WEIRD WHIMS OF SOME WEALTHY MEN.

King Country Chronicle, Volume V, Issue 374, 1 July 1911, Page 3

WEIRD WHIMS OF SOME WEALTHY MEN.

► AN ECCENTRIC POLE. ;

That possession of the world's goods is frequently attended by thi manifestation of the weirdest eccentricities on the part of the owners if amusingly illustrated by the follow ing curious instances : In Vienna there lives a wealthy man, a Pole o' aoble origin, occupying sumptuous apartments in the heart of the capital's fashionable quarters who, whec he wishes to summon his servants, does so by means of bugle calls, a favourite pastime of this eccentric it to drive an omnibus, attired like any ordinary driver of such a vehicle, wherever he may find aristocratic equipages to be most numerous. The Viennese assert that, whilq h< spends a fortune each year upon hif raiment, yet he is never clad in any save the discarded garments of hie ealet. On one occasion the Pole astounded the guests at a ball by appearing in a costume of pure white, with the notable exception of shirt and tie which were entirely of black.

A ONE-MAN MARATHON. It was not Ion? ago that there died in an Eastern town a wealthy eccentric, who, though he bad never (or years been outside the grounds surrounding his residence, was accustomed to boast each day that hf had walked to certain towns, generally at a great distance from' hie bouse. What he actually did was this : Whenever he decided that it would be an excellent idea to visit a distant town, he ascertained the exact distance from his. home, and covered it on foot, oil a carefully measured walking track maintained on his premises for the purpose. II he should desire to call on his friende near by, he would do so by proxy, at the same time conducting a conversation with them by means of the servants, whom he sent in relays with certain Questions with strict injunctions to bring the answers as speedily as possible.

DEFIANT IF COLD. A well-known Parisian, according to his own statement, has for many years defied the weather by drinking a solution of camphor which in his opinion is an excellent substitute for clothing. It is said that winter and summer alike find him sleeping without a particle of clothing, with the windows of his apartments thrown wide open. It has been his custom also to stroll into the garden, even on bitterly cold days, in a garment much resembling that ordinarily worn by normal people only at night. MANIA FOR SPLENDOUR.

Among the wealthy, eccentrics ol England was a man who lived near Hastings. His fad excited much attention and amusement among his neighbours. Punctually at noon each day he would appear in his front jard, with a crimson turban on his head, his feet covered with richly embroidered and jewelled sandals, and with a coolie cloth around his waist. Then, absolutely indifferent to the hoots of the people in the street, he would firgt pray aloud to the sun, "the father of light and good," and immediately prostrate himself before a quaint miniature temple wherein was enshrined a grotesque idol with diamond eyes. What made his eccentricity remarkable was the fact that he was not of Eastern origin nor had he ever been converted to anr aeligious faith or cult of the Ea«k.—" Scraps."