The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-10-31
JOHN BROWNS LIEUTENANT.
THE SUICIDE OF RICH4RD REOLF. POET
md KANSAS RINGER.
Man who Looked Iihe Byron, wrote Tran.
scendentai Poetry, aud went Merriiy Into
- Hundred FiEhts-A Very Strange Career.

morphine at the Windsor House in Oakland. |
the cause " the act being. ii is said i'll health |
and domestic trouble.
Tho career Of Richard Reolf was q strange |
and romantic one. In the year 1856. when the |
war against slavery had begun in the Territory
of Kansas. and the strugGl. between the |
Border Rufllans" and the FREQ State men
was In active progress, young man. who made |
his appearance in Lawrence among the multi
tudo II adventurers and champions of liberty
who then gathered in that wild region, at
tractcd notice. He was AZ that time DOS
s"ssed of rare personal attractions. and whis-
pers Of mystery AMI romance soon arose in
association with his name. The remarkable
beauty Of his face the softnoss and dclcacy Of
his expression. the charm of his manner the
exceptional culture of his mind. his poetical
qualities, ani his large knowledge Of English
society aud literature added attraction to his
courage and heroic conduct. He was evidently
an Englishman perhaps 30 years Of age. and
his resemblance 10 n" portraits of Lord Byron
in early ne. together with tho peculiarties OF
his mind. AMI his tendency 70 romantic and
chivalrous poetry. gave color - fanciful stories
that soon got atoat to III effect that he was re-
lated by blood or very nearly connected with the
hero OF MissolOnghi and the author Of "Childo
Harold II was believed by many. even, that
he was an illegitmatc son of Lord Byron, and
the likelihood of his connection with the poet
was increased. in that he was IN receipt from
time to time Of rcmittanccs from England.
which were scnt. it was alleged. by one Of the
then denizens Of N"wstead Abbey
| He was regarded as one of the most heroic
spirits. and most Intellectual young man ON the
| Free State side. He took part in scores OF war
like adventures against the Border Rufflnns."
WINS always ready FOR a foray or n song. fitted
from part to part Of tho newly organized Terri
tory wherever danger was to be en-
countcrcd. associated with John Brown
along the limo Of the Ossawattamie
| River campaigned with Jim Lane on horse
gard gard and and dare m I'D devil irontersman Mo foumd ND % iSs
and often and again was he seen. in uncouth
uniform. with Sharps riiir over his shoul-
| der smile on his face. ana a chanson on his
| lips. gay Hs the troubadour touching the guitar
| Of the romnnza.
one of his many exploits was at tho defence
| Of Mount Dread, In the vicinity Of Lawrence,
| whi.h all through that time WINS the centre of
with fow Kindred spirits. looking from the
rude fort on the top Of the hill hc saw the rod
shiried Misssourian enemy approaching from
| the river. Tho song with which he commcmo-
| rated that exploit thus opened;
All nsht within our guarded tents
WRAP, roani =. WIN jchcyahs smile,
His intimacy with John Brown led that stern
old ironsde o take him into his conndepce
when preparing the virginia adventure that
eulImna,ed at HHarper's Ferry and on tho
the V%1 conspTators % wh9 With Ras VIZ isr@ed 8J al
0pssawqttamie The plan Of eampaign in the
slaves were TO be armed AS preliminary to
,heir rising in bloody hostility 70 their masters.
travelled from one place To another. providing
ways and means, seeing the friends who could
oS wsS be RUNE iae fFS1 'sS s
gentle in his manners and so kndlyin his ways
that he was tho last man who would be re-
1surIgN ns lsuTflN npfn
Finally. When JOHN Brown had drawn nTi mp his Ris
scheme OF government, and chosen his officers
ton 81 9rMrS IN virginia hs APPOINTED Rich
Brown disappeared from Kansas. ON his way
g. Sirenia' Eeoli as well as Browns othcr
and those Mo were were behind the Scenes scenes
, snpp,sed d hc v Mould 10 psriGlP@Hnt @ in
crnmcnt News came ot John Browns fight
against Gen. Robt. f. Ice at Harpcr's Forry. and
among the names Of those who n the first de-
name II ReiN His body could not bc found.
ami it WAS reported that he had been pursued
driven into tie potomnc. .wherche was drowned.
