The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1896-05-21
ROYAL JOKES.
stories OF Playful Capers INDUCED In by
Monarchs and Princes

stories OF Playful Carers INDUCED In by
/ Monarchs and Princes.
Royalty dearly loves q joke, and
nowhere are practical jokes so much
| IN vogue as in the palaces of the old
| world monarchs. Curiously enough,
their idea of joking, like their con-
ception of wit, is inclined to rough
ness and even to downright coarse
ness, as we'll as vulgarity, rather
than to delicacy, and many q prac-
tical joke has been perpetrated in a
palace that would never have been
tolerated in. a private house.
One of the most peculiar practical
jokes was that organized in the
council chamber of the late King
Alfonso of Spain by his intimate
friend and favorite companion, the
Duke of Tamanes, who accompanied
| the Infanta Eulaba to this country
! in 1898.
1t was during carnival time, and
the king had complained to the
duke that it was a very dreary affair
and entreated the nobleman to do
something to liven things up bit.
The following morning when the
king entered his council chamber he
was almost pitched over by most
extraordinary apparition. 1t ap-
peared to be a bag such as mfllers
use for flour, and it was terminated
by pair of bowlegs that were
prancing about in every direction.
The architecture of these legs at
once revealed to the king the iden-
tltVAt the human fourbag. 1t was
no other than the little minister of
agriculture, who, with the assist
ance of the Duke of Tamanes and
the apparently grave and austere
minister of foreign affairs, had
dressed himself in his odd rig. The
king joined SO heartily in the laugh
ter provoked by the extravaganza
antics of his cabinet officer that the
tears streamed down his face, nor
was his mirth diminished when the
minister, after having finally extri-
Gated himself from the bag, showed
himself with his hair, his beard and
his uniform literally covered with
-four.
Another monarch who is very
fond of practical joking is Emperor
William of Germany. On one occa-
sion bout year after he assembled
the throne his right hand was seri-
ously injured during the rough horse
play that takes place every st. Syl-
vester of New Years eve in the
streets of Berlin. On that night no
citizen ventures to appear upon any
public thoroughfare wearing a tall
hat or even derby. The students
have from time immemorial had q
sort of unwritten right to bonnet
any civilian thus arrayed by smash
ing his hat with sharp blow of the
fist upon its crown.
The kaiser, who had always Joined
in this form of sport before his ac-
cession to the crown, on the first New
ears eve that followed the death
of his lamented father walked out
with the collar of his coat well
turned up and a fur cap drawn down
over his eyes SO as to conceal his
identity. He soon had several badly
wrecked hats to his credit He then
encountered an elderly citizen of
portly figure and benevolent de-
meanor, whose looks, however, be-
lied his character. He had been bon
neted in previous years and was re-
solved to teach his tormentors les
son. So he had made sort of leath-
er skullcap, thick in texture and
studded with long, sharp nails.
So when the emperor brought
down his fist with all his might on
the inoffensive looking tall hat his
hand was pierced in many places by
the nails and covered with blood,
the injuries at one time threatening
lockjaw. The citizen was arrested
and imprisoned pending a decision
as to whether he should be prose-
cuted on o charge Of "leze majesty"
He was, however, released, as his
offense was entirely an innocent
one.-San Francisco Examiner.