The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1913-04-12
KING GEORGES JOKE
ON TWO SECRET
SERVICE PARISIANS
Late King Was Particularly
AverSe to Surveillance of
SIeuthS

FarLS, April 12.-The late King
George of Greece was particularly
averse to being under the surveillance
of detectives, and he often derived
amusement, when travelling abroad, in
concealing his movements from the
men who were assigned to watch and
protect him from just such attacks as
resulted in his death at the hands of
an ASA ssin at Salonika last month.
French detectives tell many stories
of the Kings devices to elude them.
It was his Majestys custom to go ev-
cry year to Aix-leS-Bains for the wa
tiers, and the French government al
ways charged itself with the respon-
would from time to time seek out the
men charged with his protection and
expostuIate on the futility of follow
ing him. The answer always was an
apology, coupled with the explana ton
that the orders of superiors had to
be obeyed.
One day at Aix-Ies-Bains King
George was walking along the road up
Mount Reward when he noticed two
men of the Paris political police shad-
owing him. Here was an opportunity
to play the sle11ths a, trick. The King
entered a little roadside wine shop,
placed his hat, stick and gloves on
the sill of an open window, sat down
at a table just out of sight of the
window, and ordered a glass Of beer
In a rev moments ne SI1ppeO Qu1oC-
ly out a back door, pulled out of his
pocket a cap to take the place of the
hat he had left behind, climbed a
fence, and got away unnoticed.
The watchers soon discovered their
mistake and began at once search
for the trail. They found the King
thr ee hours later talking to some wood
choppers on the high cost of living
The tragic death of King George has
brought out many other reminiscent
ces of this dem ocratic monarch. An
other is centered in a photograph,
which shows the King climbing over
the seats of a railroad passenger car
in an endeavor to catch a canary bird
fiIlttering against the roof.
The scene took place in the express
from Paris to Frankfort An old lady
was travelling in company with her
pet canary; the door Of the cage slip
ped open, and the bird escaped. The
King, travelling incognito, was in the
next compartment. Hearing the cla-
rnors Of the old lady, he came in and
after a long chase succeeded in cap
turing the fugitive bird and restoring
meantime some one took a snapshot OF
his Majesty.
The little incident is characteristic
of the unaffected kindness and cour-
tesy of the late King.
Paris restaurant keepers have dis
continued the custom of charging
walters from one dollar to two dol
lars and a half a. day for the privilege
of serving their customers; hence
forth walters may wait for nothing, so
far as the owner is concerned, and
keep all their tips. This is tanta-
mount to a considerable increase in
paw and walters to-day are about
their business with cheerful faces.
The walters fight for the right to
wait for nothing, however, has been
a long one and bitterly fought 1T
took several years of agitation to bring
success the owners captivating only
when convinced they were beaten.
Another concession gained by the
men is the right to eat their lunch
a waiter need no longer eat the food
he sees prepared in the kitchen and
serves for the house; he can go home,
or to another restaurant, for his
lunches and dinners.
Lecturing before the Lyceum Club of
France, Professor Metchnikon declar-
ed that tuberculosis was decreasing,
and had been doing so steadily, for
the last 40 years.
This satisfactory state of affairs was
particularly noticeable in London, Bos-
ton, Copenhagen and Hamburg, the
Professor said. In the last-named
city the number of cases has dropped
from "a to Is per 10000 inhabitants in
IL years. M. Metchnikoff believes that
the unconscious absorption of attenu-
uated virus has a great deal to do with
the immunity noticed among persons
living in constant contact with CEN
tiers of infection. tuberculosis will
probably disappear, he said, in the
same way as leprosy, which has long
ased to be contagious. That day.
however, is a long way off yet, and
there is still much work to be done by
scientists in the laboratory and ply
sicians in the sick-room.
Next month will be celebrated with
fitting ceremonial the tri-centenary of
Andre LIE Notre, creator Of French
landscape gardening, who designed
parks of Versailles for Louis XIV, as
well as the gardens of most of the
royal palaces and noble mansions or
the Europe of his day.
A bust of LIE Notre by his conten-
porary, Coysevox, was recently d1scov-
cred i'm a dark corner of the old church
of St Roch, in the rue ST. Honore. LIE
Notre was buried in ST. Roch, but his
ashes were disinterred during the trou-
bIed times of the Revolution and scat
tered to the four winds. This bust,
which probably stood over his tomb, |
will be placed in a prominent place
in the Tuilleries Gardens, one Of his
and solemnly inaugural
ed during the commemorative fetes
The post of Permanent Secretary OF
the French Academy, to which M
Etienne Lamy has just been elected, Is |
by no means a. sinecure.
1t Is the duty of the Secretary to or
ganize and supervise the work Of the
various committees, which every year
distribute between 600 and $4,000
in literary prizes; to allot something
over 500, 900 year as rewards for mer-
itorious actions; to seek out and offer
suitable assistance to authors whose
work may be deserving of encourage
ment, and to devise means of helping
numerous hidden talented sufferers, |
whose pride forbids them to make |
hn1 10 l,o xzrc.rId