Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1869-03-20
ROMANCE AND REALITY.
A Case of Introduction in New
Orleans.
Who Shall Decide when Doc
tors Disagree -

~
the Seeouud District Court, Judge Du-
vigneaud, which will soon be closed, but
| is yet creating much interest among the
| Creole portion of our community, to
| to which portion of our population the
plaintiff and defendant belong, who are
/ both well known to the community.
| The case has already been alluded to in
the Crescent at the time it was instituted.
| Mr.. John McClellRnd, the plaintiff, who
occupied with credit the Office Of Chief OF
| Police under Mayor Monroe, until the
| city of New Orleans fell into the hands
of the Federal authorities during the late
war, petitions the Court to order the in
| terdietion of his maternal uncle, Antho-
ny Fernand z, on the ground that being
possessed of means and unable to man
| age his affairs, great injury will enure
| to his heirs at law,
The defendants history is one full OF
| events and should have place here.
| His father, Don j Ose joaquin Fernan-
| dez de Mendsz1, an eccentric gentleman,
was born in Spain, of undoubtedly noble
parentage, and arrived in New Orleans
| in 1879, at which time, according to his
own statement, he was already of sge,
and died in this city on the 9TH OF Au-
| gust, 1859, or when he was over one hum
dred years old. He had seen during his
/
| lana to the French and afterwards to the
| United States, and both he and his son
| Anthony took part in the battle OF New
| Orleans. on the memorable S.h of Janu-
ry, 1915. Until short time before his
| death, although weighed down by years
/ and infirmities, he could be seen daily
| attending in an olG-fsshioned house on
| Ann street, between II lysl and Bourbon,
| to his business, that of undertaken, a
business which he almost monopoliZsd,
and by which he amassed considerable
wealth.
Anthony Fernandez, the defendant in
this suit, was born in this city about the
! yesr 1884, and is consequently about
seVenty-6Ve years old, IN his early
youth, like his father, he was noted for
| his eccentricities, and although he re-
ceived coed education at the college
Henri Qlatre," celebrated French
| institution, his manners st times were
so strGrgs that he was generally called
| brac, the French for " cracked brained."
/ In the eventfdl invasion OF the British
! on louisiana soil, Anthony or Tony, as
| he was f3miliariy cails9, was q " eisro-
netist in the line but what services
he otherwise rendered, If any, we are not
advised Of.
Later his impetuous disposition in
volved him in g difficulty at the old Or
leans Opera eoffeehouse, during which
he dangerously cut his adversary with
| pen knife. He fed the country and went
to France, which was then at war with
| England and Prussia, to Offer his ser
VICES to the first Napoleon, OGt arrived
| just in time to learn OF the Waterloo
! disaster Whereupon he left In disgust,
| directing his course toward England,
| and is next heard OF in London. Here
! he figures conspicuoHsly ia the famous
| trial foF divorce brought by the Prince OF
Wales, afterwards Prince Regent and
/ George ",
Anthony was remarkably handsome
and withal possessed of a b0ldness aud
| courage in his younger days of crime
/ which gave him the entrees Of the best
| circles OF the English capital. he was
| suspected by the royal George with hsv-
| ing been over intimate with the princess
! when she was on her Italian or rather
| continental tour, about which 30 much
| scandal arose, and he was summoned as
a witness on the divorce trial. 1t is said
! that he received El0, ,0J0 not to appear as
a witness before the House Of Lords, but
! the assertion is contrsdicted.
| He returned to Paris aud assuming the
! title of Mstquis of Barstaris, moved in
| the best sCufeIy, being evsn on familiar
| terms with the then Duke o. Orleans,
| afterwsrd the ill-fated Louis Philippe.
| His course ran staoOthiy fos some time
untilh was bstr0thsd to I i;h duchess,
and on the point OF marrying her, when
| he waa denounced by one OF his init
mate friends, gentleman Of the city,
who, it is reported, avenged himself of
the vanity displayed by Anthony since
he had attained his exalted position, by
a 4,
as that OF Marquis of Baratsria.
After this exposure, discOmdted and
ridiculed, he Lett Paris once more and
returned to New Orleans, his former diff
ficulty having been previously amicably
settled. With some thousand dollars
worth of merchandise, he went to Du-
range, Mexico, where, however, he did
not remain long, having gotten into
serious difficulty concerning young
girl, who, it is said he seduoed, which
| compelled him to take French leave.
After this he led wandering life, resid-
ing at times in Monterey, Tab4scO, Ia
maulipas. Tnamplc0 and other cities and
| towns in Mexico, and finally returned to
his native home, He now engaged in
the auctiOneer busiaess, occupying for
many years the basement Ofthe s.. Louis
Hotel, at the corner OF Chartres street,
handsome fortune. A short time before
the war he retired from business, and
when the question of secession was raised
he became violent partisan OF the
South,
Yesterday we were shown telegram
ssnt by him to the commander of the
Orleans Guard Battery, stationed at that
period of the war at Grand Junction,
which evidences his solicltude for the
& Lost Cause" and is in these terms
''B sware OF cOunterf,it cartridges" But:
upon the advent OF the Beast, we find
him a bitter Radical, and one Of the
Brute's constant advisers, which he could
well be, knowing, as he did, everybody
and everything in and about New Or
leans. From that moment he has been
working hard for the honors of his turn
coat abilities, and recently was a Radical
! candidate before the Legislature for sen
atorial honors, in which, however, he
was shamefully ignored by his cOlOred
friends. This defeat, we are told by q
gentleman who asserts it positively, was
the immediate cause OF the denentia
mention in the petition in the suit for in
terdio1On.
The blow, at all events, was a severe
one, and IN disgust he again traced his
| | COuIob IOHh1N L al SCeeAC pN~S-SAJ ,
of diversion at the grand Exposition
then going on. He had been in Paris
for a month or two when he was taken
. suddenly i'll with gout, and sought adj
mission into one OF the nldiSOJas de soltt
of the French capital. Here, it is said
he became acquainted with an attend
ant named Claudene Bedsult, superS
woman of the meridiOnal type, who
won his heart at the mature age OF %
He returned with her to this city some
months ago as his mistress, although he
, introduced her to his friends as his legit'
, innate wife.
A short time after his arrival here, the
i couple went over the lake,tO some water
: ing place. where he was one day, while
walking iu the street, struck with an
3 apopletic fit, which nearly cost him his
. life. 1t was then that they were mar
5 ried, and rumor has it that at the time
; he was mentally unable to take care oi
) himself and returned recently, as the
petitioner in Introduction AYERS in con-
e dition Of mind to justify the belief thai
: he is incapable OF managing his affairs
/, before the suit in Introduction.
The case is now occupying the Second
Z District Court in the evening almost
Q daily, and several physicians have beer
= | sunnmoned To testify, including Doctors