The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1872-11-01
Phases in the Life OF French Agitator.

NJ. Henri Rochefort is the modern
man with the iron mask. Like the ira
dltional brother of a French King he is
brought into prominence only TO be
Withdrawn into darker seclusion. He
stood over the body of Napoleon. and
as another Antony hanging about the
bloody remains of Caesar, conjured the
people to be long suffering when he
meant to incite them to mutiny. He
sent his revolutionary Lanterne, fired
with firece and dangerous light, into the
very precincts of the palace. He stood
the embodiment of French Nemesis
in the IN DIST of the terrific lombard
ment OF Paris, and handed to his colabor-
ers torch after torch TO send the infuri-
ate flames cracking, scorching and de.
vouring the very heart of the metropo-
lis he professed to love with the devo-
ton OF a woman.
Defantly resisting the Versailles Gov
eminent, he found himself a prisoner
of the energetic old man who had chief
ly devoted his life to the graces of his
toric literature. And to-day, a convict
ed man, Rochefort is seen no more by
the French people. The prison in
which he ruminates by day and .sleeps,.by
night is unknown to his c0afrereS who
have the good fortune TO escape a con-
vict's cell and the swift vengeance Of
the successful party. The French Gov
eminent and the jailor alone know the
present habitation Of NJ. Henri Roche
fort.
Meanwhile, whether fate has ordained
1t for better or for worse, discreditable
passages in the life Of the great whilom
agitator have come TO light. The tale
Is so well told that we do not care to
abridgeit.
He earned $4,000 to $4,000 year be-
fore he began to publish La Laaterae.
This periodical poured into his pocket
$1,000 clear profit every week ($l30,000
a year,, making his total annual income
$4,000 year at the least. He had
his washstand furnished with pitcher,
basin, toothbrush box, soap box, all Of
solid silver. His walls were hung with
pictures for which he had paid great
deal, and which bore the names of the
immortal master of painting. True,
that at the sale they went for nothing,
but Rocheforts is not the only cabinet
of pictures valued at fortune by its
collector and sold for song by its auc-
tioneer. He lavished money on some
of the most extravagant women of
Paris. Meanwhile, his father anguish
ed in a garnet with no window but sky
light, allowed one candle week, and
fed-you may imagine how poorly after
tell you $3.50 covered all the expenses,
lodgings, table, lights, and fuel for the
sordid boarding house situated at 2l0
Rue de Faubourg, st. Antoine.
Rochetort never visited his father and
never sent him any money. There is
some mystery about the fathers mar
ital relations. 1t is certain that Henri
Rochefort's mother was pastry cook,
or girl employed in pastry shop, and
forty-odd years since renowned for her
beauty. Henri Rochefort's father was,
in those distant days, brilliant vaude-
vile writer, who thought the world was
in sling, whose string he held. he
died fervent Chris tian, provided with
the sacraments Of t. Catholic Church;
nevertheless, Rochefort, who had dis.
dained him living, took possession of
his corpse and buried him without the
least religious service, in order 10 in
crease his Henri Rochefort's) popular
ity in Bellevlle.