Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1872-11-15
"THE TIGER OF THE TROPICS"
A Lear from the History ofBheIby's
fA Expedition tO Mexico.

From the Kansas City Times
Preceding Shelby's arrival in Monte
rey there had come also Colonel Fran
cbis Achille Dupin. Frenchman who
was known as The Tiger Of the Tropics y
What he did would fill volume. Re-
corded here no reader would believe it
no Christian would imagine such warfare
possible. He was past sixty, tall as Te-
cumseh, straight as a rapier, with seat
in the saddle lii an English gusrdsman,
and waist like woman. For deeds Of
desperate daring he had received more
decorations than could be displayed upon
the right breast of his uniform. His
hair and beard, snow white, contrasted
strangely with stern, set face that had
been bronzed by the sun and the wind OF
fifty campaigns In the Chinese expe-
dition this man led the assault upon the
Emperor's palace, wherein no defender
escaped the bayonet and no woman the
grasp of the brutal soldiery. Sack and
pillage and murder, and crimes without
a name, all were there; and when the
fierce carnage was done, Dupin, stagger-
ing under the weight OF rubies and pearls
and diamonds, was disgraced man.
The inexorable jaws of a French court
martial closed upon him and he was
dismissed from service. 1t was on the
trial that he parodied the speech of
Warren Hastings and declared:
"When / saw mountains Of gold and
precious stones piled up around me, and
when think of the paltry handfuls taken
away, by -, Mr. President, | am aston
ished at my own moderation"
As he stripped his decorations and
his ribbons from his breast, he drew him
self up with touching and graceful air,
aud said to the officer, saluting:
!" They have left me nothing but my
scars"
Such a man, however, tiger aud BUTCH
er as he was, had need Of the army and
the army had need of him. The EN-
peror gave him back his rank, his orders,
bis decorations, aud gave him as well
his exile into Mexico. Macmillan re,
fused him; Bazaine found work for his
sword Even then the fatal quarrel was
in its beginning which, later, was to
leave a kingdom defenseless, and an
Emperor without an arsenal or a siege
gun Dupin was ordered to recruit a
regiment Of contre guerillas, that is to
say. regiment of free companions
who we're to be superbly armed and
mounted, and we're to follow the Mexi-
can guerilas through copse and chap
paral, through lowland and lagoon,
sparing no man upon whom hands were
laid, fighting all men who hEd arms in
their hands, and who could be found or
brought to bay. Murder with Dupin
was a fine art. Mistress or maid he had
none. That cold, brown face, classic a
little in its outlines, and retaining yet a
little of its fierce Southern beauty, never
grew soft save when the battle was wild
and the wreck of the carnage CHASTITY
and thick. On the eve of conflict he
had been known to smile. When he|
laughed or sang his men made the sign
OF the cross They knew death was
ready at arms length, and that in an
hour he would put his sickle in amoug
the rows and reap savagely fresh har-
vest Of simple yet offending Mexicans.
OF all things left to him from the sack
OF that Pekin palace, one thing alone
remained, typical Of the tiger thirst that
old age, nor disgrace, nor wounds, nor
rough foreign service, nor anything hu-
man, had power potent enough to queneh
or assuage. Victor Hugo, in his
"Toilers Of the Sea, has woven it into
the story after this fashion, looking
straight, perhaps, into the eyes Of the
cruel soldier who, in all his life, has
never listened to prayer or priest:
A piece Of silk stolen during the last
war from the palace of the Emperor Of
China, represented shark eating croc-
odile, who is eating a serpent, who is de-
vouring an eagle, who is preying on
swallow, who is in his turn eating cater
pillar. All nature which is under our
observation is thus alternately devouring
aud devoured. They prey on each
Other"
Dupin preyed upon his species. He
rarely killed outright be had theory,
often put into practice, which was dia-
bolical. a
when you kill Mexican" he would
say. that is the end Of him. When
you cut Of an arm or q leg that throws
him upon the charity Of his friends, and
then two or three must support him.
Those who make corn cannot make sol
diers. 1t is economy 70 smputate.
Hundreds thus passed under the hands
OF his surgeons. His MANNED and mutt
lated we're in every town, frou Mier 70
Monterey. On occasions when the march
had been pleasant and The vine aener-
-rould rerrnit rhloroforun fer the