Evening star., 1924-12-07

Eze is the most romantic of the
rock towns. For 200 years Eae
was held by the Moors and for
another 200 by a republic OF cut
throat pirates. Every house in Ezs
is blood soaked.
Eze is high-perched. At the foot
Of the rock is the Villa Belmont,
which will never equal Marble
House at Newport.
Higher up is the new chateau OF
Mrs. BeImonts daughter, Nine. Bal
san. But, higher up yet. is the Peter
Pan real estate Of other Americans,
In Eze, up there, I was offered the
house of Blacas, the Troubadour" for
$500 (Which is 1000 francs). No
doubt, it would be dearer today. \
true old pirate house has been
bought for $500. Next to nobody
lives in Eye. There is no water.
Men ask 40 francs per day of four
working hours to tote you water up
the height. Its visitors are tourists
in carryails and romantic Americans
who picnic in their pirate houses.
1t would be hard to name half the
Americans who have been dickertng
for pirate real estate in Eze and
paduebruno. The movement follows
well known names.
Mrs. Ralph Curtis and Mrs. Bel
lamy Storer are credited as the hrsG
American owners OF houses I'm Eze.
Mrs. Milton Robbins who has street
in Nice named after herr keeps up
her interest from Santa Barbara.
Richard Hudnot. they say. Is cX-
ploring and will actually restore tho
house OF the captain" most villain
Gus of all in ancient reputation.
Harry Ellis, formerly of Lima. Ohio.
owns the three-doored house adJoiu
ing.
1t is the most awful old rock town
in Europe. Eze has been BLOOD
soaked in Is centuries, with, say, four
centuries OF peace! Eze has been
visited by plague. shaken by earti1-
Quakes and mutilated by lightning.
Al one period EEe was the terror q
the coast, supreme in villainy. uniqg"
In frightfulness. At another! tins,
Eze was a seat OF letters, frequsnteu
all the arts!
Today Eze huddles in the sun, re-
Numbering.
Romantic Americans pat her on
the back.
Roquebrun@ the gentler Peter Pan
town, fully Inhabited and sleepily
prosperous, can be seen from the ter
race of Monte Carlo. Henry Clews,
jr., has house IN Roqueburne, which
care-taker, to serve as amusing stop
off station on motor car trips up the
coast.
CHARLEs CARROLL of Carrollt6n
~ was the first American house
owner Of Roauebrune. The supposed
Carroll house Git is not known that
the estate has sold it1 Is gay with
carved woodwork and diamond panes
and. up to 1920, had been "continu-
ously inhabited for 500 years" Its
front is supposed to be shaped ''like
grinning face"
1t is impossible, says Sir Frederic
Treves, to take Roquebrune's dark
past seriously. 1t is too fiowery,
dreamy and crazy. ''It is town for
boys and girls to play in''--with the
pirate book in hand
The architecture Is like an anus
ing bad dream.
Mrs. Seth Barton French and the
former Duchess of Marlborough, nee
Vanderbilt, own houses on a street
that goes anywhere IL pieases, so
long as II goes uphill" Twice 1t dips
under houses of other streets and
bobs up In little fowery square!
There are wicked-looking arches
and suspicious-looking iron-bound
doors. They open into cheerful sit
ting rooms--today; but you know
that bad things happened in those
rooms, in the old times!
Roquebrune Is still a live town
occupied by sleepy natives who seem
to be all the time getting dinner
ready. The motor carryalls OF the
Upper Corniche so through the lower
streets and stop to let the tourists
cape.
"a wicked old town, formerly
the guide says like an orator. as he
stands facing the passengers, his
back to the chauffeur. Formerly,
It's folks were hand-in-glove with
the pirates OF Eze, but, at present,
nothing doing!''
Nothing doing?
Ten years hence Americans will
own one-third OF the houses of
RoQuebrune, and who can guess how
many of the old chateaux of France.