The Indianapolis journal., 1886-01-10
A CAREER OF ADVENTURE.
A Chicago Deaf-Mute Who Easily Discounts
Anything Said by Ananias.

AuytAAAs Ny <AudAkdSs
Chicago Special
Adolph Pier, the Austrian who while feignpg
TO be deaf-mute, was engaged in systematic
ally robbing his employers, A l.. Singer & Co.,
is still languishlng in the county jail. The
officials say that Pier is the most unique charac
jRer in the Jail. He holds himself aloof from the
other prisoners, but to day he was in a commu
NEGATIVE mood for the first time. II have been
lied about shamefuly," he remarked, 'but if
| these slanderers only knew half my history they
would have no need to draw on their imagina
tons for facts. You see am young man.
am twenty-seven years old. 1t does not matter
where my birth place was, SO long as it was in
Austria. have two sisters, both OF whom are
| actresses and are known all over the continent,
and an elder brother, who is wealthy horse
dealer in Hungary. wealthy relative of ours
died while l was lad and left the bulk of his
fortune to family to do with as We pleased.
My sssters with their money fitted themselves
for the stage, my brother went into tho business
of householder, while !, having some 81, 200 as
my share concluded to spend the money travel
ing and seeing the world l always had a pas
sion to foreign countries, and when only
fourteen my parents gave me permission to
make short trip to England. liked London,
and among the first acquaintance made there
were some young Germans who were engaged in
teaching a deaf-mute institute They taught
me the mute alphabet, and it was the experience
| gained while fraternizing with them that
caused me to assume the character of deaf
mute in Chicago You see this is the toughest
place I ever struck. / have been all through
Persia, Afghanistan, Egypt, India China and
Australia, and was always able to get along
until came to Chicago. Here l could get moth
lug to do, and when my money ran out / was
desperate enough to do almost anything. The
deaf mute scheme was harmless enough, but it's
funny, isn't IT, that got work a dummy when
| couldn't get it by having my full sensesR
II stopped in England for few months. then
returned home and got clerkship in the Zoolog-
ical Gardens in Vienna. 1t was while in Vienna
that fought my first duel. fought three 9TH
ers, in one of which my enemy was fatally
wounded ard after that you can imagine how
anxious l was to become traveller once more
I went to Egypt and Alexandria and joined
caravan bound for nine months trip to Cen
tral Africa We were going TO hunt for tropical
animals, elephants and rare birds, and was
taken along on account OF the experience l had
gained while employed in the Zoo at Vienna
Well. when the trip was finished / set out for
Persia. and when about twenty-five years old
turned up at Teheran, where / made super
intendent of silk factory. The Europeans at
Teheran told me that the Shah, who had only
short time before returned from his trip to
Europe, had brought with him German wife,
This woman had lived on the same street with
me in Vienna, and when she learned Of this she
sent word for me to call on her. l met her in
the gardens surrounding the palace, with her at
tendants. She told me that while the Shah
riding with his suite and passed her house
he caught sig ght OF her face and was smitten with
Qor. <iS SoQC an dlOo 10 ask ner TO become MS
wife, or one Of them. and the promise OF fine
clothes and lots of diamonds made her consent
She veiled just like the native Persian wom-
en-, and wore the same kind of Dress but she was
very friendly to me because l came from Vienna
I stopped in Teheran about year and then went
to Calcutta While on the way from Calcutta
to Sumatra was wrecked, and after being two
days in midocean, with six others. merchant
clipper came along and picked US up and we were
taken to Hong Kong. spent three months in
China, than went to Toxic Japan, and from
there went to Australia A year later was
in Madagascar, and on the way from there to
Aspinwall was shipwrecked second time. We
were picked up again all right and taken to
Liverpool. and for the past three years have
lived in England, supporting myself mainly by
teaching languages came to America last
August. coming directly to Chicago, and what
has happened to me since then is already known.
In all my experience this is the first time | was
ever in Jail, and when get out of this am GO
ing back to England and will settle down"