St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1886-11-20
DR.. SCHLIEMANN.
Recollections of tho Famous Explorer
Life In Indiana's Capital City.

9,1S69, is the official notice of divorc'
filed by Henry Schliemann agains
Catherine Schliemann. The com
plainant was DIR. Henry Schliemann
the famous archaeological explorer. ant
the circumstances surrounding the
case are of unusual interest, both from
the fact of the principal having become
SO well known since that time, and the
real interest centered in the peculiar
relations of Dr. Schliemann aud his
wife. and the causes leading to the
complaint.
Mr.. Oscar B. Hord, one of the attor.
neys of the complainant. to whom DR..
Schlicmann was we'll known, i'm speak
ing of the case to reporter, said
1.-The grounds for divorce, as stated in
the complaint. as remember it. was
abandonment. Mrs. Schliemann was a
Russian lady, and was in st. Peters
burg with their children at the time the
divorce was granted. She was de-
voted adherent of the Greek Church.
and wished to rear their family in its
while merchant in st. Petersburg,
where he carried on a large business.
He was in every sense a cosmopolitan,
and chafed under the bonds of any
creed or doctrine that prevented the
full development of thought or the
intellect, and wished to be held subser-
Went to no laws of church or State. 1t
was his desire to give his children the
benefit of broad and liberal education,
such as they might acquire by study
and extensive travel, and to this end he
wished to take his family with him
wherever his fancy might lead him to
GO. His wife. being born and brought
up in country where free thought is
little encouraged, and devoted to the
institutions of her country and forms
of her church, and perhaps nothing of
a remarkable woman. could not be in
duced to leave her native land. and
moreover insisted upon the children
receiving education under the guidance
of the Greek Church. This, l think,
was the real cause of the separation.
During the whole of the proceedings
DR.. Schliemann never dropped word
of disrespect toward his wife, and
seemed to consider the affair as very
DR.. Schliemann settled
upon his wife and children a certain
amount of property-sufficient for a
liberal income. He hoped that after
obtaining the divorce he would be able
to get possession of the children and
give them good. liberal education.
I'm personal appearance DIR. Schlie-
mann was a typical German-of low
stature, heavy. closely-cut hair which
was inclined to stand in all directions,
an enormous head, n prominent nose,
restless blue eyes. an expansive fore
head and animation enough for ten men.
He was regular steam-engine sort of
a man, and could work twenty-eight
hours out of the twenty-four without
fatigue. 1t seemed that he was always
full Of pent-up energy that was always
to get out. He never came
upstairs like other men. | could
always tell his step on the stairway,
for he came up in hurried, clustering
sort of way, with force that little be-
longs to the ordinary climber of stairs.
We're you to meet him on the street he
would attract attention from the ener-
getic way in which he hurried along.
He was possessed of unusual vitality
and activity of mind, and was contin-
ually engaged in study okthe investi-
CATION of some subject.
''His attainments as scholar were
as rare as they were remarkable for
their degree of perfection. He was
master of the German, English, French.
Spanish, Portuguese, Swedish and Rus
sian languages, and greatly devoted to
the study of the classics. especially
Greek.
..At the time he was in Indianapolis
DR.. Schliemann was deeply interested
in the study of Grecian antiquities, and
would frequently express his intention
of making the explorations which he
has since made. He was firm be-
lever in real Homer and real Troy,
and his recent explorations seem to
confirm his belief. He was remark
able in conversation, and enjoyed the
companionship of friends, although he
became but little acquainted in Indian
apolis. He used frequently to call at
the office and talk Interestingly upon
the subjects he had been giving special
He invited me many
times to his house on Noble street, but
never accepted his invitations. for,
think of the excruciating position in
which a man would be who would be
compelled to sit and listen for hours to
the wild speculations. as it was con-
,idered then, of theorist concerning
The authorship of a collection of Greek
poems, or tabled city that was sup
posed to have existed three thousand
rears ago, or, if it ever did exist, had
been covered up for centuries. No
matter how hard one tried to keep him
away from this subject he would bring
t forward sooner or later.
with all his learning he was yet
modest. and thought lightly of himself
Is scholar. l remember of his once
saying that he had travelled about too
much to keep up his studies, and that
ne thought that we professional men
here in indianapolis were certainly
much better scholars than he, as we
nad much leisure time which might he
given to study. As illustrating this
point, he once brought me book OF
his. descriptive of his travels through
some of the Grecian States, printed in
French, and in which he claimed to
,ave discovered the home of Ulysses.
IS seen by Homer. and seemed utterly
at my inability to read the
work.
"Dr. Schliemann was a man of con-
siderable wealth. having been engaged
n some mercantile business of con
siderable Importance in San Francisco
before he came to this city. Also in
Tort Warnn this State While IN In.