The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-08-23
MYSTERIOUS PERSONS IN HISTORY.

Tho records of the past furnish us with halea-
dozen Historical characters that seem to have
had a mysterious existence after the public
AaVe been informed of their tragical deaths. To
.~eh an extent has the belief OF post-e xistence
bqen carried that one could say, with great
SToUriety in the language OF Sir William Jones:
The block may soak soddsn snei5 n soee,
Ne strung TO city gates and castle wallis
Put still their spirit walks abroad"
And these spirits seem geiHSerally q to be encased
.olos pf trovellprs This young republic has not
tSeen slow in making startling history, and one
tSst has all the romantic pages OF century-old
Europe. For have We not
i. wilkes Booth,
,u.o 81. ot nhantom ship, the Flying Dutch
~ ,s from time to time, reported to have been
seen in prOprid persona n various pr.s VI tS shS
world; the latest story oelng tnaI ne IS now M she
CLg'n soas AZ intervals the press informs the
SubIc that some reliable correspondents have
seen The notorious assassin in Europe One
sine he has been seen playing rouge G nOT at
PaSen BADEN; another at the opera in Vienna.
One positiyely swears that he saw him driving
In the Bois de Boulogne at Paris; and another
ia eGnalIv confident that he beheld HIM visiting
St PETERS at Rome One fact is certain III re-
card to the disposal OF the corpse OF Booth, that
its resting-place is known to but few, and the
public at large are in doubt as to whether itnow
mOulders In secluded and unknown grave, or
Wbether the dark waters of the Potomac re-
eeyed his mangled remains. Booth, indeed,
NAV be said to be the only really mysterious
per, Onage we have had in our annals, although,
perhaps for the few years we have been an in
depepdent republic, no nation ever made its
history so tast. One of the local traditions OF
New YORK that has caused much wonderment is
'"' '"'' John G. Colt,
brother of samuel Colt, inventor of the Colt
revolver. He murdered in lS42 @ man named
Adams to whom he owed an amount of money,
aud who had dogged Colt considerably. Adams
called at the Office of Colt, on the corner of
Broadway and Chambers street, when a scuffle
ensued, and Colt, seiZing hatchet lying near,
despatched his creditor; he then went out,
closed the door, and while walking in the park
resolved to return, cut the body up, and send it
to New Orleans; but in the meantime Adams
was missed, and having been last seen going
into Colts office, that gentleman was sus-
pected, and it was ascertained IRON car
man that a box had lett the office. This
box was found at the bottom Of the vessel. Colt
was tried and convicted, but his counsel (who
confessed to it on his dying bedl introduced
knie into the prison with which Colt committed
suicide on the morning of his execution. Seve
raj mysterious circumstances we're attached to
this murder and suicide, for the evening before
the execution man in disguise called upon the
sheriff and offered him $1,000 to afford facilities
for the escape Of the criminal, which PROPOSE
tiOn was not entertained; and an hour or two
before Colt was to have been hanged the bell.
tower OF the Tombs took fire and great deal of
confusion ensued. Although an inquest was
held on the body, it was almost universally be-
come from various parts of the world that he
has been seen alive, and about fifteen years ago
many sensational articles appeared purporting
that he had escaped and was still living.
"The Man without a COuntry."s
Whether or not the person who bears this
pseudonym was the subject of a cleverly con-
eocted liable or not, It'll at least a singular case
The person who is said to have borne this title
was Philip Nolan, a notice of whose death ap-
pearcd last year in New York journal. 1t ran
thus.-bDied. ]. &
Levant on the 18th of May, Philip Nolan"
The story is as follows:-When Aaron Burr
made his first dashing expedition down to New
Orleans, IN 1905, he met lieutenant named
Philip Nolan, belonging to the Legion of the
West: The young officer became fascinated with
the brilliant statesman, who enlisted him in his
reasonable schemes. The authorities suspected
Nolan of being an accomplce of 3urr's, and on
the court martial the impetuous youth cried out
in q fit of frenzy, "D-n the United States !
wish | may never hear Of the United States
again." These words shocked the ReT6u-
tiOpary officers that formed the courtmartlal
and Nolan was condemned to be sent on board
vessel, where he was never again to hear the
words United States, and the instructions re.
Ceived were as follows:-
"WAsHINGToN" with the date which must have
been late in sC7J.-Hsir-Youw viii receive from Lieu.
tenant in the United States army This person @ on his
trial by courtmartial expressed with an oath the
The sentenced him to have lis %sS
sqT pr the he The eHecuSn @ OF the order
will take the prisoner on board your shin and keen
escape You viii provide him with such Quarters &sS
ratIons, and clothing would be proper for officer
his late rank he were passenger on your vessel
The gentlemen on board will make any arrange
ments agreeable to themselves regarding his society.
Hs to be exposed to no indgnity Of any kind nor
prisoner. But under no circumstances is ever TO
and All 6e CsT
nnder your command to take care that in the various
SIIg nSdInlgences which may be granted this rule IN
broken 1t Is the intention OF the Government thai
ne shall never again see the country which he hAi
ceiye orders which will give effect to this Intention
peO''O'iS sc:FFs For the Secretary 20 Of the Navy."
Nolan seems to have been passed from vesse
to vessel, and to have remained prisoner fo
over sixty years, and was made the subject o
innumerable traditions and palpable myths. HI
was strictly guarded and the name of tn
United States never mentioned to him. 1t l
generally supposed, however, that this mytl
was 0riginated during the recent war by SOM
highly Imaginative individual who desired Il
institute compaIisod and SMILES between Nolal
and the Rebel leaders, OF course. Nolan re
pented of his folly, and died deeply regrettinl
the incsutious words that condemned him to
life of imprisonment, which was probably NOR
painful, as 1t prevented him from interfering il
the politics of the country
The Last OF the Stuarts.
Henry Benedict Maria Clement Stuart, Car
Ginal YORK, the last male representative of th
Stuart family was born inRome in 1926 died il
Venice in 1907. He was the younger brother @
the Pretender, Charles Edward 1.-THE Primo
Charley of Scottish song), whom he was pr(
pairing to aid with body OF French troop
assembled at Dunkirk when the overthrow Q
the Jacobites at Culloden ruined the StuaI
cause in Britain. tie subsequently, took order
49, Nof1 1p1t a