1928-03-24 — Page 5

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THE HONGKONG TELEGRAPH,

VAST FORTUNE CLAIMED.

FRENCH OFFICER'S £29,600,000.

STATE SUED.

Should the judge of the Paris Civil court, when he is called upon to consider an action brought against the State by M. Nicholas Thierry, a retired naval officer, decide in favour of the plaintiff, the equilibrium of France's budget will be greatly upset.

M. Thierry is claiming three milliards seven hundred million francs (£29,600,000), representing, with accumulated Interest, the for- tune left by one of his ancestors,

Venice merchant in Shake- spearean days, which fell into the hands of the French Government.

The story of the amazing in heritance of this Antonio in real life reads like a tale of the Arabian Nights.

"

Humble Origin.

HIM name was Jean Thierry. He was born in Chateau Thierry in 1579, and was the son of a humble farmor of the Champagne district. When 16 years of age he went to Italy, and for several years was a servant at an inn at Bresbia. There he was noticed by a wealthy Greek merchant named Athanase Tipaldi, who engaged hím ús a valet.

Later the young Frenchman, who was clever and devoted to his master, became his secretary, and toured Europe with him.

One day in a shipwreck he saved his master's life, and when Tipaldi died at Venice he left all his for- tune, his large business and his many ships to young Thierry,

The new "Merchant of Venice" developed the business and amassed great wealth until he died aged 96. When he died in 1675 he left a for- tune estimated at over five million ducate.

The Merchant's Will. In his will the "Merchant of Venice," who, since he left France as a boy, had never had any news of his family, stipulated that his fortune was to go to "his brothers and their children."

The bank of the Venetian Government was entrusted with the inheritance, and the executor of the will, a Signor Moro, went to France to starch for the heirs to

SATURDAY, MARCH 24, 1928.

SOUR GRAPES FOR SOCIALISTS.

SUCCESS OF THE PENSIONS ACT.

CARPING SPEECHES.

To find a rival has won praise for something you might easily have done first is annoying. In politics, with the eternal background of votes, It is infuriating. That is why the Socialists are so sore about widows and orphans', pensions.

It requires, therefore, no psycho- analyst to explain the Opposition motion carping at the Government's bold social legisation of almost two years ago. One excellently do

debate by tho

Mr. scribes Churchill's phrase, in the letter sent to the Ilford electors-"a heavy brew made from sour grapes and hot air".

་

Mr. Cove, who introduced the condemnatory motion, led off by stating that no party feeling was at work that the Opposition were filled only with a beautiful desiro to ensure poor people getting their full pension rights. As a matter of fact, the old resentment at not being first betrayed the Socialists into a discussion blazing with party feeling.

In any wide benefactory State- scheme, or in the system of any in- surance office in the border-line casca.may quickly be found which just miss the advantages. Mr., Cova collected all the hard-luck' cases" he could hear of and strung them together into a speech:

"Codlin's Your Friend." Lieutenant-Colonel L'Estrange Malone was the seconder. It was his first utterance since his elec- tion for Northampton as a Socialist, and was in the best Socialist manner. Mr. Ramsay MacDonald ungratefully slept through it, but it was heard with much interest by Lleut.-Col. Malone's former Liberal colleagues.

One learnt that the pensions measure had turned out to be nothing but an Act to cheat old people of their contributions. It was, too, drafted net by the Ministry of Health, but by Roberts. Further it was parsimuulous, alsó niggardly. And finally it was re plete with petty injustices and meannesacH.

Such a speech is a fine beginning for uny Socialist new member, and the Thierry fortune. The execu-it was naturally generously cheered tor had not been in France more by his colleagués.. than a few weeks when he fell the' Mr. Frank Merriman was a good victim to a plot lold by three choice for putting the Conservative French finance officials.

amendment deprecating unfair They destroyed all, official' evf-|Socialist criticism and expressing dence of the inheritors" rights, and gratification with the Government's produced four documents purport-Act, because he recognises when ing to show that they themselves bluntrice is needed and employs it. were the actual heirs to the Thierry "Yes," Mr. Merriman told the millions,

Opposition, we perfectly-ap- preciate your motives in raising this, 'Codlin's your friend, not Short. But perhaps the one million and a quarter people, who will draw bencilt to-morrow are not so gullible as you think."

