Morning journal and courier., 1893-03-30

And How He Employs HimseIf-H
Shoots PeaaanIs

And How He Employs HimseIf-He
shoots Peasants.
From Lucy Il. Hooper's Paris Letter to the
Philadelphia Telegraph
The one insane monarch who now CO.
cupies European throne, King Ohio of
Bavaria, shows no symptoms of recover
ing from his mental mslady. 1 am told
that he has lucid intervals, which are very
brief, and occur but rarely; and it is as
well, for these heeting glsams of reason
only serve to make the poor man missrs-
bly, unhappy, for while they last he re-
alizes his own wretched condition to the
full. Everything is done to amuse and in
terest him in his ordinary state, which Is
that of hopeless as well as dangerous in
sanity. He spends his days in unceasing
occupation of an Insignificant and mechsn-
ical nature.
At one time he worked from morning
I'LL night In rolling cigarettes. Then he
took to peeling potatoes, and bushels upon
bushels of them were provided for his
Amusement. OF late his fsvorite psstime
is by no means of such an inoffensive nat.
ure- He has taken to shooting peasants,
and will si: all day long with his gun ai
the window, waiting for this new kind OF
game on which to exercise his skill Even
this freak his guardians have contrived to
satisfy without injury 10 any one OF his
subjects. Eis gun lie loaded In his pres.
ence, as he always insists upon seeing the
powder and shot duly put In, but for the
latter his attendant substitutes dried peas.
Orders have been given that no person
shall bs allowed to pass along the road In
front Of bis dwelling, lest King Ohio
should fire upon him or her and be driven
quite wild by seeing hiH intended victim
walk off unhurt. Bat at stated intervals
a man in a PEASANTS gsrb makes his sp-
pearsnoe on the road. The king takes aim
and fires, and the man drops to all sp-
pearances dead. The supposed body In re.
moved by two of the guards, and some
hours later the performance Is repeated, tc
the immense satisfaction of his msjesty,
The mRke-beleye peasant is q hgursn'
from one of the minor theaters of Au
mich. Generally he simply drops on hear
ing the shot and remains motionless, but
occasionally he varies the performance By
dying very hard, turning round two oil
three tmes before he falls. and thsn sx
piTing in terrific conyulsions, . acatsstropht
that slwsys greatly interests tits royal ma
nise.
Oddly enough, the regent Is very unpop
ulsr In Bavaria. the lower CLASSES having
conceived the singular and erroneous idei
that he hiss had come hand In causing ths
madness of hts nfphe~s. Also they at
tribute TO him some share in bringing
about the tragic death of the late KiDs
Louie The only msmbsr of the royal
family who Is really popular with the Ra
vsrians in general is Prince Aiphcasc, the
younger ssn of the late Prince AdElbcrt,
the resent'e brother. He Is q handsome
Spsnish-looking gentleman (his mother
was a Spanish pr;nsest). ju-: Thirty one,
| and too far distant from the line Of suc
cession to have any chance OF ascending
the throne. For the regent has ihree cons,
sna his eldest son aud heir, Prince Louis
has no less then eleven children, so tht
| crown of Bsvar;s is not likely 20 90 E-btg
ging fo- wan. of direct heirs.