The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-10-23
in OTHER LANDS.
A Narrative, the Perusai OF Which Will
Help TO Reconcile Americans
10 America.

From the New York Sun.
Here is the story of a European hap
pening which illustrates many features
of life on the continent. 1t illustrates
most notably the great gulf fixed be-
tween the prince and the merchant and
between the nobility and the bour-
geoisie. 1t illustrates also the emascu-
lating influence of continental custom
and tradition upon the manhood of the
husband and the brother, laming their
arms and bunting their sense Of shame
against the insults that come from
titled sources.
Prince Fasula -Mirsa was a lieuten-
ant in the Forty third Russian dra-
goonS, stationed at Twer. Last month
he went on his summer furlough with
Count Sheremeteff. They rode a little
and drank little, and eventually took
a train at Patigorsk to continue their
spree in a large town at the other
end Of the line. They entered a first
class compartment, in which they
found a young merchant and his at
tractiVe wife. The Prince threw kisses
at the young wife, kissed her hand, and
made as If to embrace her. She shrank
away toward her husband, and the
Prince desisted. The Count and the
prince had some jesting conversation
as regarded the young woman's otfish-
ness. They fell to betting on the size
of her ankle. The prince dived down
and grasped her foot, pulled away her
skirts, and tried to take the measure
of her ankle. The train was drawing
into a station at this stage of the
princely diversion. The husband had
made no effort to protect his wife, for
he had heard the prince addressed as
the serene" and apparently felt help
less in such an august presence. But
the young woman was not ready to
offer herself UP in public to a Princes
pleasure, and screaming and weeping
she pushed open the compartment door.
The conductor of the train came. She
told him of her experience. The sta
tion master was called. The Prince
laughed and showed his card, and
called the group at the compartment
door canaille. Eventually the conductor
declared he could do nothing except
give the merchant and his wife seats in
another compartment. This he did. He
was punished, however. for depriving
the Prince of his amusement. The
Prince seized him by the collar, shook
him, waved his drawn sword over him,
and called him an impertinent dog.
OTHER VICTIMS.
Before the train started the prince
and count moved into another first
class compartment. There they found
a Muscovite school teacher named Ge-
vashoff and his wife. Mrs. Gevashoff
was neither young nor pretty, as was
the merchants wife, but as q woman
of the bouregeoisie she was regarded
as good game for the nobility, and all
the insults and familiarity that had
been tried in the other compartment
were repeated by the prince and the
count Mr. Gevashoff began to protest,
but one view of "the serene" ones card
calmed him, so that he allowed his wife
to be insulted and handled without
making further protest.
At the next station, OsSentulli, Mrs.
Gevashoff appeared at the compartment
window crying for help. The station
officials, train guards, and the general
public gathered at the compartment
door, heard her story, and tried to re-
dress her wrong, but promptly yielded
to that magic card OF "tha serene" ruff
fan, reinforced by the crested card of
the Count Of Sheremeteff.
There was delay of twenty-five min
utes. The train was held while the po-
lice were consulted. The chief of po-
lice approached the august persons
who had caused ell the trouble. The
prince drew his sword and shouted:
Back, back canaille! Back or 1 will
hew you down"
The upshOt of the scrimmage was
that the second pair of the princes
victims had to follow this example Of
the first pair: they fed to another
coupe and locked the door behind them
so as to keep the two titled rowdies out.
Then the train started on. At the next
station the count embraced a waiting
passengers wife and kissed her. When
the husband called to him to stop the
count drew a short driving whip from
his cavalry boot and cut the husband
over the cheek with it, The prince dis
played his card. and the indignant
pOpulace, suddenly humbled, skunk into
the background once more.
1t is not necessary to follow this
precious pair step by step from me be-
ginning of the trip to the terminus of
the road; the rest of the journey was
like the part already described. Two
| or three more wives were insulted, but
no husbands hand was raised to
avcnge them. However, the prince
came to grief, despite all his serenity"
and titles and exalted associations at
court His conduct was complained Of
in st. Petersburg. The war depart
| ment sent out an order for a court
| martial. The court-martial was held
and, like most other Russian things
ordered from st. Petersburg. it was no
| joke or mere formality. The prince
was found guilty; he was deprived of
his commission, and he was degraded
to the rank Of a private soldier SINH
lar punishment was meted out TO the
count Thus the husbands who al
lowed their wives to be handled and
insulted and terrified by a stranger
merely because he bore the title of a
prince have their revenge at last, such
as II is. Of course it might have been
less satisfactory than this. In Ger
| many, for instance, a mere count or
barOu after SuCh a 1ahonpb nften ooto