Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1878-12-08
RICHARD REALF.
The Strange History of the Late Re
puted Son Of Lord Byron.
From the New York Sun.

Inc Strange HISTORY OF Lne Late Re
| puted Son Of Lord Byron.
From the New York Sun.
A dispatch from San Francisco an
nounces the suicide of Richard Realf. He
took morphine at the Windsor house, in
Oakland, the cause of the act being, it is
said, ill-health and domestic trouble.
! The career of Richard Realf was a
strange and romantic one In the year
1856, when the war aeinst slavery began
IN the territory of Kansas, and the struy-
gle between the 'sborder rufians" and the
"free state" men were in active progress,
a young man, who made his appearance
in Leavenworth among the multitude of
adventures and champions of liberty
who gathered in that wild region, attract
ed notice. He was at the time possessed
of rare personal attractions, and whispers
OF mystery and romance soon arose in
association with his name. The remarka-
bic beauty of his face, the softness and
del!cacy of his expression, the charm of
his mind, his poetical qualities, and his
large knowledge of English society and
literature added attraction to bis courage
and heroic conduct. He was evidently
an Englishman, perhaps 30 years of age,
and his resemblance to the portraits Of
Lord Byron in early life, together with
the peculiarities of his mind, and his
tendency to romantic and chivalrous poe
try, gave color to fanciful stories that
soon got affoat, to effect that he was re-
lated by blood or very nearly connected
with the hero of Missolong hi and the
author of ssChilde Harold" It was be-
lieyed by many, even, that he was an il
legitimate son Of Lord Byron, and the
likelihood of bis connection with the
poet was increased, in that he was in re-
ceipt, from time to time, of remittances
from England, which were sent, it was
alleged, by one OF the then denizens of
Newstead abbey.
He was regarded as one of the most
| heroic spirits and most intellectual Young
men on the free state side. He took part
in scores of warlike adventures against
the "border rutfians,'' was always ready
for a foray Or q song, fitted from part to
part OF the newly organized territory
wherever danger was to be encountered.
| associated with John Brown in his ad-
ventures at Ossawattamie and along tho
line Of the O ssawattamie river, cam
paigned with jim Lane on horseback and
on tcot wherever that wild and Eacgard
and dare devil frontiersman found foe,
and often and again was he seen in un-
coutn uniform, with Sharp's rifle over
his shoulder, smile on his face, and a
chanson On his lips, CAV as the trcuba-
dour touching the guitar Of the romanza
One Of his many exploits was at the de.
| tense OF Mount Dread, in the vicinity of
Lawrence, which all through that time
was the centre of danger for the free
statesmen, when with q few kindred
spirits looking from the rude fort on the
top OF the hill, he saw the red-shirted
Missourian enemy approaching from the
river. The song with which he commemo-
rated that exploit thus opened:
All night within our guarded tents
Until the moon was low,
Wrapt round as with JehoYah's smile,
We waited for the foe.
His intimacy with John Brown led that
old ironside to take him into his conf.
dence when preparing the Virginia ad-
venture that eliminated at Harper's Ferry
and on the gallows-tree of Richmond.
He was one Of the conspirators who, with
Kagi, formed at Ossawattamie the plan
of campaign in the Virginia mountains,
by which the southern slaves were to be
armed as preliminary to their risign in
bloody hostility to their masters. While
engaged with Brown in this work he
travelled from one place to another, pro-
viding ways and means, seeing the friends
who could be relied upon, and guarding
the secrect the revelation Of which would
ruin. He was SO gentle in his manners
and so kindly in his ways thathe was the
last man who would be regarded as bear
ing part in such warfare. Finally,
when John Brown had drawn up his
scheme of government, and chosen his
officers of state for the administration of
a new condition of affairs in Virginia, he
appointed Richard Realf to the potion
OF secretary of state in his remarkable
cabinet. About the time that Brown dis
appeared from Kansas, on his way to
Virginia, Relf, as we'll as Browns other
followers, also disappeared from Kansas,
and those who are behind the scenes sup
posen he would be a participant in the
conflict as well as an adjudicant OF the
government. News came of John
Browns fight against Gen Robert E. Lee
at Harper's Ferry, and the names of those
who in the first dispatches were reported
to be killed was the name of Relf.. His
body could not be found, and it was re-
ported that he had beed pursued by some
of the Virginia troops, wounded, and
driven into the Potomac. where he was
drowned.
As time passed on, however, it was
learned to a verify that Realf mad not
persisted in the fight, had not been with
John Brown at Karper's Ferry, aud,
though expected to join him there, had
somehow failed to do so. The suspicious
OF the free state men of Kansas were
aroused, and charges were everywhere
made that Realf bad turned traitor to
John Brown, had sold out to the Virginia
state government Or to the federal gov
eminent, Aid had all along been nothing
but a spy in the camp of the invaders
Such was the view taken Of the romantic
young English poet who so often, on the
plans Of Kansas, had merrily risked his
life for the principles of John Brown.
Years passed away, and stories were from
time to time circulated that Realf had
been seen here, had been heard of there,
had sailed for England
had buried his treason in suicide