The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-02-22
not subject to blight or other diseases. The
blight was unknown until the system of graft
ing became extensively practiced
PRINCE BISMARCK.

many's Great Chancellor.
| Mr. loves Biography.
| 1t was in May, 1866. when Bismarck. in Ber-
| lin, was on his way from the palace to his resi-
| dence that young Ferdinand Blind tried to kill
him. Turning upon his assailant and wrenching
the smoking revolver from him, he handed over
the would-be assassin to some soldiers that hap
pened to be passing by, coolly walked home,
greeted the guests invited to dine with him and
| whispered to his wife: 'sThey have shot at me-
| child. but don't fear; there is no harm done; let
US now go in to dinner In the summer of the
same year he was in the thick of the fight with
Austria. He was in the saddle thirteen fast
| ing hours at a stretch at Sadowa. After
bloody battle and a tour among the wounded,
Bismarck wrote to Berlin: Send me by every
courier it possible. at least one thousand cigars,
| price twenty thalers, for the hospital; all the
wounded ask me for them" He returned from
| this short. sharp war with the rank of major
! general. and as he rode down the Linden Ber
| lin correspondent of a London journal described
TINS soldier. also then Prime Minister. as show
ing a face with ''parchment-colored skin, dull,
| leaden blotches about the cheeks, bloodess eyes.
veins in the forehead swollen the great, heavy
helmet pressing upon wrnkled brows and look
| ing like man who had risen from sick bed he
ought never to have left" But with the weight
| OF all this he had seen that the wounded men had
their solace of cigars.
For awhile now we get more of his public than
| OF his private life. He emerged from his strict
social secluson in 1869 to propose the health of
President Grant, at banquet given by the
United States minister in honor of the Generals
accession to that office. In the next year. in the
war with France, Bismarck buckled on his
sword, and sailed forth with his sovereign, 'to
do the diplomatic work of the campaign at the
head of devoted band of Prvy Councillors,
secretaries. cipherers, newspaper hacks couriers
and cooks" Through the war he wore the un-
dress uniform Of the heavy Lardwehr cavalry,
| with its white cap and great top boots. Bis
marck's boys, Herbert, aged twenty-one and
| William. eighteen, were in the ranks, and the
elder was severely wounded. The day after the
battle of Gravelotte we hear of the Chancellor's
| giving dinner to General Phil Sheridan and his
| American companions, with whom we talked
eagerly in good English, while champaign and
porter circulated" After Sedan, in long ride
| through the lines, Bismarck found his younger
| son, who had escaped the carnage Of Mars la
| Tour, and was still! serving in the ranks. at
must have seemed odd to the French officers
among the prisoners" said Bismarck, ''to see
| a Prusian General embrace common dragon.
| On the way to Paris at Ferrieres headquarters
| was in Baron Rothchild's magnificent
chateau. and when King William drove
| out to review his troops, Bismarck
| slipped into the woods 10 have shot at the
| pheasants. and he also persuaded the steward to
unlock the cellars, where the Baron had stored
| 1900 bottles of choice wines. At Versailles.
where colonies and majors had splendidly fur
| nished suites of apartments, for Ave months Bis
marck was content with two little rooms. one of
| which served for a study as we'll as bedroom.
| His capacity for work seemed superhaman. His
| breakfast generally was only cup of tea and
| one or two eggs, and he ate nothing more till
| evening, when he dined heartily Champagne
and porter me, never were wanting From Berlin
game, fish, cakes. capital teer, fine wines
and other excellent things" He
the conspicuous figure in the brilliant
throng assembled at Versailles when William
was proclaimed Emperor of Germany. He rode
| with the army to enter Paris, and in approach
| ing the Arc de Triomphe, Bismarck was assailed
| with words of abuse by rorbiddng-looking fell
! low in blouse. whom he senced by riding up
and goodnaturediy asking him for light to his
| cigar
| Bismarck himself believes that he is a soldier
| by nature and statesman only by chance. He
| never allows his countrymen to forget that
| though he is the highest civil servant of the
German empire, he also is a PrusSian general of
| cavalry. There are few men of finer physique
| In the army. He is six feet two in his boots and
| stands straight as a ramrod, is broad in proper
| ton, and st his best weighs about two hundred
pounds. He always has been great eater,
| deep drinker and heavy smoker. His herculean
| frame and iron constitution have enabled
him to stand where weaker men succumb His
| favorite mixture is champagne and porter He
believes that beer drinking makes men stupid
and lazy. and that good brandy is better for
| them. He sits down hungry. dimes heartily, and
| feeds his two favorte dogs with his own hand
| from his copous table. "If am to work WE'LL"
| the Chancellor saws, II must be well fed" He
4
| boots. far away from civilization" His
hunting days over. and his taste for bodily
feats is spent, but he still delights in constitu
| tional canter, with seat in the saddle too as
firm and straight the youngest cavalry lieuton-
ants. He claims to be at once farmer. forester,
| manufacturer. soldier diplomatist and parlia-
| mentarian. He owns and manages breweries,
distilleries and saw mills, and he means to turn
paper-maker as we'll
For years comparatively poor man the
| Chancellor is now what the vernacuar calls com
fortaby fixed. The magnificent SEVENTEEN
birthday testimonial of last year April l. 1851,
| contributed in small sums within the father
| land and by his countrymen all over the world
amounted to nearly 800 900. With the greater
! part of this was redeemed that portion of the
ancestral property of Schonhausen, which his
father had been forced to part with. And now
with Varzin Friedrichsruh and Schonhausen
/ Bismarck has come to rank with the most ex-
| tensive land proprietors in Prussia. His salary
as Imperial Chancellor is $l3 500 a year. From
| his farms. forests and manufactures he derives
enough to bring his gross annual income up to
| more than $100, 0O0
| Draining in Central Illinois.