The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1875-07-03
TIE CHEvALIER D'EON.

The stran 80 History Of a Remarkable Char
acter-I icidents in the Life of Man Who
Persons.ed Woman lis Trial For the
Offence
A few weeks ago there was printed in
these columns an account of woman who
had for years been driving cab in London
without any suspicion arising to her sex.
There have been many remarkable in
stances Of similar concealment-notably
one which came to light in England few
years ago at the dCnih of an assistant-in-
spector-general of army hospitals, by name
Barry. The history of that extraordinary
person will, in all probability, never be
known, and the causes and early circum
stances of her extraordinary career are al
most beyond cori 'ctnre. One fact, how
ever, about her VS. beyond ques,ion-that
she continuously had friends in very high
places.
Barry, who had always shown herself
ready to fight duel, and permitted no
jokes as to her feminine appearance, dis
played the utmost anxiety up to the very
last to conceal her sex. and made the at
tendant on her last hours promise to bury
her Just as she then was But an examin-
alton was insisted on. These, however are
cases Of women personating men. Let us
turn TO one more remarkable, that of a
man personating woman-the Chevalier
D'Eon.
Charles D'Eon de Beaumont, advocate
of the Parliament of Paris, and censor
general of bellies lettres and history in that
city, was born in Burgundy in 1927, of
highly respectable parentage, received
superior education, and was called to the
Partisan bar. In 1856 he was introduced
to Louis XIV. by the Prince de Cont, and
it is said that thenceforward he maintained
secret correspondence with that sover-
eign On this mission he went for the first
time in female attire. The object of the
visit was to approach the Empress El'za-
beth with the view of putting au end to The
ill-feeling between the French and Russian
courts, and more especially to promote the
private interests of his patron, the Prince
de Cont, with the Empress.
The next year he went to st. Petersburg
as secretary of the embassy. During the
next two years he was actively employed
in intrigue and negotiation. Meanwhile
he had been appointed a lieutenant of
Dragons; in 1903 he was made captain;
and few years later distinguished himself
in several engagements.
In 17Gl he was appointed secretary of
embassy TO the Due de Nivernois, who
came to England as ambassador extraor-
binary, to conclude peace, and certainly
brought an extraordinary secretary. The
Chevalier's troubles, which he attributed
to the jealousy of Madame de Pompadour
when she discovered his secret correspon-
dence with the King, now began. Wal
pole mentions D'Eon coming to breakfast
at Strawberry Hill with large party of
after this Nivernois was recalled, and Count
(,uarphU fod in MIA I N
the interval between the departure of the
one and the arrival of the other. D'Eon,
who was appointed plenipotentiary mean
while, conducted himself in a surprising
manner. The temporary position OF am
bassador seemed to entirely turn his head.
"D'Eon," writes Walpole to Lord HEREFORD
in November, 1868, sis still here know
nothing more of him but that the honor of
having a hand in the peace overset his poor
BRAIN. This was evident on that fatal night
at Lord Halifaxs." (When he had be-
haved in most violent manner in the pres
ence of NJ. De Guerchy.) "When they
told him his behavior was breach of the
peace he was quite distracted, thinking it
was the peace between this country and
his" When Count de Guerchy arrived
and brought letters of recall to DEon, he
declined to accept them. alleging them to
be forged, and refused to vacate the Of
fee. Presently, to crafty his rage, he
published a pamphlet rejecting on various
eminent Frenchmen, more especially the
Count de Guerchy, and this nobleman, in
July, 1854, prosecuted him for libel, and
obtained conviction. Walpole comments
amusngly on this to Mann; "DEon's book
will divert you extremely. He told peo-
Pile in this park the other day that Nine.
De Guerchy (who is remarkably plain, is
d.. al
dour's place. We do not hear that it is
seriously filed up; mean in the cabinet,
tor in the bedchamber il has long been ex-
ecuted by deputies"
DEon's next move to obtain Dotoriety
was to assert that the French government
intended to carry him OFF privately by force,
and he wrote to complain of this to Chief
Justice Mansfield, Lords Butte and Temple,
and Mr.. Pitt, and in March, l764. bill of
indictment was, on his allegation, found
against the Count de Guerchy for con-
spiracy against the Chevalier's life, cir
cumstance which, in the case of an am
bassador, much perplexed the government.
Further proceedings were evaded. In
June, l7G5, as he had failed to come up
for Judgment in the libel suit, he was de-
clared outlawed, and on May 20, WI, a
cayeat was entered at doctors commons
dead, MS he had been advertised for 10 vain.
But not long after the Cheyalier turned up,
refreshed himself with a duel or two, and
it was wound received in one OF these
which led to the serious suspicion that he
was woman. Out of this arose trial
which amazed all London.
The cause came on before Lord Name
field on July J., 1777. The plaintiff was
Mr.. Hayes, a surgeon, who brought the
suit, for the recovery of f7OO against Mr..
jacques, broker, the said Jacques, hay
ing, about six years before, received GER
tain premiums of fifteen guincas per cent,
for every one OF which he stood engaged to
return one hundred guineas whenever II
should be proved that the Chevaler Dion
was actually woman.
The counsel for the plaintiff was Mr.
Buffers, afterward famous as judge, who
said that Mr.. Hayes believed himself now
to be in possession of positive proof of
DEons being female. He called Mr..
- a