A. time pascal on. however. It was learned to
yysriy that Eeoli had Goi pGTishGd N tho
per,- Ferry, and though expected 10 lqin him
picious Of the Free state men II Kansas were
aroused. and charges were everywhere made
that ks9i hli turn.i traitor y John Brown,
! hNO sofa out 70 lnN ltglhlh Sthtr Government
or to the Federal Government, and had all along
l~cn nothing but SPY IN the camp ~ the
romantic young English poet who so often. on
the plains of Kansas. had merrly risked hi-
life for tho PRINCIPLES OF john Brown. Years
iinlc Circulated that Roof had been seen hcro,
had been heard. Of there. had sailed for Eng,
land, had hurled his treason IN suicide. or had
fed IN self-uIbraiding despair t. the uttermost
ents Of the earth. The stories II him among his
friends were almost as numerous as those about
Charlie Ross John " likes Blitl. IL
Ferry i'm isja that il was reported that Rsolf
was in Texas and that he was somehow CON
nocted with the press there and this, of course
added color 10 the charges u treason 10 the
course OF time. however. these charges were
taken up by he2if, who CAV, reasons for his
, that he had not been IN his sound mind after
the aitcmIt at Harper's Ferry aud disposed u
Leaving Texas he was noxthoara Il IN Wash.
ington. whore he turned W n a hrokcn-dOwu
man, all his physical aitrae;ion- gone. cadayer-
.us impoyerisl led. and soliciting employment
lIc obtained u humble place IN one of tho de-
partmrnts From there he came to TIN, city
] iung around tho outskirts OF several new-ua,
. u"l- aud gut. lcrhaps, some remuneration toi
I ! pOcuIs and other literary work. Falling into
some financial difficulty here, he was ar
l rested, taken % The Tombs and So harshly
/ treniod ~ tho police that his lifs was
dosuaircl "; and Il letter written 10y him from
s uery ToI Gs as up"n PSthS the w5s Ps II H. dsa dsap
\ pearcd here and disappeared from here. rs n,
4 | n0d Disappeared NJ hhtl from So many places
and the next heard II him WAS some sever
years ago. when he turned UP in Pittsburgh
MS an applicant ION work on tho ncw-
/ papers. Ms lfe, frontiersman an,
/, | soldier had told upon his constitution
, and domestic trouble had come to him an
weighed heavily upon his mind. Stl he wa,
capable ofcNercisr Of hl. brilliant mental pow
ei- and few sketches printed in the Pitts
. | burgh papers upon various topics of local in
tercst elected notice, and led 10 his regular cm
poy-mrnt upon the stan Of tho Pittsburgh Tom
a ! uercid. His brilliant talents and his gentle
+, manners made him friends on every hand, and
4 ! ha soon became assistant editor He held hi,
/ position until the Commercial was consolidate,
| with the CARTE in the early part OF 1871
| Mhil0 attending to his editorial duties Rr0i
I, made also a reputation as m orator speaking
on the stump for tho Republicans In scyera
campaigns, and delivering occasional lectures
About lSd5 he had married n woman who wac
r, his senior in years and whose tastes wer,
so far from harmoniling with his that the,
T never got along we'll together. lie apple,
for divorce, and was successful in The
| lower courts hut tho supreme Court. of
a orhuioni'y' set aside the deere
and ordered new trial. This occurrv,
, | almost on tho eve of n day appointed for his
> marriage with young lady IN ~ y Y. and
70 proved a terrible blow To- iim lie Nroio - an
. | cpitNph. which hN sent 10 tina Pittsburgh ms