Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1871-10-21
A PYTHAGORAN DISCIPLE.
AFHTHAGORAN DISCIPLE.
Views of Immortality by Bonard. the
- Mfser-" Animals superior 60 Men
Singular Testimony About Cats,
Horses, and other Animals.

Views Of Immortality by Bonard. the
- Mfser." Animals" superior 90 Men
singular Testimony About Cats
Horses. and other Animals.
In New York, Louis Bonard, a misery bach
eior, gave all his property, amounting TO about
q quarter OF million, to the Society for the
was contested on behalf of Mr.. Bonard's rela.
uves. The following Is portion OF the testi-
mony gwen before Surrogate Hutchins, and
reported in the New York World.
no GOOD IN MAN.
August Bagney, the first witness, testified -
am a compositor, residing at No. 176 Wooster
street; L have known a man calling himself
Louis Bonard; knew him about eight years ago.
but lost sight of him when he left Madame
Dugepereux's boarding house; often conversed
with him ON politics and religion; he didn't
believe at all; he said he had followed the Cath
Ollie religion, but didn't believe in il at all; I
believe he was of the idea of metempsychosis;
he said he didn't see anything good in man, and
believed he would become Something better in
the next life; that animals were much better
than men, and had more feeling; he lived like a
miser; said he was from Rouen, France, but had
been travelling in the South.
FATAL ECONOMY.
Charles Martin testified: L am a resident of
this city, and do business at No. 63 Broadway;
have known Louis Bonard, but lost sight OF him
for the last three or four years; he was a simple
living man, and very economical; he invented
some machinery; he often spoke OF religion, but
had no faith in il; he was dressed like a working
man; in one of my conversations with him abou
five years ago he said he would probably leave
his money to a house of the Sisters; when Par
iseaux and Bonard spoke of religion, Bonard
was generally excited; they would have little
difference one day and make up the next.
HUSBAND LOST.
Madame Dugepereux testified: reside at No.
Ia Wooster street, and keep boarding house
years ago; / lived then in Lispenard street; he
took board at my house and lived in a garrett
across the way; said he didn't think any more
about his family, but said he had family; he
w m n
glass; IL he was a second behind time at his
meals he used to tremble at it.
deprives himself of every thing and is afraid to
give cent to any one.
Q. What do you mean by saying that he was
afraid to spend a glass? A: L mean that he
would like to have 1t, but when offered il was
afraid to take 1t lest he would have to pay for it,
L often talked to him Of his family because
wanted to marry him, daughter and L asked
him to give me his money; didn't think him a
sensible man at the time; was married then,
and said this to him merely in fun and to kee p
up the conversation; | saw that he was like
crazy-that he hadn't his head; when he couldn't
get to his work he was like crazy; he was always
without his head at my house; L didn't ask any
thing about where he came from; he didn't like
people that went to church, because he said they
Mr.. Archibald Campbell, of the Society for
the Prevention of Cruelty TO Animals, testified
as to the custody of the will, but his evidence
was subsequently ruled out.
THE CHARACTERIZATION OF SOULS.
Ferdinand Tayleur testified: was acquainted
with LOnis BOnard; talked with him about every
thing; his idea of religion was that when he died
his soul would go into the body of an animal
whatever that animal should be; when some
body touched an animal on the street, he said
Don't touch that animal, because when
we are dead we don't know what animal we
shall be- / said to him ''When the soul goes
into the body of a cat, when the cat has eighteen
or twenty young ones, what becomes of ft?" he
got very vexed and said, s'You are fool" he
frequently said that our souls go into the bodies
of animals, and that the soul was not immortal:
didn't say that souls went into the bodies of
fishes and birds; he said that the soul went from
animal to animal, transmitted itself and that il
was immortal; the Indians, he said, was better
believers than the Christians, because they
treated horses better, it being their creed that
the souls of their ancestors were in the horses.
should suppose he believed in the religion of the
Indians. The case is still on trial