Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1886-01-09
4 DEAFMUTE FRA I'D.
story OF the Austrian. Adoiph Pier, In Jail In
Chicago.

4 DEAEAUTE FRA I'D.
story o. the Austrian. Adoiph Pier, In Jail In
Chicago.
A Chicago letter says: Adolph Pier,
the Austrian who, while feigning to be
a deaf mute, was engaged in systemati.
cally robbing his employers, A. L.
Singer & Co., is still languishing in the
county jail. The officials say Pier is
the most unique character in the Jail.
He holds himself aloof from the other
prisoners, but to-day he Was in a COM
municative mood for the first time.
~ have been lied about shame
fully" be remarked, "bat if these
slanderers only knew half my history
they would hate no need to draw upon
their imaginations for facts. You see
] am young man. lam twenty-seven
years old. 1t does not matter where
my birthplace was, so long as it was
in Austria. l have two sisters, both
Of whom are actresses and are known
all over the Continent, and an elder
brother who is a wealthy householder
in Hungary. A wealthy relative of
ours died while / was lad and left the
bulk of his fortune to our family TO do
with as we pleased. My sisters, with
their money, fitted themselves for
the stage; my brother went into
the business Of householder, while
l, having some twelve hundred dollars
as nv share, concluded to spend
the money travelling and seeing the
world. l always had passion to see
foreign countries, and when only four
teen my parents gave me permission to
make short trip to England. / liked
London, and among the first acquaint-
ances / made there were some young
Germans who were engaged in teaching
in deaf-mute institute. They taught me
the mute alphabet, and it was the ex-
perience / gained while fraternizing
with them that caused me to assume
the character Of deaf mute in Chicago.
You see, this is the toughest place |
ever struck. ! have been all through
Persia, Afghanistan, Egypt, India,
China, and Australia, and was always
able to get along until | came TO Chi
cago. Here | could get nothing to do,
and when ry money ran out was deS-
perate enough to do almost anything.
1.-THE deaf.mute scheme was harm
less enough; but it's funny, isn't it,
that I got work as dummy when |
could not get it by having my full
senses? ! stopped in England for
few months-to return to my story
then returned home and got clerkship
in the Geological Gardens in Vienna.
1t was while in Vienna / fought my
first duel. fought three others, in
one of which my enemy was fatally
wounded, and after that you can i'm
agine how anxious / was to become a
traveller once more.
II went to Egypt, and at Alexandria
Joined a caravan bound for a nine
months trip to Central Africa. We
were going to hunt for tropical animals,
elephants and rare birds, and was
taken along on account Of the expert
ence | had gained when employed at the
Zoo at Vienna. Well, when the trip
was finished | set out for Persia, and,
when about twenty-five, turned up at
Teheran, where / was made superin-
tendent Of satisfactory. The Euro
peans at Teheran told me that the Shah,
who had only short time before re-
turned 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 attendants. She told me that while
the Shah was riding with his suite and
passed her house he caught sight of her
face and was smitten with her. He
sent an aide to ask her to become his
wife, or one of them, and the promise
of fine clothes and lots Of diamonds
made her consent. She was yelled just
like the native Persian women and wore
the same kind Of dress, but she was
very friendly to me because | came
from Vienna.
II stopped in Teheran about a year
and then went to Calcutta. While on
the way from Calcutta to Sumatra | was
wrecked in the ocean, and after being
two days in mid-ocean with six others,
a merchant clipper came along and
picked us up and we were taken to
Hong Kong. / spent about three
months in China then went to Toxic,
Japan, and from there l went to Aus
tralia. A year later was in NADIA
gascar, and on the way from there to
Aspinwall was shipwrecked second
time.
ave were picked up again all right
and taken to Liverpool, and for the
past three years have lived in Eng
land, supporting myself mainly by
teaching languages. came to America
last August, coming directly to Chi
cago, 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
l am going back to England and will