The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1878-04-30
LANG SYNE
A Story for "Creoles'' to Read.
A Blank Page Filled Up in the His
tory of the Future Great"

The following should be read with inter-
eat by every Mi-sourian OF iweller within
il borders. Mr.. Charles Gibson is a gen
tlemsn too we'll known in st. Louis and
the State to question the veraeity OF any
assertion he makes:
Sr Louls. April, %. 1873.
Iohe Missour; Hstoriccd .Sei,ty:
GESTLENEN II am the last survivor O.;
the members of the bar who were con-
necied wi,h the trial ii the Counts de Mon
ts~Quies.. A. il was the most celebrated
and dramatic trial that ever took place in
Missouri, presume ii il proper Tor me To
state, a. nearly as can now remember. all
the facts connected with it, rs a part Of our
local history.
1t il within q few months of thirty years
since these events occurred. The change
in everything around me is 80 complete
that 10 not exaggera,e when ] say that
feel ~ il | Was speaking To a new genera
ton, and another people. Those individual
characteristics, and peculiari;ies which
then marked all orr prominent citizens
have yielded To the necessarily severe dis
cipline Of Il great city. The uniforms OF
the officers Of the regular army, then so
common on the streets and at all social
gatherings, have gone with the military
posts far To the west of us. The courtesy
and civiiitie- in manners and languages
which the then still-ex>ting code undoubt-
edly fostered aud sustained, es-
p~cially among members Of the bar, have,
to a certain extent, disappeared with the
| code itself.
THE CONTRAST
between great criminal trial thirty wears
| ago, in which the entire community took a
profound interest, AMI the proceedings Of
the present day in tine Four Courts, has To
| be seen in order In he understood and fully
appreciated. Sill il may he useful to- pre-
serve the main facts Of the ease.
The Counts G,nz live aud Raymond de
Mont--lr,ien came I" this country for the
PURPOSE Of making the tour Of Canada and
the United States loo health AMI pleasure
in 1919. They first wen, to Canada. bear
ing letters If Introduction from the French
Minister Of Foreign Relations, one Of which
! have here. After -peniing SOME time at
Niagara, they visited Chicago. and from
there started out on hunt through Hi
nois. In one day they killed two hundred
and fifty odd prairie chickens, showing not
only how plentiful! the chickens then We're,
bu, how deadly was the aim Of both OF
them.
After spending day at Alton they
came on tn ST Lpui. aud took room. at
the City Hotel, corner Of Third anil Vine
streets, then Kept by the late Theron
Barnum, E-q. In the evening after they
had retired To their rooms, abOu; bed time,
but while some persons were still in the
hall, Gonz,Ive, the elder one, who had
previously given no sign of
! THE DEADLY MoNONANIA
rushed out into the hall and hred twice,
killing Alber, Jones and Kirby Barnum ia
nephew of the landlordl, and severely
wo,inding three other men. all w. II known
and worthy citizens. Fortunately Tor the
two brothers. they were Instantly arrested
and hurried IF To- Jail, corner of sixth and
Chestnut streets, where he Lac!eSe Hotel
now stands. A: erwards great AMI angry
crowd, filling Chestnut and Sixth streets,
for some distance. assembled at the Jail with
the ayowe,i purpose Of lvnching the prison
iers. The danger became 50 great that they
were slipped out ii u side door and taken
through the alley running from the jail t.
Market street. aud thence to- Jefferson Bar
racks The Jail MAS gn,rded by the 81
Louis Greys. Captain West, and the Pris'
oners we're escorted by them beyond the
city. At first the opinion was general
among all classes that they were not noble
men, but imp,s,ers and murderers. Ii
soon became known. however, who and
what thev we're. Their grandfather was a
nobleman ef the ancient regime. AMI also
high officer in the srmv Ut Napoleon. lie
vas wounded in battle, the ball tearing
away the skin Of the abdomen 80 that the
bowels protruded; but he pushed then
back, had himself wrapped round about
with a bandage, again mounted HIS horse
and riding to the front, was swept down II
. shower Of bullets. Their grsndmothe
vas the goverhess Of the King Of Rome, &
great f,vorite IL Napoleon. and is Spoken
Of in Taiers' Consulate and Empire ~ thu
good Nine de Montesquien. Their brother.
in-law, the ViscOunt de Cessac, was the SOL
tof Lscne, Duke and Minister Of War unde
the Republic and the Empire. He il VIA
whom B,naparte. when young officer, 80
importuasd for q command that he va
politely ordered out of the var office. Ih'
Emperor, however. M, only iorsave the act
but loaded hi. faithful servant with thu
title 81 Duke and many other high honors
De Cessac had ains.Ii been decorated with
the cross Of the Logon oi Honor by Napo
leon iii. NJ. Bor., French Vicc-Consn: al
New York. attended both trials in hi
official capacity.
The first trial was held in the wes: wing
Of the court hou>e, then in one apartment
covered with a brick floor, Judge j. b. Colt
who had been recently wounded in due
on Bloody Island, presided. James X
Lackisnd was Prosecuting Attorney, and
vas assisted BY Uriel Wright. The defense
vas Conducted by Edward Bates and Henry
8 Geyer, Wilson Primm, an accomplished
French scholar and lawyer, and myself, as
= young attorney, assisting. GO~alve de-
clared all through that he killed the mer
by Gods direction, and that he was ordered
by a special providence to kill two men
On the other hand, Raymond was willing
To die IL they would release his poor insane
brother.
The trial lasted many days. The forsenic
contention was magnificent. Lakeland,
severe and memorable, and Wright, eloquent
and brilliant, portrayed the scene which
sent two innocent men sd suddenly to early
and bloody graves with such effects and
aroused the feelings Of their personal
friends Snd relatives and the native Ameri-
en- and foreign elements to such fury that
"a special guard Vas appointed to protect
the prisoners in going to and from the Jail
to the court house during the trial.
On the other aide, the trial Was largely
attended, not merely by our best citizrns,
but nearly the whole Of the spacious ap IT.
ment was filed BY the most refined and
aristocratic ladies, old and young OF the
city. Cool and sensible people considered
he act Of firing without the slightest cause
upon crowd Of promiscuous strangers A.
ipso fseto conclusive proof ri insanity.
The misfortunes Of Raymond, the young
er brother, we're
ROMANTIC AND TOUCHING
to an extraordinary degree. He could not
speak English, and was therefore practical
" deaf and dumb. He was in foreign
land and belonged to an order opposed to
its institutions and the feelings Of Ia inhab