The Savannah morning news., 1903-04-19
TOBACCO TO THE RESCUE.


Saved Great Men from Assassina-
ton.
From the Chicago Tribune.
Cigars have saved mems lives. NJ.
Guizot, the great French historian,
owes his life to cigar. One day he
was walking in one of the gardens of
Paris when he noticed that he was be-
ing followed by a stability dressed
man, who evidently had some purpose
in view which included the historian.
NJ. Guizot finally sat down on
bench. and his unwelcome follower
seated himself there also. all the time
watching him with a threatening air
which might have proved discomfort
ing to a man troubled with nerves. The
historian was not troubled. He pulled
a cigar out of his pocket and lighted
it.
At that action the strange man arose
and muttered that he had been mis-
taken, as the scoundrel he meant to
kill did not smoke. The historian was
considerably puzzled by this occurrence
until he learned several days afterward
that a man answering the description
of the fellow who had followed him
had been arrested for murderous as
sault ON a public official, against
whom he had a grudge. He had mis-
taken M. Guizot for this official, and
no doubt would have made the assault
on him had he not pulled out the cigor.
The late King Humbert of Italy in
his youth was a habitual smoker. One
day while driving through the streets
of Naples he happened to drop a cigar
which he had just lighted. He noticed
that d singularly detected looking citi-
zen darted forward and grabbed the
cigar from the street. He thought
nothing more of the matter until some
months later when it was recalled to
his memory upon receipt of an unsign-
ed letter relating that the writer had
been on the verge of committing suicide
when he had CHANGED to pick up the
cigar which the King had dropped.
The smoking of this, he said, had
changed the moodiness of his thoughts
for the time being, and the impulse to
suicide had been overcome. He added
that he was happy to say that the
troubles which had threatened to over
whelm him then had left him. In that
case the Kings cigar saved not him
self but the other man.
Then there is the story of how Sig
nor Mario, the famous tenor, saved his
life with a cigar. The singer had just
started on a long railroad journey when
the man with whom he was locked In
the compartment drew a truculent
looking knife from his pocket and an
nounced that he intended to cut his
throat. The singer recognized that he
had to deal with a crazy man, ana
him, as it was highly probable that a
struggle would end in the maniac ac-
complishing his purpose.
Before you begin wouldn't you like
to smoke a good cigar" he asked of
his murderous companion.
THAT wouldn't be a bad idea," said
the man, laying aside his knife. MY
nerves will be steadier."
Mario gave him the biggest cigar he
had in his case. and when the crazy
man had smoked it he offered him an
other big one. The man continued
smoking the singers cigars, and, luck
lily for the italian, he had a good sup
ply The man was still smoking when
the train stopped at the next station
and Mario managed to hand him over
to the police.
A plot against the life of Mazzini, the
Italian patriot, once failed because of
his courtesy with a box of cigars. 1t
came to his knowledge that an at
tempt was to be made on his life. He
procured a box of the finest cigars and
waited for his would-be assassins to
call on him. When they came in he
handed out the cigars. Taken back by
this manoeuvre they took them and be-
gan to smoke.
They did not find it easy to start
killing a man who had just handed
them good cigars. and they sat about
awkwardly until Mazzini said:
Gentlemen take another cigar. ]
believe you came to kill me. Why do
you not proceed to business?"
The assassins muttered some words
Of lame regret and left.
Two other instances are given to
show where men saved themselves
from embarrassment, not from peril
was entering Paris with the German
army he noticed that some French
workmen were gathered at the gate,
evidently prepared to make a hostile
demonstration. Quickly he turned his
horse toward them and pulling out
a cigar asked their leader for a match.
The man handed him one and the at
titude of the Frenchman changed COM
pletely as the German leader thanked
the workmen courteously.
Edwin Booth once thus diSarmed a
small mob of men who had been hired
to make a demonstration at perform
ance he was giving on one OF his tours
They had been hired by rival actors
to attend Booths performance and
cause an uproar which would spoil the
play. They were seated in two upper
boxes and Booth learned of the plan.
He sent them a box of fine cigars
and expressed the hope that they would
be pleased with them even If they
were not with his performance. This
policy succeeded and the men who
were hired to hiss stayed to applaud.