Morning journal and courier., 1881-07-13
About Paganini.

Journal
 Paganini was in all respects very singula
 being, and an interesting subject to study
 His talents were by no means confined to hi | wonderful powers as musician. On othel l subjects he was we'll informed, acute ant
 eonversible. of bland and gentle manners l and in society perfectly well bred. All thi contrasted strangely with the dark. myster ious stories which were bruited abroad touching some passages in his early life l But Lord Byron remarks that his pocket was
 once picked by the civilest gentleman he ever l conversed with, and that by far the miIdest
 individual of his acquaintance was the TO l morseless Ali Pasha of Yanina. The ex pressive ineaments of Paganini told pow. 1 erful tale of passions which had been fear. fully excited, which might be reused again from temporary slumber, were exhausted 1 by indulgence and premature decay, leaving deep furrows to mark their intensity
 The following extract from Col. Montgom- I cry Maxwell's book entitled My Adven-
 tures,' dated Genoa. February g, 1915, SUD- 1 plies the eari st record which has been given to the public respecting Paganini-who I could scarcely have been at this time 30 years old: Talking of music, I have become &C., quainted with most outre most extravagant and strongest character I ever beheld or heard in the musical line. He has just been emancipated from durance vile, where he has been for long time incarcerated on suspi- cion of murder. His long figure, long neck, long face and long forehead: his hollow and
 deadly pale cheek, large black eye, hooked
 nose and jet black hair, which is long and
 more than half hiding his expressive Jewish
 face; all these rendered him the most extra
 ordinary person I ever beheld. There is
 something scriptural in the tout ensemble of
 the strange physiognomy of this uncouth and
 unearthly fgurs. Not that, as in times of
 old. he plays as Holy Writ tells us, on ten- stringed instrument the contrary, he
 brings the most powerful the most wonder full and the most heartrending tones from one string His name is Paganini; he is very improvident and very poor. The D-s and the impressario of the theater got up concert for him on one occasion. which well attended, and one occasion he electrified the audience He is a native of Genoa, and if were judge of violin playing, I would pronounce him the most surprising perform CT in the world y
 That Paganini was either innocent of the charge for which he suffered the incarcera- ton Col Maxwell mentions, or that it could not be proved against him, may be reason ably inferred from the fact that he escaped the galleys or the executioner. In Italy there was then, par excellence (whatever there may be now), a law for the rich, and another for the poor. As he was without money, and unable to buy immunity, it is charitable to suppose he was entitled to it from innocence. A nobleman, with a few zecchini, was in little danger from the law which confined it's practice entirely to the lower orders. I knew Sicilian prince who most wantonly blew vassars brains out, merely because he put him in passion. l The case was not even inquired into. He sent half dollar to the widow of the de- | funct (which, by the way. he borrowed from me and never repaid), and there the matter ended. Lord Nelson once suggested to Fer dinand ". of Naples to try and check the | daily increase of assassination by a few sal | utary executions. 'No. mo-" replied old l Nasone, who was far from being as great l fool as he looked, ''that is impossible. If once began that system, my kingdom would 1 soon be depopulated. One half my subjects l the remainder
 Among other peculiarities, Paganini was l an incarnation of avarice and parsimony, l with most contradictory passion for gans- bling. He would haggle with you for six 1 pence, and stake 8 rouleau on 8 single turn | at rouge ct noir. He screwed you down in bargain as tightly as if you were compressed | in wise, yet he had intervals of iberality, and sometimes did generous action. In this he bore some resemblance to the cele- 1 ornted John Elves, of miserly notoriety, who deprived himself of the common necessaries of life, and lived on 8 potato skin, but some times gave check for one hundred pounds Q public charity. and contributed largely o private subscriptions I never heard that oaganini actually did this but once or twice le played for nothing, and sent his donation o the Mendicity when he was in Dublin.
 When he made his engagement with me, ve mutually agreed to write no orders, ex- ,ecting the house to be quite full every night nd both being aware that the ''sons of free om,n while they add nothing to the ex- hequer, seldom assist the effect of the per- Paganini's valet surprised me ne morning by walking into my room and, rith many excel1enzas and gesticulations of expect, asking me to give him an order said, .sWhy do you come to me? Apply to our master-won't he give you one ?'' 70 es; but don't like to ask him. ssWhy ot ?" Because he'll stop the amount out f my wages" My heart relented; gave i'm the order and paid Paganini the dividend
 told him what it was, thinking, as matter course, he would return it. He seemed ncertain for moment, paused, smiled sar- { onically, looked at the three and sixpence, { nd, with g spasmodic twitch, deposited it in # is own waistcoat pocket instead of mine. 2 oitaire says, No man is a hero to his valet I g chambre. ,, Whether Paganini's squire of i 70 body looked on his master as a hero, in l (