Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1873-12-18

direction of Hawaii. As it was certain |
that he was become a maniac as well as
a leper, it was decided to pursue him, in |
order to prevent him from doing harm
to himself or others.
A schooner accordingly on the second |
day sailed for Hawaii, and when that |
island was reached it was found that a
canoe containing man answering to
Jensen's description had landed only a
few hours before, and that the man had
Immediately started for the mountains.
An active pursuit was now organized,
but Jensen, with indefatigable energy,
kept ahead of them, taking his course
straight for the great crater of Kllauea.
The pursuers arrived in time to see the
mailman spring from horrible edge OF
rock and dash himself to pieces in the
black chasm below. Nothing was found
of his body, only upon the spot from
which he leaped was found a worn and
furnished German silver medal, tied to
rude leather string, which had evidently
been worn about the wretched mans
neck This medal bore the inscription,
81 G. L. Almquist. Ioge7ato ct dsttge7a-
tS0." And upon the reverse, written, not
engraved, the simple words, ''O0aaa 6eae
est"
missing man, and a period put to the
wanderings of literary Cain, who had
gone about with the brand upon his
forehead and the curse in his heart for
TWENTY-FIVE weary years for beyond a
doubt the old man who, homeless for so
long, had borne that simple legend of
inconsistencies about his neck, to find his
long home at last in the terrible crater
of Kilauea, was the once famous Johan
Cristian Leopold Almquist, one of the
greatest geniuses and most brilliant
writers that Sweden ever produced.
Almquist was born about the begin
ming of this century, near Stockholm.
1t may be assumed from the treasured
school medal which he did not part with
until The moment of death, that he was
a bright and promising boy. 1t is GER
tain that he plunged early into author
ship, and wrote with vigor, originality,
versatility, and success great
number of books upon almost every
conceivable subject. He was a school
master, a radical agitator, traveller,
and an aspirant for clerical dignities.
He wrote poems, school-books, and
books about domestic economy; he
wrote sermons and Rousseauish roman
ces, which proposed to dispense with
everything likely to make sermons of
utility. ale has written legends from
New Holland, and life of Hector
on the condition of the poor
Sweden, on the honor of labor,
and the excellency of educa-
ton" His "Columbine' would make
Feydeau stare; his Saga of the Human
Race" is more solemn than Bakers
Saints Rest" In the "Tornrosens
Book" we have a collection of fantastical
tales that are superior to many of Hoff-
mans and Stolbergs, and indeed some
of them have touches equal to Edgar
POe's best.
In short, Almquist was very much of
a Bohemian among the Swedish literati,
a Bohemian with cranks enough of his
own, and whom probably res augusta
d0nli drove into a thousand freaks he
would not have dreamt of. Something
of charlatan, too--a man palpably in
sincere, Enthusiastically, Of whom one of
his critics said that 'IneYer read his most
beautiful things without feelings as If L
safe on the edge of a volcano, and might
at any moment be shot up a few miles
into the air. There is an odd mixture
of Lamennais, Eugene Sue, Dumas,
Rousseau, and Lamartine in him, with an
own. He is the most molly of all
Swedish authors, and the most produc-
tive. He has written epics, lyrics,
dramas, romances a whole legion,
religious treatises, PHILOSOPHERS, political
newspaper articles, historical essays, !
political economy, criticisms, ana l !
know not what"
Almouist was also an incessant travel
Ter; he had many lawsuits with bishops
the whole consistory rose up to assail
him at one time; and his radical, revolu-
tionary ideas and the staccato, sky
rocket style in which he proclaimed
them brought him several prosecutions
from the authorities. At one time he
was master of the New Elementary
School in Stockholm; at another he was
living in the forests of Wermeland at
the head of community of Simonans, |
dwelling in o turf-coYeTed hut, wearing
homespun, and eating porridge with q
wooden spoon.
In 1851 Almquist was in Stockholm
preparing for publication his notorious |
novel, ssDet, gar an C''Ca ira, ." which !
is book that would please Elder Noyes |
and not be distasteful to the Paris com
munards He had become very init
mate with an old gentleman who had /
plenty of that which Almquist chiefly |
lacked, bat was inclined to hold ON to il |
OF. require an equivalent In short, the |
old man did a discounting business and |
was rich He seems to have had con- /
fidence in Almquist, for he not only lent !
him SIS, 900 rix dollars banco on his in |
diyidual notes, but admitted him to his |
house and private office. One day |
looking over his private papers he found |
that the notes Almquist had drawn in I
his favor had disappeared He charged
that poet with stealing the vouchers, /
and Almquist did not deny it, but prom |
.ised if he said nothing about it he would |
give him another and Endorsed and /
therefore better security. This he /
did, handing over a whole sheaf of new /
notes drawn to q fictitious party and !
with forged Endorsements.
These satisfied the broker, bat not +
Almquist; and accordingly the old man, /
who seems to have had an equal partial
ity for water gruel and for brandy, be- I
gan to grow sick in way quite familiar |
to the. persons who used to enjoy the In /
timaey of Mrs Lydia Sherman, of Con- I
neeticut. The water-gruel and brandy |
were separated, We're analysed, and /
found to contain arsenic. Almquist was I
wanted but could not be found He |
had anticipated the civilities of the /
police by providing himself with forg-
ed passport, upon which he escaped to
Hamburg. Thence he went to London,
spending the summer there in the crowd I
that attended the first great exhibition.
When the exhibition was over he came
to this country and settled in Wisconsin
among. the Norwegians, when he. be-
came a farmer. .ss ::,.st
After a time, however, he was reeog-
nized by some .Swedes who came into /
that neighborhood. He sold his farm
and fled into Minnesota, where he. ran a
saw-mill. Again recognized, he crossed
the continent and went into Oregon,
where he commanded a company of +
volunteers during the Indian war, under
the name of Ohiseh, and quite .distin-
guished himself. Later, be was engaged