THE WANDERING JEW.

Waikato Times, Volume X, Issue 766, 15 May 1877, Page 2

THE WANDERING JEW.

AN INTERVIEW. WITH HIM.

Reports were floating about the city yesterday, to- the effect that the Wandering Jew had been seen over ili Camden county, New Jersey. A reporter was sent over at once to hunt him up, and to interview him if he should be found. After a soriicwhat'protracted search, the re-porterdiscoveredaproinising-lookiug person sitting on the top rail of a fence, just outside of Camden, engaged in eating some crackers 7in.d cheese. reporter approached him, and addressed him at a venture.

: * Beautiful day, Cantaphilus!' This familiarity seemed necessary, because if the Wandering Jew has any family name, the fact has not been revealed to the public. ' Bless my soul, young man, how on earth did you know me?' exclaimed the Jew.

'Oh, I don't know; something "about your appearance told me who it was. I'm mighty glad to see you, any way. When did yon arrive V ' I came on here yesterday. Been down in Terra del ITuego, where X heard about the Centennial, and I thought I'd run up .-ind have a look at it. Be a good thing, I reckon. Times flies, though, don't it ? Seems to me only yesterday .that a man over here in Siberia told me that yon people were fighting your Kevoltitionary war.' ' . He sat upon the fenoe as he talked ; his feet, cased in gum shoes, restel on the third rail from the bottom ; his umbrella was under his arm • his face was deeply wrinkled, and his long, white beard bobbed up and down as he ate his lunch voraciously, diving" into his carpet bag every now and then for more. The reporter remarked that he feared that such a liberal diet of cheese would disigree with the eater, but the old man said :

' Why, my goodness, sonny, I've been hunting all over the earth for seventeen centuries for sometime to disagree with me! That's what I yearn for. If I could only get dyspepsia once I might hope to wear myself out. But its no use. I could luuch on a pound of nails and feel as comfortable as a baby after a bottle of milk, That's oiie of my peculiarities, You know nothing ever hurts me. Why I've been thrown out of volcanoes, lemme see —well, dozens of times, and never been singed a bit, v Most always, ft

real cold' weather/4'step over to J|alv v and roobs i around insi<%. of 1 Vesuvius,' and then 1 , ma;yjbe, thjjreV v> an eruption andsj'm boavednpub a couple of hundred, miles .or sjo j but always safe arid Uouhd. What I don't knßw about volcanic eruptions, my child, isn't worth knowing-. I went booming around th.rqugh. th 3 air Svhori Pompeii' 'was destr'o^ed. .;; jYes, ; sir;. I- was ,. there jj^w.the whole thing. Why," I could tell yoii'more: stqritfs !v You wouldn't believe'',,,' 1 How do generally ? '. ' Oh, different ways, I have gone around r ' , sbme v; iri lli sle*epihg ; caW and 1 * -had. my ; bagga'ge> checked through. But generally,.-I prefer.• to. .walk. I'm never in a hurry, and I like to %ke ,my own ;r6ute.; mighty good'walker. I did think Of getting up some kind of a -pedestrian match during the pentennial ywibli, ; some of your champion walkers; but is'b rio use j it'd ionly create &ri 7excite- ■ ■ ,-ment»'"'-; :■,•:■. ■■>-■"■■ ■ / 'How do people treat you'usu- • : aii ; r. /■ ■;'!'■■/:.■''' "" "' Well, I can't complain. Snap me up for a tramp sometimes, or make disagreeable, remarks about • me.., Bub; generally : ; Ii feet, along well enough.- The underttikera are -hardest ori me. They'say oise a depressing influence on "their business ! by r s'ettiti"g example to other, neogljsr.'' of 'em, over iti*Cbfistaniinople}he said, -a;.. man r ; generations of' undertakers ought to be ashamed to, show, face in civilized society." But; bless you,/ sonny, I /don't mind,, them;!, ness, you know, is business. It's perfectly natural for thbm that way .aboub, it„j now, is/i',b, ;ib P' 'Will you have & cigar; after tabing?' v "' 'No;, none ;fbr me., /Ralejgh wanted'me to i learn 1 to smoke v|lien he was in Virginia,;but I didn't care,,, for it. You remember him, of course ? : ono jl forgot how young,, you are. Pleasant? man,,,but.a little too chinlenbal. " I ~., better.,: a, ,'vj , iuited you newspaper people, ,'Mpst : • '• always : a - every ; day f and then that nre in Kbme,. when .he -fiddled! Mfcde ! spleridid-' sport''for ;' the papers, wouldn't ib ? Poor sort, , of "a; man ThO) only time I >. ever saw him was when he'jwas drowning his-mOtherVi Dropped the r ; ;old lady over and let her drift off as if he ' ' Talking.of; newspapers ; how , would you like to .make ; an : : engasr,e-, . < ment asithe travelling correspondent, -u of bulletin V?', - lil,;: ' u u ' sending you a letter now and then; .but I dqn'b,care t,omakeany,regular '*" ingagemeni. You' see ' I"'haven't written *a ;. deal ■•{for about > eighteen hundred years, and a man kind of get 6 out' of practice in that time. I write such an awful poor . hand, too. No, I guess I won't contribute; jrSgularly.,.'. I have .thought sometimes maybe I might as well . canvass for life' ihsuraiice, or do a little.wo i rk..fV8 [ 's to • piolc up a 'Few stray dollars. But I:. never had .affair.lchance offered to',' nie, arid I didn't care ( enough, about 1 "ittb hunt ft'up; a'rid so nMing came of, jib.. T ;I ; .could,, a goojd book fairiy hum around this globe though, don't you think ?' ' You might start in with * Out of the : Hutl^BuVry^-' T -; j T - ',< Maybe I mighb^ ■- ■'- '■"* Were you .ever ''j.yori^ever have.a „ I ; ;. : f,See hereV 'myr son, J never did - ; ;you any harnij. and what's 'the 1 use of 1 your'bringing' up such disagreeable : remim^ceriC6Wf : ' ; lady, died ;,, in iflgypb, in ,^3,.' : her. up l;intd a mummy, and Ireokon bhey .pub a pyrainid on her-"to 1 hold 1 her, down. Thab's enough ; bhab satisfies me.' ; Is your-memory'generally good 1 ?' v Well, about I, know' I u§ed bo get "Petrarch'miked up in my mind ( "wi,th St, ; er> and I've several time's alluded to "Plutaroh as ; the "god of this infernal :1 regions. I'm, often hazy' * about people. The ; queerest thing! You know that once in coversatipn with Benjamin Franklin, I con.fo.uncjed.'Mark 5 B jirithbny, and" actually alluded to ? s oration Qvep the dead body qf Qajsar J Positive faot, , bell ; yoii how ■ I 1 of ten keep ; fhS 'ritri of things. I say of a certain evenb; * That happened during bhe century that I was bilious;'.or 'it occurred in the century when I had rheumatism.' That's bhe way'' I-fix the time. I did commence to keep a dkry in 184, -Jut. I .ran up a , staok of manusoripb thi-eb or four hundred feeb high, and then I gave it up. ODuldn't lug it round wibh me ? you know.' ... -.

