Evening star., 1901-11-08
Ex-WAITER, NOT A PRINCE
.RANJIT OF BALUCHISTAN" Is WELL
KNOWN TO sHERRY's PATRONS.
In the Fifth Avenue Restaurant III.
Formerly Served Indian Dishes
With skill.

The New York Times of today says: The
mystery as TO the identity of Prince Ran
J1 of Baluchistan,' which puzzled London
for two weeks and finally induced the India
office to publish official bulletin about
him, has been cleared up in New York
within twenty-four hours. This Hindu.
with his bottle-wallahs, his retinue of four
teen servants and his weird musicians
who was reported to be at least the son of
a rajah now turns out TO be former serv-
ant in 9th avenue restaurant, who IS be-
Heved to be coming back here from India
for the purpose Of starting an oriental eat
ing place upon the same thoroughfare.
Members of the "retinue" are at present
living in obscure lodging house on
Greenwich street They are expected to
appear as the cooks and walters in the
new venture unless the immigration bu-
reaU puts a stop to the whole scheme and
sends them back to Montreal
The prince who was yesterday ider-
tilted by the managers of Sherry's as none
other than Ranii T. Smile, their ex-prepar-
er of cUrried rice and other Indian dishes
left here last May, as he said. to take pos
session Of some property which had been
bequeathed To him in India. He left his
wife at 161 East 18th street. and there she
was seen yesterday. Just how much money
he inherited is not known.
The first heard of him was about a
the tale that real Indian prince had
walked into a hotel and engaged twenty
three rooms. Asked TO tell who he was he
assumed air of mystery. and when the
India Office announced that there was no
such person as Prince Ranjit of Baluchs-
tan all he would say, according to the re-
port, was: Il am king He kept every
body guessing for a week, and then sailed
with his whole suite the steamship Lake
SimcOe for Montreal.
There he put up AT an expensive hotel
and on Wednesday the party got off the
Adirondack express at the Grand Central
station Twelve Hindus were taken in
hand by one OF Sherry's stewards, who was
an intimate friend Of Ranji and driven to
the house Of his aunt. J03 Greenwich street
They occupied two rooms there yesterday
while waiting for orders from Ranji.
Mrs. Smile said:
He left Sherry's in May last. and went
10 India To recover money which ne had
Inherited. His first name is Prince. That
Is his Christian name, although he gen.
orally calls himself simply Ranji T. Smile
II appears In the New York directory
Undoubtedly he registered In London as
Prince Ranji,' which he had a perfect
right to do. and London rushed to the con-
elusfon that he was real prince. They
might easily have asCertained all about him
at the Hotel Cecil. where he worked
Indian cook after 1 was married to him.
He never intended to deceive anybody, and
Re has paid all his bills"
MIS- Smile said that the so-called dane
ing girl who accompanies her husband is
IN fact. his niece. a Miss Bux.
When seen late last night Ranji admitted
that he was formerly Indian chef at Sher-
rvs and at the Hotel Cecil, London.
Il never claimed to be prince" said he.
registered at small hotel near Charing
Cross in London as Prince Ran1it, because
that is my name and the papers there
rushed TO the conclusion that It indicated
my rank. / left Mr.. Sherry in May to 20
to India and get a large sum of money left
me by my father, who vas a prominent
merchant in Baluchistan. / determined to
come back and go into business in America,
because i like America and the Americans
II have three brothers now in this coun-
try, and Miss Bux, whom / brought with
ME, Is not a dancing girl. but the daughter
Of one of them, my niece. The East India
Company, with which i am connected, in
tends to open commercial establishment,
probably on 9Th avenue. The Indians who
came with me are simply tourists, but
some of them Light later be employed by
the company when 1t gets ready for busi-
ness"
RanU repeated the statement that he had
never pretended to be Of high descent, and
again stated that he was the Joe" so ia
miliar to the patrons Of Sherrys year
ago.
Philip Dauenhaur, the steward at Sher-
yy's. who met the circus. as the walters
there described II yesterday, when the
train from Montreal pulled in at the Grand