THE WORLD’S RECORD SPENDTHRIFT.

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XXXIV, Issue 9415, 8 April 1909, Page 8

THE WORLD’S RECORD SPENDTHRIFT.

Seventy-one million two hundred thousand francs, or close on £3,000,000, spent in 11 years. Even Paris, accustomed as it has been to the spectacular extravagance of Oonnt Boni de Castellano, gasped When it heard the figures road out in the Palais de Justice, where the divorced husband of the Princess de Sagan, who was formerly Anna Gould, was trying desperately to regain bis grasp on some of tbe Gould millions. “It’s the record of the world!” exclaimed one who knew theOastellanes before the transitory American dollars gilded the name. “No other spendthrift in history outside of Royalty ever spent so much money in such a short time. It’s unbelievable!” But however unbelievable it might be, it was quite true, And when one takes into consideration that of all this money practically none was lost through bad investments or anwise business ventures, ~it is doubtful if history bolds a record so reckless. It must be remembered, too, that only a negligible amount was lost in gambling. Those familiar with tbe rise, and fall of the Castellane fortunes say that nearly all of the count’s financial troubles can be accounted for ‘on the theory that he overreached himself in trying to produce, an effect, and that his judgment,was destroyed by a sort of megalomania that led him on to incur expenses that even kings and queens of Europe conld not have afforded. For nearly all of the £3,000,000 was spent in establishing the Oastellanes in a supreme place in society, in building a palece worthy of Royalty, in iavisn entertainments, and in the upkeep of two encumbered estates.