Daily Los Angeles herald., 1878-11-17
THE LATE COLONEL RICHARD REAIr.
A Romantic Clreor.
from the Philadelphia star.l

| " fAAhp III HhOthSh
was written by Colonel Richart
Realf, strangely-gifted character
who, as q telegraph dispatch in
forms us, committed suicide at the
Windsor House, Oakland, CAL, OF
Monday night, the 2Sth of October
by taking morphine. The suicide
is attributed to ill-health and do.
mestic difficulties. Colonel Real
had arrived in Oakland from his
former home at Pittsburg a few
months since, and was for some
time connected With a mining COM
pany.
Few readers remember that less
than 20 years since the name OF
Colonel Realf figured largely in
connection with Capt. John Browns
enterprise against Harper's Ferry,
he having been the Secretary OF
State in the government" formed
by that singular adventurer. Very
few particulars of Colonel Realfs
romantic career are automatically
known. He was native of Eng.
land, born about 1920, and in some
mysterious way connected with
Lady Byron, whose protege he was.
He had had military experience in
the British service, was man of
good education and fine literary
talent, especially In the direction of
of poetry.
He resided for many years at
Brighton, England, and published
at London in 1852 a volume of
poems entitled, .Guesses at the
Beautiful of which favorable no.
tices may be found in the Gentle.
mans Magazine of that year (voI.
2, pr. 1856, 442.) Soon afterward he
came to the United Etates, resided
q while In the Eastern cities, partly
occupied with literature and Jour
nalism, and was In Kansas during
the border warfare. There he was
introduced in the fall of 1857, along
with l.. r. Parsons and r. J. Hin
ton, to Capitals Brown by John E.
Cook, and took part in the famous
campaigns on tie Missouri border.
tie accompanied Captain Brown
10 Canada, and was present at the
famous convention at Chatham,
May 8, 1858, when the "eanstitua
tom was adopted.
He participated In the attack on
Harpei's Ferry, in October, 1859,
but succeeded in escaping capture
and sharing the fate of his chief.
He is understood TO have been en-
gagged in the war for the suppres.
sion of the rebellion, but certainly
did not make any conspicuous fig.
ure therein. After the war he led
a precarious life In the Eastern
States, residing chiefly at pitta-
burg. In a aspirtt of kindly remem-
brance he epte related to friend
this part OF his career;
At the age of fifteen or there
abouts l began to write verses
''lisping In numbers, for the num-
bers eame.o When some sixteen
years old l hired out as 'sboy of all
work" to master mechanic In the |
neighborhood, grooming his horse,
taking care Of his garden, and gem
orally disoharging whatever mental
services were allotted to me. When
about seventeen / grew very weary
OF the gross character of my SUR
/ did not live ut home,
but at my MASTERS, who vas
and brutal man. With
the consent of my parents, / paid q
visit to my elder sister, then living
IN the family of physician at
Brighton, Sussex. as domestic
servant. The wife of this gentle.
man, a lady Of literary tastes, man.
ifested great liking for ME, and at
her invitation l became her aman-
uensis. Two or three weeks after
entered on this new life her hus-
band died. Shortly thereafter an
eminent physician, who had paid
special attention to the then new
science Of Ph1eDology, visited
Brighton for the purpose of deliver
ing a series of lectures on that SUBJ
ject before the Brighton Scientific
Association, Of which he was an
honorary member. He was the
guest of my benefactress, and be-
came interested in me. One day
he borrowed from me, ostensibly
for the purpose eff more careful
reading, number of my crude adj
ventures in verse. The next morn-
Ing learned to my astonishment
that in his lecture of the preceding
evening he had read some of them
in illustrating the organ of ideality.
Brighton, the fashionable watering
place of England, was then in the
height of the "society" season,
and among his auditors were
many whose names were famous
In literature and science. A great
many people came to see me there
upon, among them Lady Byron
and her daughter Ada. Rogers, the
poet, sent for me, being too old and
infirnl TO come himself. Mrs.
Jameson, Miss Milford, Miss Mar
iineau, Lady Jane Peel and others
also began to pet me. had shown
the possession of some slight imita-
tive talent as Q moplder Of images
In clay, and Gibson, the sculptor,
thought there was the making of
creative artist in me. Among
themselves they determined to
publish collection OF my verses,
and this was done in 1882, under
the title of "Guesses at the Beauti-
ful,u the editor, Charles de la
Pryme, FeIlo- of Trinity College,
being ar phgH of Thackeray.
.F,oa g World.l
I t-rl iu,9t ths writer noticed in
tNc cifF fs ers an item stat.
fug ttat q Heman Named Realf, in
! aa1iHwt ts3 giE 'rth to triplets,
Aui at she " in need OF
isaae5 # turing that she
( se4e Ais Is wife, he was im-
! Fs'ai seek her out, and found 1t
i. t1 % as he had supposed. Realf
was absent from the city, and when
he returned was hurt at the public.
lty given to his private affairs, for
u ia shrank from nntoriatu Of anu