•I suppose you have known, a great many celebratect.people?'; : I .'Plenty .pf.'emj; plenty of 'em, l ; sir. By cbe way, did >anybody oVer - tell you • : that you ; looked like ■''■ Mahomet V Well" sir,' yciv do. astonishing likeness! Now,_. ; there was an old scalawag for you? A perfect fraud ! I lent that > man a pair of boots in 598,- and he never returned them. ; Said I'd get my reward hereafter! I've regretted those boots for 1,300 years.' ' Did it ever occur to you to lecture?' . t qj,, yes ; I've turned it over in my mind. But I guess I won't. You see, my son, I'm so crammed fall of information that if I began , a discourse 1 could hardly stop .; under a couple of vears, and that's too long for a. lecture, youknow. • Then they, might encor3 it, and so I "'' Jiardly think I'd better .go:in.. No,

I'll jusbrtrudg-e • along.i in the oW ' fashion.'' '.""" " : 5?.: \ VHave\y ou = any views about the great questions of the day ? VAre you in favor™ of soft money or hardf „ ;) .. ~■ .... 1 Young man, the advice to you of a man .\vhoj,has studied the world for nearly two thousand years is to take any, kind you. ;can get. That's solid wisdom/ i Why don't you locate in this country, and be naturalized and have youi* hair ■' cut' 7; ahd run for s.omethjjng? ...One of the parties would put you up for Governor., ;maybe£ after awhile.'.. 7 j ' Don't want it, my boy. Wha't good does it'do'it nian? There's of Ohio; ; I first met: him in 1397, and he was laying his plans then,, for .the-. Governorship. When be gob it, what use was it to him? I'd rather Jiave._ a free foot and no'worryihg to do,- than %<* be the greatest statesman on earth.' Tr<'>Hdveuydti the •Centennial Building yet ?' • ' Not 'yet.' y -And, by-the-way, I want to mention to you that if anybody sends to the Art Exhibition from' Pferu 1 that famous picture of St. Augustine,; don't you place any confidence in it. ,-I knew .himj,well, and it's all a He about, his rearing a j; high hat and tbrboiseishell'Spectacles, arid revolver| in his_belt. : I l pr6nouhce that s picture'' a fraud; • , no,w:.mina me.v :~t* --•;i .7 ;iv<djhen, asthe old. man^babbled on,, he decerided 'from the fenced shouldered his liihbrellaVarid together ihs started for the ..ferry. ~He. said I he wanted, to buy, a. new., suiti of! Clothes. :'■ That on bought in 1807 ; in Germany, and it was beginning, to .get/-threadbare. So the reporter led him over the' river, put himi in a horse-car, ~asked 'him to send-hisi address to the office,, < and the aged pilgrim nudged' up; ?' ,into;& cprner seat, ,put his the floor-and sailed; serenly out of i sight.amid the reverberationrof the ' oaths, hurled by the drivler at'an Trislv' wta,V-oc6upied the track in front 'of the car.—' Philadelphia Bulletin.'i-';' ;-T i ■