Democratic Sentinel, Volume 19, Number 29, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 26 July 1895 — A Count as a Prize. [ARTICLE]

A Count as a Prize.

A Frenchman signing himself Comte de Clerico de St. Germain has written a letter to one of the St. Petersburg Journals proposing a lottery, with himself as the prize. There are to be 1,000,000 chances, each ticket to cost 1 ruble. Any young woman who wishes to pay that amount in the hope of becoming a countess is entitled to one chance. The one drawing the “lucky” number Count Clerico promises to marry and Install as the chatelaine of his French chateau. The proceeds of the lottery he proposes to divide as follows: Two hundred and fifty thousand rubles foi himself, 250,000 for his bride, 250,000 for the journal which conducts the lottery and 250,000 for the poor of Russia. The count argues that this will be the lowest price—l ruble—ever paid by any woman for a bona file title of countess. He declares that he belongs to one of the oldest families in France, has a comfortable fortune, unimpeachable character and an unsullied name, and that he will furnish documentary proof of his claims. His fortune, however, he says, is not sufficient for him to live in the requisite fin de siecle style.