The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1885-02-27
Adventures of a Spanish Count.

A curious story comes to me from
Salt Lake City, writes a Washington
correspondent to The Cleveland Leader,
in regard to a Spanish count, who has
been cutting a swell there for some
years past. He came to the Mormons
Il fine, tall, straight, well-dressed man,
with noble face, a blonde imperial, ar d
81 courtly bearing, saying he was a
Spaniard, who at one time had been
connected with Cuban legation which
had visited Washington. He pro-
fessed himself q convert to Mormon
ism, and joined the church. He said
he was a single man, and took unto
himself one of the fairest of the Nor
mon daughters as his wife. In time he
grew tired of Mormonism, and left the
church and is now living ~ Salt Lake,
cne of the clements of the opposition
to it. A search through the records
here shows that no such name as the
one borne by this count was ever con-
nected with any Spanish or Cuban le-
CATION here at Washington. On the
other hand, it is believed that he is an
imposter, and that he is no less man
than Maj. Montgomery, an officer on
the Judge advocates corps who had a
very checkered career here at about
the close of the war The letters
which make up this Spanish counts
name are those of Montgomery trans
posed, and an officer acquainted with
Montgomery who met the count in Salt
Lake City not long ago says there is
no doubt of his identity. This man
accosted the count saying: You are
the exact picture of an officer in the
United States army by the name of
Montgomery. AS he said this the
count flushed to his temples, but
turned it off with the remark: "That
is not strange. | am of Spanish
American descent, and l have Mont
gomery blood in my veins" This
Montgomery was a major on the
Judge advocates corps between 1866
and 1869. He came of one of the first
families of New York, and his relatives
stand high in New York circles to-day,
He had beautiful wife and thee
children at this time. He distinguished
himself while at Washington by bor-
rowing money from his fellow-o Officers,
number of whom are still in the
service mere, anu IlOSb VI WuOlu Hc SOlll
owes larger or smaller sums. His
7rand coup was some transaction i'll
relation to vessel by which he re-
ceived S12, 900 and gave nothing in re-
turn. This was one of the causes of
his downfall. He was treated lenient-
Iy on account of his family connec-
tions, and was allowed to resign. This
was in 1869. He left the country, and.
rs report states, deserted his wife and
children, and by them has not been
heard of to this day. In 1874 man
supposed to have been Montgomery
turns up at Chicago. He there mar
ries a widow worth S80,000, runs
through $4,000 of it, when the woman
gets divorce, and Montgomery again
disappears. / think it was in 1879 that
the Spanish count first came to Salt
Lake, and he is, am told. there to-
day. He bears the evidence of having
travelled all over the world, talks
Spanish, French, and English liuently,
and shows wide acquaintance with
Washington City and its public men.
His Mormon wife left the church at
the same time that he did, and the
Utah colony here tell me that he failed
in his various attempts to borrow
money from the Mormons.