Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1874-12-01
THE KING OF TIGRE.
An Adventurous Americans Remark
able Career.

An Adventurous Americans Remark
able Career.
A San Francisco paper quotes this metri-
cal cOnundrJim of joaquin Miller's and
proceeds to answer il:
King Of Tigre, comrade true!
Where in al thine isles are thou?
Sailing on FOnseca blue2
Nearing Amapala now?
King OF Tigre, where art thou?
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 Pimo now?
Underneath magnolia trees?
Thatch of palm, or cedar bough?
Soldier-singer, where art thou?
COasting on the Oregon?
Saddle bow, OF birchen brow?
Round the Isles of Amazon?
Pampas, plain, or mountain brow?
Prince of rOvers, where art thou?
Answer me from out the West,
am weary, stricken now:
Thou art strong. and would rest;
Reach hand with lifted brow
King Of Tigre, where art thou?
His majesty, thus charmingly called
upon to disclose his whereabouts, is
alive and well, having his throne at
present in a San Francisco hotel. Al
though registered as plain James
Thomas and unaceompanied by even a
servant, his history, glanced at in the
exquisite poem quoted, is so varied and
unique as to be worth the narration.
He was born in New York of humble
parents, and having passed laborious
youth commenced the study of law in
an Ohio village. Drifting to Cincin-
natl he saw a popular actress in the
role Of Juliet and with the ardor of
Romeo embraced the stage. He wore
out his boots IN proftless trodding of
It's boards, and when the curtain de-
seconded on his last histrionic failure,
he was in the streets of New Orleans
penniless and alone. Recovering from
the yellow fever he left the hospital to
JOIN the Lopez expedition to Cuba
He bore a brave front in the
disastrous campaign, and escaped from
the island In a canoe. After floating
about for some days, experiencing the
pangs of thirst and hunger, he and his
companions were picked up by a kindly
schooner and carried into New York.
There he became a Bohemian, and by
unexpected good luck, secured an edi-
torial chair in the rooms of Brooklyn
paper. As soon as he heard the jingle
of few eagles in his pocket he set off
for New Orleans, where be secured a
journalistic position, remaining until a
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-
MA. After joining a filibustering ex-
petition which failed, he returned to
Texas. There he fought duel with
desperate named Jack Tuley, known as
''the Diamond Merchant, 4" from hav-
ing stolen a large number of
the precious stones In Brazil
and escaping with them to this
country. He planted a ball in Tuley's
shoulder, another in his ribs, and re-
ceived one In his leg which famed him
for life. After the failure of Walkers
Nicaragua expedition, in VIII b he
joined, Thomas proceeded to Peru and
arrayed himself with the revolutionists
against the established government.
After sustaining, with his fellow-free-
hooters, five months siege in Are
quipa, he wandered through South
America, and finally drifted back to
New York. After some failures in
mercantile ventures, he essayed the
life of a planter, choosing a ranch in
the Isle of Tigre, in Fonseca Bay, off
the coast of Honduras. The island is
about twenty-five miles in circumfer.