The morning call., 1891-03-15
A DIPLOMATIST'S TRIALS.
General winston with French Custom officers
and with Persian Drinks.

al never hear of the sacredness that
hedges around an Ambas- adar," aid much
Travelled Chicagoan in the Richelieu Cafe,
that do not think of an incident to which
| was an unohserved witness. You all re-
member the broad blaze of glory that marked
the path of that great diplomat the gallant
General Winston, when lie made his famous
trip from Chicago to Persia 1t was via
New York, London, Paris, and pretty much
the entire Continent. Do You remember It?
You may not know, however, that sign
boards now mark that path and that the
tolls have been increased-but this by the
way.
81 CHANGED one day about five years go
to be standing in railroad station, I Orget
the name, just within the French border. A
train from the other side came rolling in,
and from one of the apartments stepped a
most MISUNDERSTANDING gentleman, his
strong face adorned with a heavy gray mus
tacne. OF fine physique, he " as tall, erect,
and all that sort Of thing, aud his glance,
which swept tho station like the rays
Of a policeman's bulfS-eye, any observer
possessing the slightest imag nation would
nave likened to that of an eagle. Well,
after sweeping the station pretty clean,
the glance fell Oh pyramid OF baggage at
one end and lhther the Misunderstanding
man walked with that graceful but conf
dent tread that betrnys the parsonage OF an
old campaigner. just as he reached the
pyramid a custom-house officer in uniform
took hold of a trunk as II 10 open 1t. The
miiltary-lo oking man touched him on the
shoulder, and in English made him drop the
trunk The officer, who did not speak En-
glish, gazed at the military looking man in
amazemeDt. Then he shrugged his should
ers, ana made us if to carry the trunk
away. But this the military-looking man
was averse to, and lie stated his objections
in excellent English, to which the customs
officer rpnlIp1 llV gVpHlIent French
From where l stood could not hear all that
was said, but seeing half dozen Ulcers at
tracted by the debate run up to the pair |
approached. As | did SO | heard the mill
tary-l0oking man eXclaim:
- Il tell you that | am the United States
Minister to Persia! Cant you understand
good plain English? Il afterward learned
that the military man never could believe
any one was SO dull as not to understand
plain English.) | am on my way to Persia
and you have no right TO look into my bag
gage. I'm no smuggler And what's more.
he added as the officers surrounded the bag
gage and grabbed several pieces, I wont
have you look into it, Whereupon he sprang
on the top of the pyramid and, braudishing
his cane in manner that suggested to me
brave Rhoderic Dhu, played about him
vigorously and to the dismay OF the officers.
who jumped back from the pile and danced
nmbly about as they sucked their soundly
thumped fingers. Could the American eagle
nave DeeN lUeIb lie WUulu uaNt ScItdlHtu
his delight in sixteen languages. what
would have been the outcome had not
the captain of the officers came up at this
1uncture l can't say. When the occurrence
had been explained to him he was furious
and was about to lead charge on the mill
tary-looking man, into whose face had come
an expression of joyous anticipation, when
he thought fit to address him. He did so in
English, inquiring what be meant by such
conduct. Tie military-lookiug man replied
that he was the United States Minister to
Persia. But before lie could 60 further the
captain had dotted his hat, bowed low, and
asked ten thousand pardons. The military
looking man, who was none other than the
brave General Winston, jumped down at
this, said it was all right, that no harm had
been done, ard, distributing some money to
the men whose knuckles he had whack ed,
he was directed to his hotel, where his bag
bage. uninspected. followed without delay"
The health of the soldier diplomat was
qHaffed from broad-mOuthed glasses, and
then young member Of the English diplo-
matte service observed that Winston was a