The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1884-05-15
AN IMPERIAL llAT.NATER.
How Paul OF Kuasla Mndo Things LILY ely
IN His DOmiulOn.

Tempe Bar. r@
The Issuing. of an imperial decree forbid.
ding the wearing Of round hats, frock.coats,
vests without sleeves, and pantaloona was
supposed to ba q means Of gratifying
grudgs Paul bore wardsEnglishnen. His
ayersion to round hats seems to have been
constitutional. 1t was more expedient that
the hateful garment should be prescribed
than that the tranquility Of a Car should
be disturbed. The sudden apparition OF
crowds OF bare.headed gentlemen on the
streets Of St. Petersburg announced the
new decree; wherever round hat appear.
ed 1t was snatched by ambushed police
men, and the muscular pedestrian who
ventured TO repel the assault and
knock down the thief was carried before
the guard and fined. the Combative Eng
lehman was Of course the chief actor in
these street broils. By the influence Of Sir
Charles Whitworth the ukase, so far as it
affected foreigners, was modified; the chief
OF the police was instructed not to conGs
cate the headdress, but to detsin its wearer
till evidence was produced that he was not
Russian either by birth or naturalization.
Paul's hatred OF hats IVES Of old standing.
While Grand Duke, and living at Cats.
china, he saw workman wearing one.
He caused the man 10 be brought before
him, and administered to him lecture on
his indecent attire. Turning to the Grand
Duchess, Paul asked her for some pins,
and raising the flaps OF the round hat
transformed it into cooked one, and or
dered the workmen 10 wear 1t 80 till it was
past service. The ukaee cau.ed run on
the shops for head dresses that we're
not civil cfense, and as the stock was
soon exhausted people had to walk the
streets barehea1ed, or batter their hats
into another category. An ambassador
who ventured to laugh too loudly at these
eccentrici.ies had his passports returned.
Paul paid the dress Of Englishmen the
compliment Of a special police decree.
The costume be eDjoined was three cor
nered hat, a long cue with curl at the
end of it, q single-breasted coat and vest,
buckles instead Of lstches at the knee.
breaches and the shoes. On one occasion,
seeing one Of the hated race wearing
long boots, he sent some policemen to cut
them into the sizs Of shoes, but as the man
refused to be reformed, they dragged the
boots Oft and left him to 20 home in
his stockings. 1t is written somewhere
that lady at Court provoked
the imperial d;spleasure by wearing her
hair too low at the neck, and that as pun
ishment she was ordered into close con-
finement and fed on bread and water.
Again, an English servant was dragged
from sledge and caned on the street Tor
wearing too thick neckcloth. The in
habitants Of St. Petersburg fed in all d.
rectious when they saw the Cars carriage
in the distance, only to be followed by
mounted Cossacks, who brought them
back and compelled than to PROSTATE
themselves in the mud before his Majesty.
A short-Hig hted Engishman. who pleaded
defective vision when asked why he had
skulked down back lane, WIS ordered to
wear spectacles. He was known in the
Capital ever afterward as "tho gentleman
who wore epect1cles by ukase."