The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1893-03-26

current. and was about drowning. when
Bismarck jumped in to save him. The man.
in an insanity of fright. pinloned his rec.
'cuer il his arms. Bismarck, seeing he could
not loosen the death grip above water.
diyed. thus forcing him to release his hold.
Then, seizing the now helpless fellow with
one arm and swimming with the other, took
him safely to the bank.
But while saving life and getting med
al and making money he was sowing wild
oats at q great rate. His homo is said to
have been q veritable hurricane hall. his
wine cellar lowing stream. In his row.
els he drank huge cups of champagne and
porter mixed. He would awaken his
guests At morning by firing off pistols close
to their ears, and on one occasion, when
some of his lady cousins were visiting HIM,
turned several foxes loose in the drawing
room with them. He was dubbed by his
neighbors Mad" Bismarck and "DevlP'
Won Bismarck.
In ls45 his father died and his estates fell
to Otto and his brother. The latter got
two of those in Pomeranla. Otto getting
the third. Kniephof, and the ancestral seat
at Schoenhausen, which now became his
home. 1t would appear that In making
ton for the graceless home life he had been
leading, and was seized with yearning
for more worthy existence. He writes Pm
1S47: Il must marry-the devil take me-
feel lonely and forsaken. and this wild,
damp weather makes me melancholy and
longingly prone to love-"
At the home of one of his neigh bors he
made the acquaintance of Johanna Won
Puttkammer. who was also visiting there.
with whom he promptly fell in love. The
young lady's parents were deeply pioue
persons and she herself religious. When
she returned home it was to confess to them
them for their daughters hand. The old
man confessed that be felt as If he had
been struck on the head with an AK" when
he read this request from Devil Won Bis
marck." His notorious recent life forbade
their consent to such q sacrifice of their
daughter. But when Bismarck presented
himself before them and threw all his in
tense nature into the effort TO convince
them of his reformation their objections
were soon overcome. They lived to see
their SON. in.law renowned and their daugh.
ter both happy and hOnOred.
FROM 1851 TO GERMAN UNIFICATIoN.
Bismarck's practical entry into political
life was at the age of thIrty-two. and prac-
tically that entry was by accident. He had
been elected vicarious knights Deputy to
the Landtag. or Provincial Diet of Prus-
sian Saxony. When Frederick William w
decreed quasi-Parliament of the eight
united diets Of the monarchy. the member
of the Landtag for whom Bismarck was q
Deputy was i'll, and Bismarck went to Ber-
lin to the Parliament in his stead. Tall
SIX feet TWO lncneS-6talwarb and erect,
with blonde hair and beard ard the
keeness of blue eyes, he was one of the
striking figures of the Parliament. His attl-
tude toward several of the measures de-
bated in that body attracted the attention
of Frederick William " and caused him
to summon Bismarck for q conference con-
corning the charter the crown was about
to grant to the people. Bismarck was op-
posed to the liberal reforms proposed by
the King; he would have had the reformers
quieted by the army rather than by con-
cessons to their demands.
Only when appealed to as a Sworn vas-
sal of the crown" did ho yield his opposi-