The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-07-16

husband has sought to play the role of Mr..
Rochester in "Jane Eyre" and ignore tie
which he speciousy argued had been sun
dered by a stroke Of fate though III most, II
not all, of our states, at least insanity sub
sequent to marriage is regaroeu
as a disease, and no more a ground
for divorce than consumption or
any other ailment. But IN TINS
case the husband forsook his home in New
York, where he had lived on n small IN
come received from wealthy parents IN
Europe, and sought and secured a position
ms boOkkeeper in the workhouse close by
the insane asy lum where his wife was CON
fined receiving no salary for his services,
and remains there now amid forbddln8
surroundings simply that he NAV be near
hls stricken wife, who smiles NacantlY at
HIM or talks with pathetic vOlublilty and
earnestness of her fixed delusiOns across
| That dark mental gull which separates the
Cehenna of madness from the relative
Paradise of sanity. His only thought
IS TO soften the blow to his wife
as much as possible, to ameiorate as far as
may he her sufferings, pathetic attempt to
make the hand Of fate seem like velvet
rather than iron. For seven years he has
remained faithful in his devotion to his
mentally dead wife, sepulchred, so to speak,
as hopeless lunatic in tue cemetery Of the
mind. an insane asylum, n man not, per
ties which command the admiration of
men, but lllumned by unselfish devotion as
with q sacred nimbus
A man with a distnctively German
caste of features moves quickly along
Broadway, his brow Jntracted in a baf tie
with some abtruse problem in railroad
life, Is well known all over this country.
1t Is Albert Fink, the autocrat of the trunk
line pool rio rides on the railroad Whlrl-
wind HlreptS q
AS commissioner of the trunk line pool lac
has more power than any one rail DAD man
in this country, He has full, round features
and large nose, indicating force of char
| acter, and wears mustache and chin
whiskers He looks a little like phil"
Armour He came originally from Lauter-
bach, Germany, where he was born
slxty-on years ago. He entered
railroad service in his 22d year as
an assistant engineer on the Bal
| timore and OHIO road in charge of bridge
| and depot construction west of Cumberland,
serving in this capacity four years. Suisse
| quenty he was connected as assistant
engineer, chief engineer, general superiu-
| tendent, vice president or commissioner of
a number of roeds, including tho Baltimore
and Ohio. the Norfolk and Petersburg, the
Louisville aud Nashville the South and
North Alabama, and the s uthern railway
and steamship association. In June,
1877. he was appointed commissioner of
the trunk limos to apportion the per
centages Of freight to be carried by the
members of the railroad pool, to maintain
rates aud adjust differences among the
| roads. The interstate commerce law has
modified, but not destroyed, his power. He
is very courteous to inquirers who under
stand the railroad business. TO others he is
abrupt The late William H. Vanderbilt
always disliked to talk about railroad mat
Jers to novices to others he would talk
| long and freely. AT times reporters make
Commissioner Fink's life a burden. On ono
| occasion after an important trunk line
meeting he found small army awaiting
him, and he distinguished himself
! by escaping and sliding down the
| hall banisterS in wild flight
| for a private Office on the floor below, the
! first tine on record that n millionaire has
| performed the brilliant aCrobatic feat of
sliding down n 5O-fOot banster balla,ted by
two big account books, without tumbling
from his slippery perch. He carried his
point, too He got away from the aston
ished reporters. The trunk line meeting
had been secret, and he could not divulge
| the proceedings at that time He is con
sidered a good fellow" socially. He is
worth about $1,000, 900, which he made
largely from patent railroad bridge
| OSCAR WILLOUGHBY RIGGS.