THE ENEMY OF MANKIND DRUNK !

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume XXI, Issue 5678, 3 May 1880, Page 2

THE ENEMY O F MANKIND DRUNK !

One evening (says the London Daily Telegraph) Maria Ascharowna, the wife of a distinguished State official, was driving homewards from a party through the dimly-lighted Ssarotnaja-street, in St. Petersburg* when she suddenly felt herself grasped from behind, and* burning round,, beheld with horror Satan himself, " iti hia habit as he lived," perched at the back, of • i the. sledge, gnashing his teeth ferociously,- ' and glaring at her with his gleaming ej^es. Screamiiig to the Sfiints for protection, shd clutched her istvostchik round the waiaii and clung desperately to him, while the Evil One climbed into her place in ( the,j£ sledge, and drew her towards him with-,; irreatible force that, after a brief struggle; ' i she fotmd ( herself, td her inconceivable 0 consternation, actually seatedinthe Enemy-' I '/ of Mankind's* lap. Fortunately at thir'moment a policeman hove in sight, where-' ' upon the istvostchik, scarcely Ics3 frignV y ~ oned than his mistress, pulled up, and the '' gorodovoi promptly conveyed Lucifer t0. ., the lock-up. It ia painful to relate that the infernal potentate was found to be go* i drunk thsit he was, unable to, explain , has , extraordinary conduct or to give any aatirffactory account of himself. Next morn-, . ing, however, sobered by a night's repose in the watch house, he confessed himself : • to be one Mr Michael Spilantieff, the Bon of a wealthy St. Petersburg merchant, and stated that; having assumed the garb of Satan with a View io attending d msttsquerade, he. had dined with some ]oybis companions, indulged in too copious. . libations, and sallied forth into the public ' street, Further his remembrance extended not. It is to be hoped that the especial patron of th.c forgers' guild did. not de'fraiid Russian justice by payitig his fine in spurioxis noteß.'