The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1891-04-10
PERSONAL AND PECULIAR,

Count Herbert Bismarck. according to the
.Galignanl Messenger. recently lost $1,000 in
the Nice clubs.
Senator Washburne of Minnesota has so
many Scandinavians in his constituency that
he has decided to visit Norway and Sweden
this summer to study the original stock.
Mrs. King, the 'cattle queen" of Corpus
Christi. Tex, recently sold 1900 head of
two-year-old steers for $4,000, probably the
largest single order for cattle ever filled In
Texas.
Governor Hoyey, of Indiana, is again be-
ing talked Of for commander n-chief of the
Grand Army, but this year, as before, he in
sists that the duties Of his present .office pre-
clude his acceptance of the honor.
Emperor William is said to be fond of play
ing Caliph Haroun al Raschid, by going
about disguised at night to certain liquor
shops and music halls where his soldiers and
sailors are to be found. in order to pick up
criticisms Of his army and navy.
The Grand Duke Nicholas, of Russia, who
was seized with violent insanity last Autumn
Is settling down into hopeless and harmless
dementia. 1t is reported that an examina-
ton Of his affairs has effaced whatever
affection the Gar entertained for him. The
proof Is ample that he has been guilty of the
most enormous populations.
The Free Mason who succeeds General Al
bert Pike as the highest dignitary of the
order In this country is James Cunningham
Bachelor, M. D., of New Orleans, Lieuten-
ant Grand Commander of the Grand Con-
sistory of the Ancient and Accepted Scot
fish Rite In the Southern Jurisdiction. He
Is Canadian by birth, but settled in Ala
bama before the war.
A Munich dispatch says that the latest
freak of the insane King Otto of Bavaria, is
that he wants wife. He insists on making
the round of European courts, in order to
make selection, and his attendants are at
their wits end what to do. Heretofore all
his freaks, even homicidal, have been graft
ned, at least In appearance, and ii Otto has
Kept count OF the number of persons who
have pretended to fall at the discharge of
his gun he must imagine himself another
Tamerlane. But how to deal with his new
idea Is puzzle.
A Boston man who lives on the line of the
West End electric railway is using his ad-
vantage to the utmost One day, while
handling the water pipe which ran into his
house he got severe electric shock. He
examined the premises and ascertained that
the shocking pipe was near the guy post of
tn 9 electric railway. He invested In storage
batteries to pick up the electricity which
was wandering in the ground, and proceeded
to equip his house with wires, lamps and
| other contrivances. He then connected bis
| storage battery with the electrified water
| pipe, and he soon had the battery fully
| charged. From the battery he lights his
house from top to bottom, and in the morn
| ing before going down to business he simply
turns on the water-pipe connection, and
| when night comes the battery Is ready for its
| evenings work.
I'M. Quad" the famous Detroit Free Pres
humorist. whom current report says is goinl
| to the New York World on large salary
| was printer who left his case one day an(
| was blown into the middle of journalism tn,
| next. His reputation was maze by the frs
| article he ever published. he was blown VI
| In steamboat explosion on the Mississippi
and having been patched up by the doctors
| plastered over with court-plaster, an(
warmed up with whisky, he was taken to {
newspaper Office to be pumped" by the re
| porters. Waving them off with the air of {
king, he stepped up to a case and put in type
| an article or" How 1t Feels to be Blown Up.
| The article was copied widely, and was a,
fine bit of humorous descriptive work a
has ever come from his pen since that mem
orable Mississippi mishap. For many year
past he has worked for the Free Press exclu
sively. He has wonderful little sanctun
sanctorium on the top floor of the Free Pres
building, which is at once museum, herbar
ium and green room-a typical Bohemian
den.
Governor Hovey, of Indiana, is led by on
recent international episode to mention al
incident that occurred while he was Unite,
States Minister to Peru, in 1865. A Spanisl
feet was about to lombard Callao. Presi
dent Prado was greatly alarmed. AmonI
other councillors he conferred with Genera
Hovey, who, not in an official capacity, blu
| privately as friend, advised using i'm
nv at long range. The Spanish guns ms ont ont
| numbered the Peruvian ten to one, but tn
latter were very heavy and destructive at
and the assaiIing fleet was checked an,
| driven to sea. General Hovey witnessed thu
affair from the decks of the American man
of.war Powbatan. when started to n
ashore" he says. ''the Dictator signalled M,
and met me at the waters edge. where b
threw his arms around my neck, thanking
me again and again for my torpedo sugges
| ton, and even kissed me feryently"