Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-10-09
COUNT ZACHAROFF.
The Amiable Russian Bigamist's AbIIi-
ty as IA Liar.
From The Chtcago Tribune.

" as LinF'
From, The Ohtcago Tribune.
The dispatches recently published about
Count Zacharotf, hts success in we'd
di1g a wealthy young New YORK woman,
the discovery by the young woman's
friends that he had another wife living,
and the denOuement when confronted by
her in Belgium, were und btedly read
with interest by a great many Chicago
citizens. some Of them, perhaps, wonder
ed II he We're the same Zacharof they had
known in former and more prosperous
days. He was the same. 1t was he VINO
first dazZled them as a star of the first
magnitude in the Patti armament when
he combined business, as an agent OF the
Mann BoudOir Car Company, with pleas
ure in supervising the material welfare of
the prima donna. Most Of the Chicago
people knew MIN as the friend of Patti for
brief season. Then they got onto" him
as An unusually entertaining liar. He ate
many good dinners IN Chicago, but be
always gave value for value received in
the recital of his adventures. The hotels
all knew him, for, though an aristocrat,
be was not above mingling with the pie
ban crowd Is long as he was not pressed
TO pay his bills. The despair of all the
local dudes, he never showed his superb
GRITTY by patronizlng their feeble attempts
to initiate him. The friend, companion,
brother of all the newspaper men Of the
city he never was above drawing loose
change out of their pockets or letting
them pay for the drinks. When he took
his daily promenade along the crowded
downtown thOroughfares he never could
complain Of disrespectful treatment, tor
even the irreverent newsbOys and boot
blacks were awed into silence.
The Coupt paVor ollV gained the
entree into Chicago polite society because
certain plebean instincts early showed
themselves, and he contented himself
with dazzling the clubs, the hotels and
the beer balls. BE lett behind him no I'M
pleasant memories, because he never sue
ceedeu in begUiling any one here to a con-
siderable extent. Some perhaps may
cherish slight animOsity because of
promises to introduce them to Patti which
were never kept, but if they stop to think
how really clever the fellows lies were
they Will undoubtedly forgive and forget.
For instance, there were the thrilling
adventures "of which the Count was
whom" in the RussO-Turkish war.
His heroic deeds at Pleyna, his deadly
slaughter Of eleven Turks with the lew-
eled sabre the Car gave him. and dozens
OF like adventures need only to be men.
toned to recall their vivid recital to the
=
however, he will be remembered for his
relations to SkObeletf-his comrade on
many bloody field. Doubtless a good
many Chicago people remember the story
OF that lark which Zacharotf and SkObelef
had one night in Paris, when they both
got on a glorious drunk and SkObeletf for
mally declared war against Germany and
England by Russia and France.
The disclosures Of State secrets
which the Russian soldier - not the
Count - then made, the mighty uprOar
which followed, the vain at
tempt of Gen. Ignatiefl to pacify the en-
ragged TeutOos and Britons, the interna-
tional complications which threatened to
involve all Europe in war, the final paci-
tcation Of the Powers through the joint
diplomacy OF Gortschakotf and ZacharOtf,
were all told in way that showed the
boudO1r car man was up TO snuff. The
deep, dark mystery of Skobeletf's death,
known only to his dear friend Zacharotf,
and not TO be disclosed during the lie of
the present Gear, was also an interesting
chapter, TOR which the able liar whetted
curiosity by giving only glimpse. But
since there are numerous people 70 whom
it WAS to be given in confidence the cpl
sode may be saved to the world.
All told, 1t is the fervent wish of those
who enjoyed the friendship of Count Zac-
harotf during his stay in Chicago that the
next Russian Count who comes along.
whether in the guise of a brakeman or as
atull-blown bOudOir agent, may possess a
small portion OF his talent as an entertain
ing liar.