Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1885-03-19
THE MAHDIS LIEUTENANT.
A JOURNALISTS ASSIGNMENT.
ouv'er Psiu's HATRED or Evervskias Ess-
hsh-Psssibie Dirsstes 70 fIer sisjesu's

A Paris letter to the Boston Herald
says All the world now knows that
Olivier Pain is with the Mahdi in upper
Egypt, and Il is believed that all Of the
latter's military success is due to the
advice OF the Frenchman. know
Olivier Pain personally. first met
him in Chicago, or, should say, the
other side Of that city for | had been
sent out by the journal on which was
then engaged 70 meet Henri Rochefort
after his escape from New Caledonia.
Pain was with Rochefort at the time,
and joined their company as far West
as the Mississippi river. During those
SIX or eight hours ride we talked OF
several things. particularly OF the
escape, the events Of the Commune.
and Of journalistic work during the
empire. Ten or twelve miles west Of
Chicago n representative Of the Tribune
boarded the train. and as had no wish
to be discovered, | cautioned my French
confenees to say nothing of my presence.
and hid myself in another car. The
next morning the Tribune had less than
half column Of very poor matter.
while the Times came out with almost
page OF interesting details, but which
might have been much better if it had
been written by any other person. OF
the two men Pain was much the more
agreeable, much the more talkatire.
Then he was thin, medium-sized man,
and lac has not changed in physical APP
pcarance since. should guess him to
be forty years OF age. Frequently there
is vacant look about his eyes.
which none hut his friends understand
they know that this apparent vacancy Of
look occurs only when the man i, think
ing of future plans. He has all that
exuberancc Of gesture and quickneSs of
speech which foreigners attribute to
every Frenchman. \ native Of Nor
mandy. people mistake him for Gas
con. He Is married man: his wife and
their four children are now in Geneva.
| am told that they are in great want.
A month or 80 ago one Of PANS uncleS
died, leaving him large fortune, but
his absence from France prevents his
poor wife receiving one penny Of this
legacy.
Along toward the end Of the empire.
Olivier Pain was trying to earn living
by writing poetry and occasional ar
ticleS for newspapers. Like most Of the
young men of that period. he had a
violent hatred Of the Emperor Louis
Napoleon. and he showed this so un-
mistakably in all that he wrote that in
1869 he was sent 10 st. Pclagie to keep
company with lot Of other trouble
some journalists. Among these was
the Marquis de Lucay. better known As
Henri Rochcfort. who. when the empire
had fallen. remembered his companion
in misfortune by appointing him prc>i-
dent OF
TIN Committee on GARRICADES.
On the 18th of March. when the Com
munc was proclaimed. Rochefort named
Pain =, Sccrctary-GcncTal for the Minis
ter Of Foreign Affairs hut on the 9th
Of May he abandoned diplomacy. Shout
dcrcd a gun. and went to defend a bar
ricadc in the Place du Chateau d'Eau.
Before the fighting was over that day
Pain had been wounded no fewer than
seven times. and twice lac was hit hard
,vo,yI T., l.tIl an ~ Concealed until
his wounds were healed sufficiently
for him to move about. he escaped
from Paris and went to his native town
Of Roucn Hard mp. he asked college
chum for assistance. and the fellow be-
trayed him TO the authorities. Tried
for the part hc took in the Commune,
Pain was sent 10 New Caledonia. where
he had a chance to continue his friend
ship for Rochefort, who soon Joined him
in that far-oH country. Together they
used To tslh about escaping. and. as
Pain did not know how to swim. he set
to work to learn. \ month later he
was ready, aud then the two old friends
swan nearly three miles ont to YES
sci. on which passage had already
been retained for them. In due
course OF time they reached San
Francisco. where reporters of the
Chyoaicir interviewed them in regular
form. Snow-bound in east Utah for
several days. next detained by the iloat-
ing ice at Omaha, they were finally eS-
corted on to Chicago IN the manner |
have already indicated. The New York
Hcr0M sent out j. J. O'kelley to meet
them. but that gallant Irishnan would
not have succeeded had 1t not been for
nv good Offices. We all lunchcd at
the Pacific Hotel. leaving the table only
in time for Pam, RoCheiOrt, and O'kel-
ley to catch the eastern express, which
left the city at = o'clock. | saw
Olivier Pain no more until IN the
autumn OF 1851 Meanwhile. however.
| had read of his doingS at Pleyna,
where hc was with O>man Pacha. The
experience then Gained has served him
we'll in this recent campaign against the
EngliShman whom lac hates ~ cordially
a. though he were an lri>hman. After
the fall of Plcyua Pam served A. an
Intermediary between O>man Pa'ha.
who could only talk Arabic. and the
Grand Duke. who ol course could talk
French. For th> good turn the Com
mandcr-in-C hicf of the Ru,>iap forces
sent Pain away a. a prisoner SIMPLY
because he had on Turkish uniform.
Tried by c0urt-martial and condemned
10 be shot. hi~ lie was saved by
the Swiss minister 10 It. Peters
burg. who demanded hl, surrender as
a compatriot. When the claim was
submitted to Alexandra ". II l. said
the Gar remarked: \ journalist
ought not to Ice tried 10y acOut-martial.
II * true VI. Pam fought against IT,.
but that perhaps was compulsory upon
him. Journalists are forced la do all
sorts of things in order to do their duty.
Let him go back to Switzerland. 30 \
few wears later the ext communist. who
thus owed his life and liberty To the
Gar Of all the Ru>siaS. publicly APP
plaudcd the assassination of that Illus
triou> Emperor. Pain remained IN
switzerland until after the passage
of the amnesty bill. when he re-