The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-01-19
LOVED HIS MUsrACHE.
Crime Committed by Laokey in Re,
venge for Loss of His Adjournment.
Vienna Letter in London Telegraph.

Vienna Letter in London Telegraph.
OF all the curious motives for crime re-
corded by his tory or enumerat ted by LOm-
brOso, without doubt the most eccentric
and amazing is that alleged by lackey in
Vienna, who has just acted the part of
the unjust steward, committed robbery
and threatened murder and suicide, all
for the sake of a miserable mustache, of
which, during the past five years, nothing
had remained but the maddening memory
His mistress-a wealthy widow we'll
stricken in yearS-when engaging him as
lackey made it a condition sine qua non
| that his upper lip should be always clean
shaver. Albert Zaikoysky at first de-
! INJURED, then consented under protest,
and after several vain attempts
| to have the cruel order re-
scinded, submitted to his fate
with seeming resignation. But the Sc
quel shows that the wounds inflicted
by the shaving of of his mustache had
never healed, and now he has taken what
he considers a just revenge, under circum-
stances which, in any other country,
would have branded the man as a lunatic
But in Austria the mustache fulfills so
much more important a function than in
England, that no male citizen is complete
without it, while it covers no end of
| natural blemishes. An individual may
be dishgured and bow-legged and gener-
| ally unpFbpOSS6SSlug, anu ZdIhOVShy was
all three, but once he possesses the hir-
suite adornment of the upper lip he's "a
| man for a that" Hence the wearing of
| of the mustache is tolerated in profess
sions in which elsewhere it would be
deemed an impeachment, and the singers
of the Imperial opera threatened to strike
when, on the occasion of the German En-
| peror's last visit to Vienna, they were re-
queSted to appear in their roles clean
shaven.. In some provinces the priests
and monks are not only permitted, but
compelled, to sportsa mustache while care
fully shaving their boards, as otherwise
their f1ocks would lose all faith in the eff
fcacy of their ministrations.
Zaikovskys situation was probably the
nearest approach to sinecure which the
luCkiest of lackeys can hope to obtain in
this imperfect world. His mistress,
whose health was delicate, was generally
absent for six or nine months out of the
twelve, during which time he was at lib
erty to let his hands rest from work and
let his mustache grow. A few days ago
the lady, about to return to her house
after long absence, telegraphed to her
lackey to have everything in readine IS
for her coming and to meet her at the
station. But on her arrival she discov-
cred no traces of her servant. At home
she found everything in apple pie order
the table laid supper prepared and
only the lackey missing. The maid said
he had gone out some hours before
with couple of valises full of
things. This seemed suspicious, and
when madame glanced at her SNOWY hite
napkin, she described an envelope with
out any address, which, on being opened,
was seen to contain the smallest copper
coin of the empire, and the visiting card
of the missing lackey with the oracular
inscription, Il seek death, but do you look
70 70 II, 10 10 Ia, a
rushed through the suite of apartments
that had separated the dining room from
the bedroom, and, examining her safe,
found everything in apparent order. But
she sent for the police all the same Then
the safe was moved away from the wall
by three men (the lady had left her keys
in her portmanteau at the station), when
an enormous hole was discovered in the
further side, and an examination of the
contents showed that many thousand
forms had been distracted.
But the most interesting find was let
ter deposited in the safe by the unfaith-
full servant In its lengthy lucubration
he confesses that he stole the scrip. sold
it and invested the proceeds in the va
rious Austrian lottery loans, in which he
duly lost them and in betting on the
races. His motive was TO revenge him
self on his mistress for having insisted on
the removal of his mustache, a measure
which, he writes, cut deep into his feel
ings and wounded his honor beyond en-
durance. He then goes on to say that he
is still actuated by sentiments of kind
illness towards the lady, in spite other IN
justifiable conduct in the matter of the
musLache, and that no more convincing
proof of his friendlinees could be given
than the circumstance that, although he
had at one time firmly resolved TO murder
her, pity for her prevailed over Justice,
and he permitted her to live on. Now.
however, ne considers it is his duty
frankly to tell her that if she communi-
Gates with the police she is lost, as he will
then be compelled 10 murder her without
remorse and then save himself from the
ignominy Of arrest by committing suicide.