The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1874-12-11
THE KING OF TIGRE.
An Adventurous Americans RemarExa-
bEs Career

a San FRANCISCO paper quotes this
metrical cOnUndrum of Joaquin Miller
and proceeds to answer it:
King Of Tfgre. comra 1a true!
Where in al thine isles are thou +?
Sailing on FOnseca blue
Nearing AInapala now
King of Tigre, where art thou2
Battling for Antilles queen?
Sabre hilt or olive bOugh
Crown Of dust, or laurel green
Rowing love or marriage vow
King and comrade, where art thou
Sailing on Pacific seas
Pitching tent in PiInO now
Underneath magnolia trees
Thatch Of palm, or cedar bOugh:
Sol0ier-singer, where art thou
Coastipg on the Oregon?
Saddle bow. or birchen brow
Round the Isles OF Amazon?
SCI Pampas. plsia, or nloJ1ntsia brow
Prince Of rOyeTs. where art thOu ?
Answer me from out the West,
F. ID am weary, stricken now;
Thou art strong. and 1 would rest;
Reach q hand with lifted brow
King Of Tigre, where art thou?
His majesty, thus charming1y called
upon to disclose his whereabouts, is
alive and we'll, having his throne at
present In a San Francisco hotel. Al
though registered as plain James Thorn
as and uuaccompanied by even a servant,
lais history, glanced at in the exquis te
poem quoted, is so variOus and unique
as to be worth the narration. He was
b, m In New York OF humble parents,
and having passed a laboTioUs youth
commenced the study of law in an Ohio
village. Drifting to Cincinnati he saw
a popular actress in the role of julie
and with the ardOrs Of q Romeo en-
brf ced the stage. He wore out his boots
IN. proftless trodding Of its boards, and
when the curtain descended on his last
hisfrionic failure, he was II the streets
of New Orleans, penniless and alone.
Recovering from the yellow fever he
left the hospital TO join the Lopez ex-
peditioH to Cuba. He bore q brave troni
in the disastrous campaign, and escaped
the island IN a canoe. After floating
about for some days, experiencing the
pangs of thirst and hunger, he and his
companions were pick d up by kindly
schooner and carried into New York.
There he became a Bohemian, and by
unexpected good luck, secured an edlto-
rial chair in the rooms of BrOoklyT
paper. AS soon as he heard the jingle
of a few eagles in his pocket, he set OH
IOI new OE4GEIEs huC1C L4D DDOIANNA q
journalistic position, remaining until
quarrel led to a duel IN which he was
painfully. his antagonist mOrtally,
wounded. He fed to Texas, and after
some wandering brought up in Califor-
MIA, After Joining q flibusterlng eX-
pedition which failed, he returned to
Texas. There he fought duel with
desperate named Jack TuleY, known as
"the Diamond Merchant" from hav-
ing stolen large number of the prec-
ious stones in Brazil and escaping with
them TO this country. He planted a
ball in Tuley's shoulder, another IN his
ribs. and received one in his leg which
Iqmed him for life. After the failure OF
Walkers Nicaragua expedition III which
he Joined, Thomas proceeded to Peru
and arrayed himself with the revOlu
tionists against the established govern
ment. After sustaining, with his fell
Iow-freeIJOoters, a five months siege IN
Areouipa, he wandered through South
America. and finally drifted back to
New York. After some failures in mer-
camille ventures, he esseyed the life of
q planter, choosing a ranch IN the Isle
of Tigre, in FOnseca Bay, off the coast
of Honduras. The island is about twen-
ty-five miles in circumference, is luTu-
RANT in vegetation, and then had pop
uIation of some six thousand persons,
mostly Indians. Without seeking it,
he ACQUIRED such influence among the
islanders that he vas known along the
coast as King of Tigre. He reigned IN
questioned, was temperate, humane,
frugal aud happy. In an unlucky mo-
ment he was induced to join scheme
for the consolidation of the central
American states. With a thousand
armed men he joined Barras defeated,
he returned to the island with but q
hundred OF his followers. His seaport
was in possession of the enemy, whom
he routed. He raised fresh volunteers,
threw up some rude Notifications, and
was besieged finally defeated by the
troops of Honduras, he wandered In the
woods with price upon his head, es-
capped .m6mentarily by saiimning to an
island some six miles distant, where he
was betrayed, arrested, courtmaTtialed,
and sen. enced to be shot. Such was his
popularity Ia Tigre that it was deemed
best not 70 carry the sentence INTO exc
c1tion, and, after suffering a long and
painful imprisonment, he was Telessed.
He now leisureIy devotes himself to the
gentle arts of peace and the companion
ship OF such poetasters as Joaquin Mil
Ter and Algernen SwinbuEze.