The morning news., 1891-07-16
BEHIND TAB so N SIS.

European High Life and the Foibles
of Titled People.
MarQtsise de Fontenay in the ,NetO York World.
Gen. Gresser. the prefect of police at st.
Petersburg, who has just been decorated by
the czar with the grand Gordon of the order
of st. Aune is one Of the most agreeable
and amiable men whom it has ever been
my fortune to meet. Tall, with strongly
marked features, high color and a power
fully developed lower jaw, he gave me the
impression of being aman of rare energy
and tenacity. He is about 80 years of age.
wears long mustache waXed at the ends
and possesses q pair of the most penetrating
eyes have ever encountered. They seem
to look right through one.
Though exceedingly witty and full OF
repartee, Gen. Gresser is apt to take joke
amiss when any one is ill-advised enough
to make one at his expense. No one knows
this hettar than the famous clown Touroff,
who barely escaped being packed off to
Siberia by the general
Touroff, who is known from one end of
| Europe 4 o the other, and who is now one of
the star attractions Of the famous Circus
! Reuz at Vienna, possesses half a dozen OF
the most surprisingly well-trained pigs, On
| OQS utCdSlOus WAlAo D0TAOIIlluR aG Ot.
| Petersburg, he determined to make the de-
cline in value of the paper ruble the subject
Of one of his witticlsms. Accordingly, q
few days later, after causing one of . his
| trained hogs to fetch and carry sundry arti-
cles, much in the same manner as dog, he
! threw paper ruOle note into the arena
Piggy trotted up to the note, shifted at 1t
| disdaipfully, and finally, notwithstanding
the vituperations aud objurgations of the
Il, .1,1tb II r,oA ir1
note and trotted away, its snout uplifted
with the most unmistakable expression Of
porcine contempt. On seeing this the clown
shrugged his shoulders, and, addressing the
pig, exclaimed:
"Weli, after all you are not to be blamed.
II mau like Wishnegradski (the minister
| OF flnance) is unable 20 raise the ruhle note,
surely one cannot expect poor ignorant
| pig like yourself to do sol"
OF course shouts of laughter greeted this
sally, which within few hours became a
subject of intense merriment to all the in,
| hshitants of st. Petersburg.
| The minister OF finance, however, was in
diguant, and on the following day the
clown was summoned before Gen. Gresser,
chief of the city police, and sent to jail for
three days.
On emerging from prison Touroff de-
| LermlDeu 10 nave us IeNbuk.5, especially as
| the public had expressed the opinion that
| he certainly would have the last word in
the matter Accordingly he waited until
one night when Gen. Gresser, accompanied
| by his family, was present at the circus.
! AS soon as he saw the chief of police settled
In his box the clown drove his whole
| troupe of trained pigs into the arena, aud
made them all squat down in row of arm
| chairs.
He then explained to the public that
| during his imprisonment he had attempted
to pass away the time by learning German,
and with the object of showing the aud
fence what progress he had made he turned
to the pigs and addressed them in that
language.
| Commencing with the smallest pig, be
cried, patting him tenderly on the snout:
"You are only little pig, but you," he
added, turning to the next one, "are
gresser, aud you" turning to tie third,
'are also gresser, while YOU" turning 70
the fourth. ARE very big pig indeed"
The audience fairly roared with laughter,
but Gen. Ggesser, considering himself
grossly insulted, Immediately left the build
| ing.
1t would have gone hard with poor
TouroH had not the emperor, who is very
fond Of joke heard of the incident and
interceded for the culprit with the infuri-
] ated general