In a coffin & with champagne: How a Simbirsk nobleman shocked the city
If Alexander Karpov didn't exist, it would be worth inventing him. The eccentric resident of Simbirsk (now - Ulyanovsk) has etched himself into the history of the city as the author of funny and scandalous escapades. It is said that he even became the prototype of the main character in Alexei Tolstoy's novel ‘The Lame Master’ - a man who gets carried away and obsessed with many passions.
One day, he paid twice as much as usual to cab drivers standing outside the local theater. The weather was rainy and they were already anticipating good earnings - the audience would not want to walk after the play. But Karpov bought them out and sent them to the outskirts of Simbirsk. And the dressed-up townspeople had to get home through rain-drenched streets.
Today, Karpov would be called a trickster or prankster - as soon as he had an idea, he rushed to realize it, no matter how much it cost. And the people around him had to deal with it. One day, after a theatrical performance, he and his friends were relaxing in a restaurant next door. Suddenly, he called the funeral home in the city and ordered the most expensive hearse with a coffin.
As soon as the car arrived at the restaurant, Karpov climbed into the coffin, taking a bottle of champagne instead of a candle. His friends climbed into the carriage and the “funeral procession” set off on a journey through the city. Impressionable ladies fainted at the sight of the “dead man” rising from the coffin to sip sparkling wine from the bottle, while old women shuddered and crossed themselves - the only thing missing to complete the prank was thunder in the sky.
Several hours passed before Karpov became bored with his own joke. The procession returned to the restaurant, where the feast continued. When the police arrived there, the chief troublemaker was no longer able to talk, much less to give evidence. The provincial police officer could only sigh heavily: the troublemaker was his son-in-law!
