The Adair County news. [volume] (Columbia, Ky.) 1897-1987, 1914-02-25
A Gambler
Prince
By DONALD CHAMBERLIN


what have you to say why sentence
should not be passed upon you?'
Nothing"
IT regret that the inadequacy of the
law compels me to let you off with
nominal punishment You corrupted
| the young men in the telegraph Office
to publish false news from the Stock
Exchange in Paris to enable you to
make money by buying or selling
shares. an offense which should give
| you not less than ten years in prison.
I sentence you to serve seven months
in Jail, being the longest term ! can
give you for your crime"
Francois Blanc bowed his head and
was marched away. When his term
of service had passed he came out Of
| Jail with $4,000 to his credit in bank.
Right under the nose of the judge
who had convicted him he established
a casino in HOmburg, which was really
a gambling house. He made money.
but a prejudice against gambling was
| growing in Germany. and he feared
| the time would come when laws would
be passed that would ruin his business.
! NJ Blanc looked up rather than
| down. He aspired to run his gam
| bling business in a country where he
| could so influence the laws that none
would be made to interfere with his
method of enriching himself. So he
looked about him. In Europe there are
number of small kingdoms, princi
| palitieS, dukedOmS, that have been in
! dependent so long that none of the
! great powers have the hardihOOd to
absorb them. Blanc found little prin-
cipality containing a few square miles
only that seemed ripe for what he in
| tended. What the powers dare not alb
| sorb by the bayonet he resolved to alb
sorb by undermining with gold.
| The ruler of this principality had
! descended from one of the oldest royal
families in Europe. but he had nothing
but his pedigree. He held a court, it
| is true, but his cOurtierS were those
who served without salaries and were
able occasionally to lend the sovereign
/ money. In order to recOup he sold
concession in his principally to two
men, who bought it with the intention
of opening a gambling house on the
! territory conceded. They built ca
sino and began operations. but the
prince wanted all their profits. and
| they became discouraged.
! Francois Blanc, learning of this con-
| cession and the condition of its own
ers. bought it from them and, closing
/ out his casino at Homburg, built
costly one on the new site. laid out
splendid gardens-in short. expended
several millions with a view to making
| his place attractive. Fortunately for
him the time was ripe for such an in
vestment. For many years Baden
| Baden, in Germany. had been the
| fashionable gambling center Of Eu-
rope. where every one, from royalty to
| commOner, gave way to the passion of
gaming. Baden Baden was now no
longer such a resort, and Blanc aimed
! to make his concession what Baden
Baden had been.
! In this he succeeded. The gambling
mania of Europe was all made to pour
gold into Francois Blanc's pocket.
| Kings and queens. princes and prin-
cesses. dukes and duchesses, came and
made it fashionable, to be followed by
every one who had franc to spend
and a franc to risk. The sovereign
had all the money he wanted to spend,
and his court. if not numerous. were
at least well dressed and were not
called upon to lend the prince money.
But while he held the empty title of
ruler of the principally Francois
Blanc was the real governor.
The prince died and left his inherit
ance to his son. The new sovereign
proved himself really nothing more
than a silent junior partner in a gam
bling establishment. and there was
nothing for him to do but remain as
he was. so he renewed the concession
for term of fifty years for $5000,00O.
a sum that Francois Blanc could well
afford to pay since he made it in a
single year He could afford to do
more than this. He furnished all the
money necessary to run the govern
ment, including official salaries.
One storm arose on the gambler SOW
ereign's path. but lie weathered it.
The princes neighbors. rot relishing a
gambling principally so near them.
endeavOred to induce one Of the pow
ers on which it bordered to take steps
to prohibit it. In addition, the princes
subjects became dissatisfied at paying
taxes to a prince who had such an
enormous revenue. At Blanc's request
the sovereign abolished all taxes, and
Blanc paid them.
This was the last bite in the loaf the
gambler devoured. The prince, the
principality and lastly the subjects
passed into his capacious nav. for
when a citizen sells his citizenship the
buyer becomes its owner
Francois Blanc accumulated a for
tune equal to some of the largest in
America. and, If he was only a prince
In a financial way. he married his
daughters to princes.
The principality that forms the sub
ject Of this narrative lies on the
| chnra of tho ond