Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1891-02-22
he WAS A REAL PooH-sAH.
The Several Berths Held by Newspaper
Man I'm Port Said.

There we're four of US standing near the
register of the Palace Hotel counter, says
a writer in the San Francisco Chr0Hlcs -
the tall man, with the scar on his neck, {;
the short, fat man, with four days beard ;
the proud owner Of the plug hat ana ne:
You have been q newspaper-manf
asked the tall man.
ed. :" was first at Melbourne, ana tnen
at Sydney. That was just before the
Egyptian war.
l" And You became warrior, OF course p,
" Well. / went out as a correspondent. 1
had letters to Baker Pasha, who had been
at school with an uncle Of mine"
Baker Pasha sent me 10 Port SAID az q
salary of $500. He said he would IN q
short time give me charge at Port SAID az
600. All that came about. At Port Said,
you know, there is a Governor, usually 9
Turk; a stipendiary magistrate, urk OF
an Egyptian; commandant OF Genuarile-
RE, and various consuls.
lyon heard the 'Mikado'? You remem-
Der Pooh-Bah? Well, sir, was the Pooh
Bah Of Port Said.
II was Commandant of Gendarmerie.
The Governor went away and the stlpendl-
ary magistrate became acting Governor.
The English Consul went away and asked
me to act for him in his absence. Then
the stipendiary magistrate went away and
left me acting for him, and also acting
Governor. There l was, a regular Pooh-
Bah.
Now, I'll tell you how all these things
worked into each other.
There was q man at Port SAID named
Mayrisch. He kept the largest store in the
place. where YOU could get anything IRON
an anchor TO o needle. He also had Olg
pambling-house, the FL Dorado, opposite
his store. lie made E2OO,0O there the hrst
year of the war; so you can imagine Wha'
the place was worth 70 him.
II dealt with Mayrisch running quarter
" bills. He must have thought | was GO
ing away, for he sent me nv bill OF t2S be-
fore the quarter was up. lretussed TO pay
until the usual time. He said he would
summons me. All right SAID; sum
mons away
slept from about $3.50 o'clock till 81 Sent
two gendarmes 20 the bank TO get May
risch's account. OF course, as command,
ant. all accounts were opento me. lie had
as 900 balance, and / knew be owned ms
house and had property in Italy and Malta
SO he was not in need of my E2S.
when / returned told an English de-
tectiye TO goodwin to Mayr.sch's store that
night after o'clock and take q drink
there. The place was not licensed, and
drinking after 9 o'clock was against tnC
law and subjected the property 10 sslzrse
and sale and removal Of the business 10
ten miles from Port Said.
THE detective got the drink, and the
next morning shortly alter . o'clock, a.
Mayrisch was going 10 board the ships II
the harbor, two Rendarmes accosted hin
and told him he was under arrest and wa
10 appear at the Court of the Command
ant THAT was mel at 6 O'Clock.
He appeared, and / told him he could
elect TO be tired before the stlpeudlarl
magistrate. That was me again. 1 coulC
fine him only 400 piastres as commandant
but as stIpendiary magistrate l. could con
fscate ms property. He did not know
was acting as stipendiary. He elected t,
appear before the stipendiary, and when
appeared as the Court Mayrlsch almos
tainted.
81 He asked for twenty-four hours post
ponement, which / granted. In the after
noon went TO the Governors Office an'
the clerk told me Mayrisch had been Their
TO appeal to the Governor, and when Ia
found / was acting Governor he was takel
Ill.
1.-THE next morning when ] got up
could hardly open the door of my room
which swung outward, on account OF tn,
tnlngS hdyIlsCu hau Cauaou ~ 10 PhTu a
| the hall. There were six dozen cham
| pagne. six dozen beer, 5000 cigarettes, 50
cheroots. soda and brandy, and a Turkisl
shawl, which gave my sister as a wedding
present, and other things. There was re
ceipt in full for eos, signed by Mayrisch.
"Of course you accepted these things a
tokens of esteem" said the man with til
plug hat.
All but the receipted bill, which I re
turned, and paid him the money" SAT-
| the Pooh-Bah of Port Said.