“THE MARQUIS”

Evening Star, Issue 14512, 2 November 1910, Page 10

“THE MARQUIS”

The Berlin “ lion ” hunters who have idolised and feted, and, worse still, cashed cheques for the “Marquis de la Romeo,” have been horrified to learn that this selfstyled nobleman is really tho son of a Hungarian, school teacher, and a member of a notorious "ang of international swindlers. Tho heads of tho gang were an international cardsharper named Howard and a mortgage-forger named Margolin, who fled from Berlin leaving debts amounting to some £50,000, but was arrested on Monday. The “ Marquis ” was a sort of male Becky Sharp. On the death of a relative ho came in for a nice little fortune of £4,(K)O. This he ran through in the period commonly designated “next to no time,” Then ho met Howard in Romo, and played cards with that “very warm member.” The result was that in the course of one evening he lost something like £1,500, and being unable to pay up, was given the chance of being exposed or joining Howard’s gang, and using his good appearance and undoubted conrcrsational powers te decoy wealthy gamblers into Howards net. Klimm, te give tho “Marquis’s” real name, readily joined tho Howard gang, and a few weeks later was ruffling it with the best in Berlin as the Marquis do la Ramce, a Fiendi nobleman possessed of wealth a Rothschild might envy. As such, he last spring won the heart and hand of Fraulein Alice Hecht, ihe daughter of tho late Berlin millionaire, Herr Hecht, and married her in London, despite the opposition of her widowed mother. Instead of tho expected huge dowry, however, ho found that his bride mid only £I,OOO a year—a sum hardly sufficient to pay the “Marquis’s” tailor. He was thus getting deeper and deeper into debt, when, finally, Margolin arranged a trick te got him out of his difficulties. He took an actress, wearing a thick veil, to the house of a weil-knowu moneylender, where she protended ’ o be tho widow of the deceased millionaire, and signed a mortgage on Herr Hccht’s property. The moneylender advanced on the mortgage a sum of about £IO,OOO, whidi Margolin and the “Marquis ” shared, and promptly quitted Berlin, ihc “Marquis” went to The Hague, and ■.as there arrested whilst living in great stylo at one of tho principal hotels. His .rial will bo the “cause colebre” of the eason. in Berlin, and is likely te bring to ight scandals affecting several families unbraced in “the upper ten” of the German capital. The “Marquis,” it appears, ot only played a pretty game of cards, .id cashed worthless cheques, but wheedled money and jewellery out of ladies ■. ho found his society preferable to that of heir husbands, who are now askin'* quesions.—London correspondent, September 18.