New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1874-05-24
= NEW 0KfE1FS IMP UBEfCzE SUNDAY, NAY q, 1s74

tn his.ahusement, md heWroteanueiIsnaoee
sadly than ever before, making me sd, toQ,
to think how p0werless was to help him in
any way. A few days later he sent wall
of zeal agony. While he had been out on
drill, some scoundrel had broken into his
satchel and had stolen all his papers-his
letters from his mother, her photograph,
ard those of his sister and sweetheart, and
all the bundle of affectionate epistles over
which he had pored again and again IN his
desolatiOn. The loss " as absolutely heart
hours sitting on the rocks at the shore, pur-
ing bitter tears into the Thames. This was
blow to me, too. knew that Donna was
OF q simple mind, and utterly without re.
sources within himself; but he was also OF
simple heart, and one could only grieve
over this last blow as over the sorrUws of a
helpless little child.
However, wrote all could to encourage
him, and was gratifed, though little sur
prised, to see how soon he became cheerful
again, and how earnestly he seemed to have
set about the work Of becoming a really
good soldier. After time the captain OF
bis companyrstill in New York and main
tanning lively interest in the poor fellow &
case-procured an order for him to 90 to
Annapolis to be examined for promotion
He was already sergeant, and pretty
good one. He stopped in New York a tew
days on his way through for SOME reritting-
again at my tailor's. On his way back he
stopped again to tell of his failure. l was
delicate about questioning him too closely
but learned enough to suppose that differ
ent ideas as to practical education are en-
tertained bv board of army examiners
and by fond young neither in the remote
castle of SchlodieE, but / encouraged hin
to believe that little more study would
enable him to pass the second examination
that had been promised him, and he re
joined his company.
In the general muetering out Voisin had
been set free and had joined me in New
York, and had, naturally, participated in
all my interest in the quOndam Count. He
gradually, as an adjutant should. assumed
the correspondence, and was voluminous
and by the time we were informed tina!
Donna was detailed for recruiting duty in
the city, neither he nor / was glad to know
it. Something more than a feeling Of regret
full sympathy is necessary to tie en- oymenl
of frequent companionship, and we both
felt that the fact of having credit with a
tailor was dangerous element in the
possible future combinations. However
Dohna's arrival at our room followed close
upon the announce of the order.
He was still simple in his way and OF
|
accepted his new life elmost too entirely,
and he had come to look not verv much out
of place among his comrades. Their quar-
ters were in a basement in Chambers street.
back of the City Hall, where we occasion
ally dropped in to see him. After while
he was always out when we called to see
him, and once when / stopped to give him a
foreign letter, sent to my care, was told he
had not been there for week, but one of the
men volunteered to find him. He came that
night to the club for his letter, in civilian g
dress, and appeared much as he did when
/ first saw him, except that he had two
beautiful false teeth in the place Of the de-
fective ones.
l gave him his letter, long one from
Berlin, from his father. He showed Vosin
the postscript, in which it was stated that
a box, containing breech- loading shot
gun, dozen shirts and a draft for 500
thalers, would be forwarded by the Ham
burg line to my care. On the strength of
this he hoped it would not inconvenience us
to advance him couple of hundred dol
lars. 1t was thus far inconvenient that we
were obliged to decline, which gave him no
otfense, and he invited us to dine with him
the following day at the Everett House.
At this point, in view of the extreme
youth and inca pcrience Of our friend, we
took occasion to read him a short homly on
the value of economy, and to urge him i'm
medlately to leave the Everett, return to
his barracks in Chambers street, and as he
valued his future peace Of mind to avoid
running in debt; mildly limiting that, if
found in the public streets without his uni
form, he would be very likely to get him
self into trouble. He begged that we would
that very night. Then for some time we
lost sight of him; his captain said that, so
far as he knew, he was attentive to his
duty with the recruiting squad. and he GER
tainly kept out of our way. The box from
Germany did not arrive. No more letters
came, and we had no occasion to seek him
out. 1t was evident that he was no longer
unhappy, and so our interest in him. though
still warm, remained inactive.
One night was awakened, quite late, by
Volsn. sitting on the side Of my bed, big
eyed and excited, and with a wonderful
story to tell. He had been. at the request
of the counsel of the Prussian consul, to the
detectives rooms at police headquarters.
Here he had been questioned as to his
knowledge of one Adolph Danforth. alias
Graf =u Donna Schlodien, alias Fritz Stable
now, and had subsequently had an inter-
view with that Interesting youth in the
lookup. The glory had all departed. He
had been there forty-eight hours, was IN
washed, uncombed, stolid, comfortable,
and quite at home. There was no remnant
left OF the simple and modest demeanor Of
the well bred aristocrat. 1t was hard to
see trace of likeness to the Kurassier
officer with whose photograph we were IA
miliar. The obligations of nOblesse seemed
to be entirely removed and there was moth
ing left but plain, ignoble Fritz Stabenow.
An examination of his pockets developed
a singular folly. He had kept every scrap
of paper on which a word had ever been
written to him. Tailors' bills, love let
tiers. duns, photographs of half dozen
different girls, all were huddled to-
Dohna cards and the plate from which
they had been printed-made in Boston;
letter OF credit from a banking house IN
Berlin to its New York correspondent had
the copper plate card of the firm on the pa
per, but the paper was ruled as a German
bankers paper never is, and the plate from
which the card had been printed (also
made IN Boston,, was in the envelope with
t. A letter from plain Father Stabenow
nclosed photographs of still palmer
mother and sister Stabenow, which were a
Dohna's picture. The fathers letter was
ull Of kindly reproof and affectionate re-
sret. 'Ach! Fritz, ich hattie das Won dir
llcht gedacht'-1 never thought that of
,o,l; but it was forgiving, too, and promised
he remittance, clothing and gun | have
Of before. The papers, for the loss
i which such tears had been shed at Fort
[rumbull, were all there in their we'll worn
with soiled paper collar.
nd that badge of dawning civilization, a |
toothbrush.
Here were also two photographs, one of |
he statue of Frederick The Great in Berlin |
n the card of St. Louis photographer, and
mother of himself in Prussian uniform. on
he card of a Berlin photographer. TIE
ictures had been lifted" and changed to
&c different cards. A more careful neglect |
track covering was never known. The
violence of all his receptions had been I