London, leaving
to his family and brother an estate
worth ten million dollars. In London
the decedent was esteemed a good citi-
zen and was a leader in business and
in public charities.
A Melbourne dispatch says:
Louis Spitzel, who died recently
leaving Sl0,OOO,O0O, turns out to have
been an undischarged bankrupt in Vic
toria who twenty-five years ago clear
ed OUT from Australia under interest
iGg circumstances.
The story has just been told in the
Australian press by w. Densham, a
Melbourne accountant who has lately
returned from a mission to London in
connection with the Louis Spitzel es-
tate.
Mr.. Densham says that twenty-five
years ago Spitzel was a working jewel
er in Melbourne and subsequently he
opened business of his own. Short
ly afterwards he became insolvent, and
l., 4
for a certificate, which the court re-
fused unless he paid his creditors 25
per cent.
Spitzel then disappeared, and moth
ing was heard of him for four years,
when Melbourne man returning from
China stated that he had seen the ex-
jeweler at Shanghai, where he had APP
parently got into close touch with the
highest official circles of the Chinese
Empire. At the time of the China
Japanese war Spitzel was largely in
terested in the Chinese army contracts
He was apparently hand in glove with
Li-Hung Chang. He was prominent
man and rapidly accumulated great
wealth.
Spitzel was next traced during the
Russo-Japanese War. He was en-.
gagged in running a steamer through
the blockade to Port Arthur.
! So far as Australia was concerned
! nothing was heard of Spitzel until a
cable message from London appeared
in the Melbourne Press announcing
that Louis Spitzel, formerly an Aus,
tralian, had died at Carlsbad, leaving
! property of the estimated value of $1O,,
; 100000. Mr.. Densham states that a
Melbourne solicitor then called atten-
ton to the fact that a man of the
sane name became insolvent in Mel
bourne a quarter of a century before
and then disappeared. Inquiries show.
ed that the men were identical.
Mr.. Densham went to England tt
! endeavor to secure a settlement of the
creditors claims. He saw the execu
tors, who were reasonable business
men, and placed the legal position be
fore them, pointing out that deceased
had no right to acquire property be-
fore obtaining a certificate.
After some consideration the trus,
tees, with the approval of the de.
ceased's family, decided to pay the
Melbourne creditors of the estate IN
full with per cent, interest added
for twenty-five years. THAT places
me-" said Mr.. Densham, ''in the happy
position of being able to return to Mel.
bourne and pay all the creditors 2Os
in the pound. 1t is doubtful whether
all the creditors are now alive, or
whether they can be traced" Inquiries
made by Mr.. Densham in England
show that Spitzel, while resident there
posed as an earnest British patriot and
endeavored to instil patriotic ideas into
the children. At his death he left a
considerable sum for the preparation
of patriotic books for children for dis
tribution at the public schools