New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1908-08-12
How a Fierce American !
Was Appeased. I
[Original.]

America ia Tar from Europe. and |.
the puurer classes knU-v very little
about the western continent. When
was a boy l was one morning at the
Hotel DIES Invalides, in Paris, with my
father. He was speaking in French
with pensioner. Presently my father
burst into laugh. l asked him what
he was laughing at. He said that he
had told the Frenchman that he was
an American. NO." replied the old
soldier; Americans are all black.n
Some years ago an American wild
west show visited Budapest. There
were the usual fusillades, individual
shootings and stagecoach robberies.
The people who saw them got an idea
that all Americans shot, and shot to
kill, on the slightest provocation. II
spent few days at the place soon aft
er the show had passed on, register.
ing from my home, Toledo, 0. The
day after my arrival l saw some citi.
zens over the register debating in an
excited fashion about just where in
America Toledo was, whether it was
on the Atlantic or Pacific coast one
man declaring that it was in the
Allegheny mountains, the region of the
fiercest tribes of cowboys. Suddenly
! catching sight of me, they scattered
like flock of birds among which
stone had been thrown.
The same evening I attended per-
Torrance in a music hall. A little,
deformed girl, with pale cheeks and
great, fiaring black eyes, was selling
programmes. A waiter moving across
the floor with half a dozen glasses of
beer poised on tray above his head,
not seeing the child, ran her down.
The six glasses Of beer went crashing
| on the floor, and the waiter fell on the
! girl. AS she and he rose in his irrita-
ton he gave her cuff, saying, 3"Take
that for getting in my way
Now, am a mild hammered, peace
full man, nothing of a knight Grant, but
I thought the waiter should be re-
proved for giving way to his temper
and the little girl given a tip to make
up for the blow she had received, so I
said:
waiter, you had no business to
strike the child in that manner. The
accident was your fault. You should
have looked about you to see if any
body was in your way"
AS l spoke put my hand to my hip
pocket to get out my portemonnaie,
which always carry there. to give the
little programme seller coin.
The noise Of the fall had attracted
the attention of every one in the hall
All eyes were upon the waiter, the girl
and me. AS spoke those farthest
away from me got on chairs to see
what was going to do. had been
pointed out to many Of them as an
American, and as they saw that I was
displeased at the waiter they con-
sidered him in imminent danger When
put my hand to my hip pocket there
was the most remarkable commotion !
have ever had the honor to occasion
Indeed, it is the only glittering spot il
my otherwise uneventful life.
There was a wild scramble at the
: SNSr SAS " LIN
way. The men knocked over the
chairs, jumped across tables; the wo
men shrieked; the children fhey tax,
:, their children to such places abroad
: cried. Those nearest the door blocked
the opening in vain effort to get gu
all at once. l had my eye on the poo
little programme girl and to proven
4 hor lair Two, JoI y,11f or nm
about her to protect her.
The manager came fighting his way
toward me and when he got nea
enough shouted to me: 'Do not shoot
Everything you require shall be done
What will appease your
1t suddenly occurred to me to turn
r the score to account for the little pro
gramme girl
I'm not going to kill any one,"
said, ''but have suggestion to make
d Let us take up a collection for thi
: poor little girl, who received cuff sh
d did not deserve"
= | had my portemonnaie. not a revoly
]; er, in my hand and, opening it, took on
a bill, dropped it in my hat and gave
] to the manager. He stood on a chat
and as soon as he could make himsel
heard said:
: "The American will not fight if w
J. take up a collection for the programm
. girl. Let us ransom Carl Stefens, tn
waiter who offended him. Carl is
poor man and has large family"
With that he went around with tn
Is hat. Every person in the assembl
g. considered that he was bound to di
gorge as he had seen stagecoach pa
sengers disgorge to road agents in th
wild west show. When the hat cam
back-it was brtmful Of bills and coin