They nearly succeeded in their at tempts to deceive the French Government, when they were un- masked and sentenced to death in 1703. They managed to escape, however, and fled to Holland,

7,000 Claima.

It was only seven years later that the question of Thierry's inherit

came up again. Legal pro- ceedings began, and went on for

age

years,

•

Motion Rejected.:*

With a refreshing touch of! candour, Miss Wilkinson declared that it was ridiculous to pretend that a great number of people had not benefited from the Act, but Mr. Wheatley, who was Minister of Health in the Socialist Government, said just what the House expect ed, that the Socialists had intend- ed, if their office had been con tinued, to Introduce a similar, but After the French Revolution the much better scheme. Thierry Inheritage, which was still The present Minister of Health in the Venetian State Bank, was wisely admitted that the Govers- brought to Frances

ment's legislation might be capable

It seems that all, the Thierrys of Franco put in claims to the vast fortune. Sóven thousand people with the name of Thierry applied to the Court, but their claims were dismissed;

M. Thierry has, it is said, spent of improvements. Few acts have many years endeavouring. to the faculty of springing, perfect as establish that he is the direct de Minerva, from Parliament's Jovian scendant of the original "French hend.

Merchant of Venice," and it is said Mr. Chamberlain showed that that he has succeeded.

some essential factor had

His counsel has been extremely been omitted jn many of busy studying the enormous dossier the hard CAREA quoted, and of his client's case, which includes pointed out that even if Д hundreds of documents relating to non-contributory scheme had been his pedigree.

HARDY MEMORIAL.

AN OBELISK TO BE ERECTED IN WESSEX.

"

possible such cases must still have arleen. His speech contained a hint to employers that the giving of a pension at 65 must not be con- strued as an invitation to remove the elder men from industry.

It is perhaps worth stating again that by its "heartless fraud” this "niggardly" Government has com- The Committee which has been

mitted the Exchequer to a capital considering the question of a

Hability of £700,000,000. Tho memorial to the late Mr. Thomas Socialist motion was rejected by Hardy, the famous novelist and poet, has decided that it shall 288 to 183 votes.

The debate was of the worst fake a three-fold form, namely, an obelisk erected on a Wessex hill,ype, many of the speeches being disingenuous, insincere, and in a. Hardy library in Dorchester spired solely by the cheapest politi (the Casterbridge of the novels), cal considerations. It will be most and the preservation of Mr. unfortunate if the new arrange Hardy's birthplace at Bockhampment for private members' motions tends to encourage this sort of The Committee, in announcing calculated argumentation.

ton.

DS

this decision, makes the following appeal: "It is felt that Thomas Hardy's reputation as a poet and novelist is world-wide, Bernard Shaw, Sir Edmund Gosse, and that as he has hosts of ad- Mr. Arnold Bennett, Mr. John mirers in America, and, in fact, Galsworthy, Mr. Granville Barker, nearly every country, an oppor- Mr. Walter de la Mare, the Master tunity will thus be afforded to of Magdalene College, Cambridge, everyone to participate in creat Lord Gorell (Chairman of Sp ing a permanent shrine to his ciety of Authors), Mr. E. M. Walk- memory in the very centre of the er (Pro-Provost of Queen's Col- Wessex that he loved so well and legs. Oxford), Mr. Cecil Hanbury immortalised in his writings. (MP. for N. Dorset), Mr. C. H.

"A subscription Hat is now be-St. John Hornby, Mr. Alfred Popa ing opened, and subscriptions (an old friend of Mr. Hardy), and should be sent to the Mayor of the Mayor of Dorchester (Council

lar Wilfred F. Hodges.) Dorchester."

The algnatories to the appeal are: Sir James Barrie, Mr. George

Mr. Cecil Hanbury is the own er of Mr. Hardy's birthplace.

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