The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1880-10-11
The Dion Incident.
Can the Insult of Professor Schweinhund
be Atoned Except by Blood?
New York Times. !

No matter how earnestly Germany wishes to
live in peace with France something is con
stantly happening to disturb the friendly rela-
tions of the two countries. NJ Gambetta.
Mile. Sara Bernhard, or some leadino French
citizen makes a remark which implies that at
one time Alsace and Lorraine belonged to
France, and straightway all Germany is in
momentary expectation that the French le-
gions will be set in motion toward the Rhine.
Or some travelling German has dispute in
French restaurant with waiter who cannot
speak German, and Immediately the entire
German press demonstrates that the deem
rooted unwillingness of Frenchmen to speak
the simple and musical German tongue must
lead. at no distant day, to another war and a
fresh conquest of desirable French territory
The most alarming in its proba le conseouen-
ces of all the recent international disputes be
tween France and Germany is the Won
Schweinhund affair, the details OF which have
not hitherto been fully published in any Amer
lean paper.
In the busy and ancient capital of Burgundy
-Diion-is "a pleasant little park-that is to
say, number of trees have been arranged in
have been laid out, and q few benches have
been placed under the trees. To this park,
which has all the rural beauty of a New York
.back yard, the local public, from time to time
comes to sit in the shade and enioy Nature
One of the most regular frequenters of the
place is a young French woman not wholly
uaconnected with the bonnet industry. who
always sits under q particular tree for half an
hour in the mcrning before going to her shop.
OF course she does not sit alone. a youpg
Frenchman of wagon making proclivities al :
ways meets her in the park aud converses on
matters of trade and politics The two intend
to marry as soon as the wagon-inaker's bust
ness vii permit and it ought to be said that
they conduct themselves with great propriety
and discretion.
Not very long ago there arrived in Diion
Herr Prof. Won Schweinhund, tile eminent
German philosopher. He was making little
journey through France in search of facts
wherewith to illustrate his contemplated work
on the imbeclity Of Frenchmen, as shown by
Their Incapacity to appreciate German Phlos.
ophy He had stopped for the night in Dion
because ne had been informed by a compatriot
that at certain Diion hotel sauerkraut OF real
merit could be obtained. Early the next nom.
ing he strollea into the park in order to epj, v
his morning pipe, and noticing nice little
French woman sitting on one end of a bench
he proceeded to sit down on the other end to
reflect on the inability of French women to
dress themselves with any true taste
Owing to the losses sustained during the
war, the municipality of Dijon has ,,een COM
PEELED to practice extreme economy. For this
reason the public park has been comparatively
uncared for, and several of the benches have
become more or less out of repair. This was
the case with the bench occupied by the young
milliner Originally it had three pairs of legs,
one pair at each end and third in the middle.
The pair at the extremity where Prof. Won
Schweinhund intended to sit had entirely van
ished, though the bench still maintained it's
proper position by the aid of its other legs.
Now, the professor weighs three hundred
and eleven pounds, as proved by the nuh|;c
scales OF Dijon. Moreover, his nine. which
was OF the largest size, weighed at least We
pounds more so that we shall be justified in
assuming that the combined weight of pire
ana German was not less than three hundred
ana sixteen pounds. This ponderous person
posing hlms8if for moment over the dam
aged end Of the bench, remarked "Ach.n
win deep sigh, and dropped nto "a sitting
position. The end of the bench gave way
with 1rlghtful rapidity, and the unfortunate
professor struck The ground with shock that
was perceptlbly felt-as subsequently sworn to
before the mayor-in a wine shop distant two
hundred yards from the spot. The fall of the
professor however, was the least part of the
Calamity As his end of the bench went down
the other end flew up and shot the milliner in
to the branches of tree, where she hung sus-
pended by Her skirts, ten feet above the
ground.