Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1912-02-10
A HUMAN ENIGMA
The Count Of st. German, a Fa-
nous Old World lmpostor.
CLAIMED TO Be IMMORTAL.

Had Connected an Elixir That Would
Keep Him Young and Alive Forever.
One OF the greatest impostors In the
annals Of France and that the court Of
any nation has had to deal with was
the Count OF ST. German, whose life
Is written down as one long mystery
and tastes much more of fiction than
OF fact In its relating Who he was no
one knows nor where he came from
nor what finally became of him. He
suddenly appeared at the French court
OF Louis Nv. in i1IS He had an ar
fable and convincing way about him
and succeeded In winning friends. just
who introduced him or how this hand
some. brilliant stranger came TO be in
troduccd into the court circle Is mys-
terry. II was at the period when the
most rigorous etiquette was maintain
ed and ancestry counted for much and
every title Of nobility had TO be thor
oughly authenticated before II was ac-
ceptcd.
No one knew 81. GERMAN nor had
ever heard Of him when he made his
debut at the French court, although he
spread the report that he was 1000
years old aud was able to convince
many of the more susceptible into be
licving II. He had no records to show
that he was entitled TO the name OF
count: he had no visible means Of sup
port and yet he took up splendid quar-
tiers in Paris and lived at an extrava-
giant rate. The French court had had
some experience with Adventures and
were more or less suspicious: but. In
spite OF the fact that they knew moth.
ing about him. ST. Germain was receiv
ed with open arms and the king made
him his boon companion. Nine. dc
Pompadour. the reigning beauty OF the
court. consulted him freely on affairs
OF state and society. So powerful did
he become that dukes and ambassa-
doris were among bis closest friends
and bitterest foes
Finally ST. Germans claim TO I'M
mortality became the general discus
sion among all who knew him or had
heard of him. lie claimed that b.
would never die for had he not AZ
ready lived 1900 years. and natural
~ he was pointed out rs the wonder
OF the age. He spoke every language
then known and one as huently as the
other. lie had q positive genius for
chemistry and astounded the world by
discoveries he madc-or pretended to
have made-along this line. The most
monumental Of all his fakes was the
story he told of how having been born
close 10 300 years before Christ. he
had found fge creeping up and deter
mined through his skill In chemistry,
10 concoct the liquor that would keep
him always alive and young. The
mans perfect and intimate knowledge
Of all history led many people 10 be-
lieve this wild statement He would
relate personal narratives of Nero.
Dante. Francis I. and other notables OF
former centuries.
st. German also claimed 10 possess
n secret of turning baser metals into
gold and OF making precious stones.
His untraced wealth and the fact that
he fairly blazed with diamonds lent
credcnce TO his stories. He was so
clever In the workings Of his fakes
as not 10 he detected. and he was never
proved 10 be swindler. gambler or
n spy. though he was charged with be-
ing all three.
He was about iif,y years old at the
,f,.... 81 L.. .,s.naut...ra.. NJ la. ErQtrh
court. He carried everything before
him while he remained there. but he
was restless and finally driftcd from
court TO court and later is credited
with having become the boon COM
panion Of the landgrave. Charles OF
Hessc. and Is reported to have died in
Schlcswig Holstein In l7S0.
But did he die or is he still living:
Naturally he Is not alive, but no one
ever knew what became of him. Gros.
ley. nm eminent scientist and fellow OF
the Royal society believed he saw 81.
German In a French prison during the
reign Of terror in 1874. Lord Lytton In
1860 met man who seemed the EN-
bodiment OF the old count Van
Damme writes of mysterious ina
jor'' who was IN the court OF Louis Ma
poleon IN 1850 who was Of no known
nationality. OF undiscovered origin and
with plenty Of money from a source
none could learn.
A man must have possessed excep-
tionai ability as faker and must
have had the trick down 10 an art 10
have fooled such intelligent men as
Andrew Lang, Lord Lytton, Crosby |
and many others. and for that reason
he must he put down ms one OF the
most monumental fakes Of history
Philadelphia Press.