AN ECCENTRIC CHARACTER.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 4, Issue 1084, 27 May 1882, Page 3

AN ECCENTRIC CHARACTER.

A very eccentric character has, it seems, la'ely passed away in Holland. Mr Kldaes, known by the namo of the "King of Smokers," died the other- day near lio'terdam. MrKlilw* had, according tn the Belgian papers, amassed a large fortune in the linen trade, and one portion of a mansion he had.erected noar Tl I'.tcrdam was devoted to the erection iii a collection of pipes according to their nationality and chronological order. By In-; will, which ho oxecutod shortly befur.' his death, he directed that all the sin ikers of the country Bhould be inviiiil to his funeral, and that each should h • presented with 101b of tobacco and tv,\i Dutch pipes of the newest fashion, on which should be engraved the name, arms, mil date of the decease of the testator. I T . i datives, friends, and funeral guests wore strictly enjoined to keep their pipes alight "hiring tho funeral ceremony, and wv •••wards M empty the ashes from their P : .;,i!j n ■ ha coffin. The, poor of the ni.'i:;iiiw nood who attended to his last wi.-!ic3 .vore to receive annually, on the anaiversary af his death, 101b. of tobacco and a small cask of beer. He further directed that his oak coffiu should be lined wilh the codar from his old Havana cigar boxes, and that a box of French can ri' and a packet of old Dutch tobacco should ho placed at the foot of his coffin. His favorite pipe was to bo placed by his side, with a box of matches, flint and steel, and some tinder; for, as ho truly said, tbr-ro was no knowina what might happen It Iki3 been calculated that tho deceased, dm in;; his life, smoked more than four tiiiin of tobacco, and had drunk about 500,000 quarts of beer. It is sad to roll, tt (says an American paper) that one evidently possessed of such noblo,qualiti©B .'■lioiild have been prematurely cut off at the early ago of 80 years.