New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1903-09-20
MUNCHAUSEN REVIVED.
No WOnder the Listener asked If
What He Told Really Happened.

Did you ever hear OF orchestra which got so
tangled up that it stransIed itself? asked writer
Of fiction whose middle initial M was believed to
stand for Munchauscn.
"Of course not" the retort OF his matter-of-
| fact companion. who was a professor OF mathe-
MATES.
Well. then. YOU never knew the orchestra heard
the other evening a steamer which sails Occa-
sionally into the port Of New-York. 1t is a small
steamer and a small orchestra but the music is
exceedingly large. No. guess you never heard this
orchestra"
But how could II get so tangled up that II
strangIed ITSELF? inquired tie arithmetician. SOL
EMMY.
The novelist lighted a pipe puffed vigorously as
II FOR inspiration. and smiled through the rising
clouds OF smoke.
Perhaps I exaggerated somewhat when said
it stranged itself" he continued. but III tell you
about 1t and you can judge for yourself The
orchestra consisted Of two viOus and harp. The
harp. by the way. had no crown over it. Each was
played by a Of sunny Southern Europe, who
ate so much garlic that the violns and harp were
not only string but wind instruments. They were
saturated with garlic that even when their
masters were away from them and the wind was
blowing your way you'd notice them
Did the smell Of garlic cause the strangulationc
interrupted the professor Of figures. who was
somewhat provoked by his comrades depression.
Not exactly" the answer The garlic
a strong. but not the chief. factor IN this
catastrophe. 1t was this way: The three musicians
began to play the Carnival OF Venice and it was
a carnival. Each fiddler struck a different key.
and to prove that he right each tried to
drown out the other. The harpist however. was
more accommodating
I'm order offend neither fiddler. he played first
IN one key and then another. lie was the most
versatile harpist / ever heard.
But the two hddlers only got angry at
another They tried TO give each other the slip
hurdle race the way they jumped the bars. And
while they sawed away they kept showing their
ytOHs tighter and tighter under their Chns. FL
nally / decided that they meant suicide and had
BEGAN TO get black IN the face.
while ! wondering how the Carnival was
going END. both me ndGltrs dropped To the floor
The ships surgeon examined them and
even after the vfOlins taken from their neCks
, ViOlinsts did revive. Zach kept breathing
heavily, and with every breath there sort
of hummtng music like that of PCliaO hdrpS. The
surgeon made a closer eNamina ton and exclaimed
My y ray discovers something in their luDgSi
The next he pulled of iddleT's
mouth catgut string. The poor wretch had aCtu-
ally pushed his throat. After looking down
the other iddlers mouth the surgeon gave another
exclamation. and fshed out another violin string
The sounds then ceased, and the musicians APP
peared relieved.
The man Of arithmetic looked too dazed to speak
and the novelist appeared to guess the situation. as
he said:
''Oh you're wondering what became of the harp
linists became fearfuly tangled up in the strings
of his instrument. I've heard of 'Strtnging a
man but this was the first instance / ever saw
my self. One of the life guardS finally had to cut
is more than one way Of cutting fellow out. But
even then the fellow terribly distressed.
Como to find, he still had steel bass string
bound around his neck. 1t was sunk IN you