Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1891-03-05
PORT SAIDsS POOH-BAH.
Outwitting Merchant Who Sought Is Col
Iect Bill Pre- maturely

oue"l1uhS merchant w no Sought Is Col
1ect a Bill Pre- maturely.
There were four of US standing near the
register at the Palace hotel counter last
night, says the San Francisco Chronicle
the tall man with the scar on his neck. the
short, fat man with the four days beard.
the proud owner of the plug hat. and he
You have been newspaper man 2"
| asked the tall man,
''Oh, yes. out liz Australia" he answer
ed. Il was first az Melbourne and then
at Sydney. That was just before the
Egyptian war.
And you became a warrior, of course ~
We'll | went out as correspondent |
had letters to Baker Pasha, who had been
at school with an uncle of mine Baker
Pasha sent me to Port Said at a salary of
$500. He said he would in short time
give me charge at Port Said at 300. All
that came about. At Port Said, you know
there Is governor, usually Turk; sti-
pendlary magistrate, Turk or an Egypt
ian; commandant of gendarmerie, and
various consuls. You heard the 'Mikado?'
You rember Pooh-Bah? Well, sir, was
the Pooh-Bah of Port Said. was COM
mandant OF gendarmerie. The governor
went away, and the stlpendary 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 an1 left me acting
for him, and also acting governor. There
[ was, a regular Pooh-Bah. Now I'll tell
you how all these things worked into each
other. There was a man at Port Said
named Mayrish. He kept the largest
store In the place, where you could get
anything from an anchor to needle. he
also had a big gambling house, the Ell
Dorado, opposite his store. He made
e200,000 there the first year of the war, SO
you may imagine what the place was
worth to him. | dealt with Marrisch. run
ming quarterly bills. He must have
thought | was going away, for he sent me
In my bill for EOS before the quarter was
up. | refused to pay until the usual time.
He said be would summons me. 'All right
said |; summons away. That afternoon
when | got up-I always sleep from about
$3.50 o. clock till 81 sent two gendarmes
to the bank to get Mayrisch's account. Of
course as commandment all accounts were
open to me.
He had ELS, 900 balance and knew he
owned his house and property in Italy
and Malta, so he was not in need of EOS.
When | returned | told an English de-
tective to go down to Mayrisch's store
after 9 o'clock and take a drink there
The place was not licensed, and drinking
after 9 o'clock was against the law and
subjected the property to seizure and the
sale and and removal of the business to ten
miles from Port Said.
1.-The detective got the dl ink, and next
morning shortly after o'clock, as May
rlsch was going to board the ship in the
harbor, two gendarmes accosted him and
told him he was under arrest and was to
appear at the court of the commandant
THAT was mel at 6o'clock. He appeared,
and told him he could elect to be tried
before the stipendiary magistrate. That
was me again. | could fine him only 400
piastres as commandant, but as stipendi-
airy magistrate could confscate his prop
erty. He did not know | was acting as
stipendiary. He elected to appear before
the stipendiary and when | appeared as
the court Mayrisch almost tainted He
asked for twenty-four hours postponement.
which | granted. In the afternoon /
went to the governors Office, and the clerk
told me that Mayrisch had been there to
appeal to the governor, and when he found
that | was acting governor he was taken
i'll.
The next morning when l got up |
could hardly open the door of my room,
which swung outward, on account of the
things Mayrisch had caused to be piled in
the hall There was six dozen bottles of
six dozen bottles of beer,
5 200 cigarettes, 500 cheroots, soda and
brandy, turkish silk shawl, which | gave
my sister as a wedding present, and other
things. There was also receipt in full
for 925 signed by Mayrisch.'
'Of course you accepted the things as
tokens to esteem,' said the man with the
plug hat.
''All but the receipted bill which ] re-
turned and | paid him the money" said
the Pooh-Bah of Port Said.