The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1872-12-28
A DASHING EXPLOIT.

| IeaI;S, took lis share in the more stirring
scenes in the capacity CT sklrnliSAfF. ne
tells tie whole story In his memoirs, ana il'
account seems &n anticipation O The pes!
portions OF Rlbagas. But h:S narrative Oh
his expedition 10 &ci>SonS to SclZc some p."-
der viii he found one Of the most S'fr!DS
bits Of adventure il moJern times.
lie had heard Lafayette say lhas Ii tnc
King were to advance OIL Paris thcre Wcn'c
lie no powder 10 meet him VIII. Alcxant'rc
conceived n bold scheme, and proposed t.
tho General 20 set OF for ooiSs?ilS--a to"9
he well kncw--aud seize on the magazine
there, LAFAYETTE laughed at the idca, but
consented 10 give him pass TO General &C.
rard to which Dumas coUliy added: And
we recommend his scheme TO Eou." From
Gerard he with some difficulty obtained re-
n,iisil!on addressed to the authorities Of The
town for tic powder. III this he ingeriously
intcrpolatcd the words Minister OF WAR"
= rink which no one but himself had con-
fprrcd on tie Genera!. With this official
document he returned to Lafayette ana per
shaded the old iutYio; to write him SOFT d
letter of introduction 10 the citztis Of sois-
sons. recommending them "Aleyand:e Dr-
MS, one OF on. c0mi;a!a3ts,' n iit aud
proper person to whom they should hand
over the powder. Then cur horo--tor such
no was on this occasion--prcparcd himself
for as spirited and dramatic al adventure 81
can lie fcunl in tie books Of romance. e..
Il was about O'Clock in the afternoon CT
the 3Oth Of jay, 1850. As Iie vas hulTying
away me met q Young pain!er named Bard,
S xho ,r ,'s onIv nnaseen. lie asked him to
;oin Mo nt,nI, u~rcaI with alaur;ty. and
' binvsnd,o sending him bacI; for his double
harrcIrd r;S;ols and hls horse, sos OF himself
in = caLrioIal for lie Eourcet, then The first
n,st on the road to scissors, AID which has
Since obtaiucd such disastrous uGtoTictv.
Arrived there be exhibited his Lafayette and
Gnrard ic.icr, TO Inc uo,tipa,tcr, and de-
,,,an,,od = chni-o aud horse FIR his mission.
| Tho nostm9s ter was friendly. and even cM.
nrossn ond snpAIiol hin a. once with VIA,
he asked. lie went out to huy sol7c pieces
Of cglico,--rc.l, vh,c, and llc"-wh.ci were
avn INFO 2 r,i-rolov t,.e liye,I 10 q broom
.t;",- vtirn I,,tnr was tied IN the chile.
VIII .his en.irn th.v yi,yici in homes OF
! ,,,,;rr - snis.o,,. :,n,I, mjrln;nht. The
1o. t ,n,sst.r hook his iead. il,t. rs 10 SAGA
ss.;,,,sr yrn,,rl;rd CSC many miracles I,,:d
hann iirriorupd tie last three d4vs that it
| n,i,Ilt he nns.ii,tn.n "A tncy hurried
ihrnI,.I, ,hc yqr:a,,s yiIjlre, the IA caised
| .i,, ,,In,,.st cr,i.c,nnnt lis r.',o;y-ir.rai
tir I2',I;,.I,.oS In,lTraI ih,i 81, veg ~oirq
sr,.nIii7 & hiis ;hlf thrv our,,f 10 lave SOM.
~, - n.r ,,
s't ac ~ ,...,,,, .,;; D;;r,,s ua,I
ubila vo,, are shou,iy.t I'll tl,;s some
s;eamv
Tie only di0i,,Itv WAS what was to he
the crv, and with some hesitation tho now
veii-worn and ta.lcreA " rIge Ia RcuwJ+
E7ia" was decided on. .CLurJngiv, the
rn,,n,- rciuf,; his ha.;; ont Of Tho wi,;,ioY
.u,i -. Il -. woyinr reared cr. On Ike jli,rh
rn,,, thav met y r,,a;4c ia Paris. ana = ir,ynI.
Inr SOM ,Ify wears Old manfred for ncy>.
.Thr ,2iIyr, is ty;rn In. 9 ,urhous Il ,d:
provisinn,l Gov,ron,enr cstaili>hrd-ure
In Rcrnbijonie }" the excited pgjrtcr poured
ont. The Gentleman fifty vcars Old scratched
his car and continued hia Journey. Furthe
next stn.a tl.ey had an old rostjiau. who
nersis,cd in poiuw IL q stead, troi. and at
every re,uos,s.rai,c. answered d1rrsdiy.
Leave il III to me-. s man knows bis own
business best" Dumas at la;,, from his
cha Sc window. laid on the backs OF the
| horses with q Stick, and made them gulop.
| IN q rare the mau pulled up, sWurr he would
Invoke his De;ts:s, aud actually proceeded TO
| do 50. Dumas tired at him with Il blank
cartridge, and so scared him that he rolled
on the ground in t,rTor. Alexandra then
put on his huge posting boots, and MOUNT
| inr, @alIcped on to tho next pos. They
soon reached the old familiar Nl!ierS-Cu.tt-
| reis--the whole town, as may well be
imagined, being thrown into intense vX-
element bv the appearance of the clliSc
with the tri.color md the excited ,lrx.,u.
| rfyn I,nm,s. .,a ~ If wa. ry,ry hG,,,n
,,onred "ut ia ;nh.b;tsnt.. who wished r
tiops were nut 10 hiu-wirt did il n,cap.
| thi, liar and the ;,pusr L, krry MI llir
townspeopc. and told the s;ory u, the last
! few DAYS. i WIS Insisted ti,,, IL. should
| STAY short fire and l.y,. .op;.iI;n,- tn rit
and lie was carried oil to the house OF an old
friend. where 4 hasty sumner YVES cot ready.
| 4 numhcr ri ola cnin,,i,;,rc ul,1 Ind boon
hnys ,yhn, hc wa: ~ ihn F.,,' tn,v, .s.,ihnr.
cd round Ts,s" az a,,,a yis Wv: w. tneir ola
| frcud dc,.|aiinrd gul Ternpn.rd hstwrnn
cvcry mmmhfII, -. dashed in for Them,
which he cn,IIG ,yo ndnIr,I,iv vivid sketch, :
Of these tIliiin~ " sc@n4s ILa rustics listened
with drIi,,Lt and wander. I'm, when lie
came 70 cynlam Ihe nIircl If hi, nrsrnt OK.
pnd;lion-wLen ,nropnced that mr,u,
r. c"rtI.ro .;nc,a-Lan1oS oil tho no,r6,r sI,nt
wss t. :, Inijifarr tnrwn cnn,ainin, : unf in.
| ilahitauts and y garrison Of SoD Mich .hr,
looked at him doubtfuiIy and tLouoht he
was ciqzed. This was. Of course, Welcome
10 Aloyjpdro, Who uiwsvs delighted 10 vut
himself in thcatlicql attitude and be lne
centre Of dramatic situation. lie turned
to his companion Bard:
"What were my words when proposing
| this expedition to you?"
"lou asked," was the reply, was i'll
clinedto get myself shot with YOU"
"Ard what do you say now"
"lliat aul ready still"
All were COMPOUNDED ut such salknlry.