A PEASANT MILLIONAIRE.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 3595, 18 October 1879, Page 3

A PEASANT MILLIONAIRE.

By the murder of Josef Weyer Szentes, Hungary, the Emperor of Austria has lost one of lub wealthiest and most noteworty subjects— a peasant who was popularly known as tho "peasant millionaire." Sixty years ago ho began life as a small farmer. At the time of his death he enjoyed an income of 500,000 gulden, in spite of which ho lived in a modest farmhouse, dressed like a peasant,, ate food which his wife cooked, and indulged in no luxury except horseback riding. The latter might be regarded as a necessity enough. Like most Hungarian farmers, he was °an extensive cattlo breeder, and his herds were scattered over vast grazing plains. He counted his houses and farmß, too, by tho scoro, and up to the day of his death kept all his vast possessions under hie personal supervision. Many curious stories are told of the old farmer prince and his eccentric ways. Ho was a peasant to the coro in spito of his enormous wealth, and looked it. At one time he bid at an anction sale of oxen which, according to the Hungarian fashion, were put up by yokes. There were 300 yokes, and the old man bought the whole 300 beasts. The auctioneer was a gangor, and when tho miserable, shabby little stranger -was pointed out to him, ho waxed wrath. "Joseph Weyer," he said, "do you not know that it is forbidden by law to hoax a public auctioneer?" " Surely, sir, surely," was tho reply. " The price of these oxen you have bid for must be paid down. Cash! do you understand? Cash!" The old man dived into tho breast of his dingy Dolman, hauled out a ragged blue silk handkerchief, and without a word counted out a pile of one thousand gulden notes, that made the auctioneer's mouth water. <-;i*r:<in " It'a a pity you have no more bullocks," lie said, as he rolled the remaining lltites up and stuffed them back into his breast ; " I was in hopes to bo able to buy a thousand or so." Woyer purchased his first farm from Count Steven Karoly, who let him have it on very easy terms in view of his poverty. Marshal Haynau fined the count half a million guidon for befriending Kossuth, after the-capturo of Ofon by the Imperial troops. Tho count's resources were badly crippled at the time, and his steward was in despair at his inability to make up the amount of the imposition, when a little old man, smelling rankly of dung and sour milk, called on him, and stated that ho had heard Count Steven wanted to borrow some money. " Well, what business of youi's i? that?" " I thought I might help a littlo, Bir. The Count was a good friend to me onee — God bless him ! — and I ,would like to help him if I could." The steward laughed heartily. " Why, my dear fellow, do you know how much money tho Count needs ? " " Excuse mo— no, sir." " Two hundred thousand gulden. Do you know how much money that is ? " " Look ! look ! " muttered tho old man, scratching his head. "Why, I haren't brought that much with mo, to be sure." " I should fancy not." " But hero is a hundred and eighty thousand. I'll go homo and bring the rest in the morning." Josef Weyer was assassinated most brutally by a drunken vagabond at a public-house in Szentes. The miscreant, who was mad drunk, was shot dead by tho police in attempting to secure him. The colosfal fortune of tho peasant millionaire will probably go to tho State, as his wife is dead, and he is not known to have any heirs.