MILLIONAIRE AND MISER

Lake Wakatip Mail, Issue 4011, 4 August 1931, Page 2

MILLIONAIRE AND MISER

THE DEMON OF AVARICE MISERABLE END LX PARIS. A grim story of the life and death ot n Socialist who became a millionaire was lately revealed in Paris. Forty years ago M. Edmond Toussaint was a Socialist M.P. for a Paris constituency. But ho abandoned politics for business, and eventually amassed a big fortune as a property owner and in other ways. M. Toussaint seems to have abandoned bis Socialist principles, for, instead of dividing his wealth with his less fortunate fellows, he put every sou that he could into his hanking account. The demon of avarice tightened its grip on him, and he lived in the most miserable conditions.

A familiar figure to the inhabitants of the Paris quarter in which he existed, the old man would pay for nothing that ho could get by any other means. Early every morning lie was to he seen turning over the rubbish heaps in the local markets to recover vile vegetables that the dealers had thrown * way

The miser would never have electricity in bis dwelling, but kept to gas, and it is stated, that a rubber tube attached to his cooking stove was fitteen years old. Mis reluctance to buy a new ono proved fatal. He had patched up the old pipe in many places, and it was ready to drop to pieces. One night while ho was asleep the wretched tube gave way, and the following mornjug he was found gassed to death. He was eighty-two years of age.