A NOTABLE PRISONER.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1809, 30 October 1888, Page 3

A NOTABLE PRISONER.

A capture made by the Viennese police has brought to light the extra* ordinary ancestry of a Tory singular prisoner. He is a lieutenant in the Prussian army, charged with swindling on an extensive scale—a Prussian subject, with a Prussian name, but with a Chinaman for his father. On the charge sheet his name is entered as Assing. The name of his father was A-. w eng, and for three years, from 1817 to 1820, he lived at St. Helena, acting as valet-de chambre to Napoleon I. When the Emperor died A-Seng came to Europe. Frederick William 111. was then King of Prussia, and the Chinaman entered his service, married in Berlin, and was a great favorite of the King, who became godfather of his children. He was decorated, and died at Potsdam in 1836, holding the post of sergeant-valet in the Royal service. One son entered the army, and served in it with some distinction He is the prisoner against whom this course of swindling is charged. He did not remain long in the service, and soon after his withdrawal a little brochure was published, attributed to him, under his name, now Prussianised into Assing. 'Jhe treatise attracted a great deal of attention. It was a violent attack against certain abuses in the Prussian army, and the general opinion has since been that its real author was Prince Frederick Charles, the Red Prince. Assing’s later life was that of a mere adventurer, with an infallible receipt for breaking the i bank at Monaco if only the necessary capital could be subscribed. The receipt proved fallacious, and the capitalist is captured,