Omaha daily bee., 1921-07-17
Noted Spenders' Feats
Pale AS British Woman
Throws Gold to Winds
Mrs. Smith Wilkinson, Who Stunned Paris by Squan
dering $5,0OO,OOO in Two Weeks, Plans to Dumb
found Manhattan-Coal Oil Johnny, Jacques
Lebaudy and Charles G. Gates Other
Celebrated Wasters
BY MARGERY REX.


BY MARGERY REX.
New York, July 16.-"Is ii the
spender or the miser who makes ths
world 90 round?"
Thus demands Mrs. mith-Wilkin
son of bewildered world.
Truly the English spendthrift ha.
made heads. at least, 60 around ir
that dear Paris, where she spen
$s,O00,0O0 in two weeks.
The lady is surely careless with
coin. Not content with the hats te
be bought along the Rue de la Paix
Madame Monte Carlo" as the
stunned citizens of Paris dub her
found a bargain in useless crowns
this especial one being that of the
Inflated czarina, the price $500, 900
Among other trinkets she picked
UP" in France were the Shrewsbury
pearls, price half a million. Then
gowns, loose diamonds to sew on
dresses. reupholstering Of autos and
of private suites ran into millions.
And this strange woman defends
herself with the plea that she cannot
spend her income, which reaches
thirty millions.
Some Other Noted Spenders.
Though apparently champion OF
the spending ring, Mrs. Smith Viii
kinson is not the first person to en-
JOY wasting money. There have been
those who blazcd the trail for her
and who established precedents and
high marks for wasting long before
the gay Britsher came to dazzle the
continent.
There was our own Coal Oil John
ny, who at the age OF 81 left the oil
fields of Pennsylvania to visit New
York and show the old residents
what a large evening looked like.
John w. Steelc-his real name
had nice little way of getting what
he wanted. He selected not only
$4,000 worth of clothes of fine
morning, not only bought cabs to
help out INDECENT cabbies. but was
perfectly willing to purchase such
things as revenge, for instance.
Buys Hotel.
Staying at hotel during his SEN
sational New York visit, he found
that a certain clerk was too indif-
ferent to his importance. Johnny
bought the hotel, fired the bored
clerk and opened the doors to the
public, to let who would enter. eat,
drink or dwell therein. This cost
81 100000 that one day.
Alas, in four years Coal Oil John
ny became bankrupt. He had to 60
back to the labor which had formerly
netted him but 81 day. When he
died, at II in Omaha last New Years
day, he had been earning $50 a
month.
But doesn't Mrs. Smith Wilkinson
make Coal Oil Johnny look tight
wad?
And yet there are other women
whom we thought wild wasters until
we heard of the golden blaze that has
come out of England.
Mrs. Anthony Caused Stir.
There was Mrs. Charles Anthony,
of Muncie, Ind, who went in for
gold watches on evening slippers,
diamond heels, armlets cleaning
with gems. When visiting here a
few years ago she wore a contrap-
ton that looked like diamond hand
cuffs. II dazzled Peacock Alley
dizzy.
And she was considered a wild
spendthrift.
Not long before that time the
murder by his wife of Jacques Le-
baudy, self-styled Emperor of the
Sahara" brought out the story OF
his excesses and extravagances,
which often took an amusing turn.
Thought Insane.
Lebaudy was believed to be in
sane. He was at times placed in
sanitariums. Perhaps this explains
the odd and spectacular nature of
his expenditures and escapades. Son
of Jules Lebaudy, late sugar king
of France, the Emperor" in 1908,
went to London. There he had fitted
up for his use magnificent suite in
the Savoy. He called himself by the
royal title mentioned. He made ap-
peals to different courts for recog-
milton since he owned an empire in
Abyssinia. In this Enterprise he
spent many millions. Tradespeople
called on him, anxious for the honor
of being accepted "by appointment
to His Majesty the Emperor of the
Sahara"
His exploits in America, once this
affair was ended, were sufficiently
startling to cause comment. He used
to buy broken-down race horses at
large prices and give parades to
show them of.
Mounted upon these decrepit
steeds were placed uniformed mes
senger boys for whose services he
had arranged.
Lebaudy Couldn't Spend All.
The vast Lebaudy fortune was not
anoreriahfv iessened hv the "E M