The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1909-04-27
ST0R|ESO OF CRAWFORD
Mere Accident That Determined
Famous N0veIiSt'S Career.
CLOSE CALL IN STUDENT DAYS
How He Was Nearly Asphyxiated at
Carlsruhe, Germany-Odd Experience
With o Servant In ltaly-Soiemn
Scene When He Died.

CarlSruhe, Germany-Odd Experience
With 0 Servant In ltaly-Solemn
Scene When He Died.
Francis Marion Crawford, the Amer
lean novelist and historian, who recent
" died at Sorrento, Italy, became a
novelist by accident. He had met in
India man named Jacobs who, acting
I for an English syndicate. had sold the
largest diamond in the world to the
mann of Haidarabad for $24O,OOO.
When the British government heard
of it there was protest, Britain con-
tending that the niZam as Il petty ruler
: had no business to spend such a sum
for a jeOel when there were so many
beeter uses for the money in his terri
tory. A large installment of the money
had bURn paid, but after this protest
the nizam tried to crawl out of his
bargain The syndicate, however, would
not let him do so, and the case went
into the English courts
Crawford while in New York in 1882
told tho story to his uncle. Sam Ward
WHO liked 1t greatly ana urged him to
make 0llort story out of it and pub
fish it. Crawford wrote one which I'm
Gle Sam liked, but the author did not
like it, and he rewrote it in fuller
FORM This was "Mr. Isaacs." which
)sUepe at once into great popularity
and turlR6 its author into his life
vort of novelist and historian.
/ When Crawford left Cambridge uni
0erstey in England he went to Carls-
ruhe, the capital of Baden, Germany,
to continue the study Of mathematics
au1 to learn German. Crawford pos
sessed the ''gift Of tongues" Born at
the Baths of Lucca and not sent until
| he was twelve years old to this coun-
try, where he spent three years at st.
Paurs, Concord, Italian was his ma
Give tongue, and he spoke French
equally we'll. 1t did not take him
= long % learn German at Carlsruhe. He
joi1Dd a corps, became immensely pop
unar among his fellow students and
was the equal of the best of them in
WELDING the schlagel. His attendance
Ct Oe of the corps kneipen nearly
brought his career to an untimely end
It was the custom in Carlsruhe in
those days, and may be the custom
now, to turn off the gas at the main
ut midnight, by which time all good
citizens were supposed to be safe and
sound asleep in bed, and to turn it on
tn tn khn MI
Crawford one evening left the gas
turned down low in his bedroom when
he started for kneipe. He returned
to his lodgings soon after midnight.
forgot about having left the gas turn
ed on and got into bed in the dark.
When the valet of the corps arrived
the next morning to awaken him to
attend lecture at the polytechnicum
he found the room full of gas and the
future author of "Mr. Isaacs,' appar
emily dead. 1t took two doctors sever
al hours to pull Crawford through.
In Mr. Crawford's beautiful villa.
near Naples, there is in operation
modern system of American plumbing
The devices when introduced were un
known to the native plumbers. and MIR.
Crawford was compelled to install the
improvements himself, accepting such
aid as the local mechanics could give.
When the novelist was about ready to
turn on the water, he ordered serv
ant to 60 upstairs and open faucet
and as soon as the water appeared to
rap on the pipe two times Seated on
the edge of a bathtub, serenely smok-
ing his pipe. hammer in hand. the serv-
ant awaited the moment when he was
to give the signal. Unknowingly the
man had opened the pipe for the
shower bath. and the waters from over
head descended upon the unsuspecting
mental. He forgot the signal, but
rushed to the cellar shouting that wa
\ ter was pouring from all sides.
''Why didn't you rapy' demanded
Mr.. Crawford. turning of the water.
Because got orders about water
coming up from beneath, not from
above" said the man, trying to drain
the water from his flooded pipe
A well known man of letters was
telling stories at a literary club In
Boston one night. when he was re-
minded of an encounter between
BostOnian processing love of art for
arts sake and F. Marion Crawford,
the novelist. In a slightly patronizing
manner the Boston man asked:
Have you ever aspired to write
anything, Mr.. Crawford, that will live
after you are gomez
"My dear sir" replied crawford.
with u broad smile. my principal eff
fort just now is to write spmething
that will enable me to live while l am
here"
A missionary bishop told alta dinner
In New York story about Fl. Marion
Crawford. the famous novelist
.'Mr. Crawford went to school," he
said, ''in Concord, Mass, and one day
he was taken to call on a Concord
clergyman.
1.-THE Clergyman had missionary
n -