Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-02-22

the river, is wobegone quarter known as
"Barrio de las Injurias y Cambroneras."
Here found my old friends, the Gipsies,
to the number OF about !, 200. They live in
crumbIing stone huts, rude wooden sheds
curiously patched and mended like many Of
the squatters in their picturesque cabins
upon the gray rocks of Harlem heights, in
New York, and in tents of coarse linen cloth
set upon board bases, something as we used
to raise our "wedge" and "walP' tents
when In winter quarters, while some of us
were enjoying q vacation in the South from
81 to go. NV visit to these tawny folk
would have been deeply disappointing had I
not possessed certain passports to their favor
from American Gipsies. This enabled me
to secure information regarding the present
whereabouts OF the most powerful and re-
spectacle band of rom sjahs or "road lords,
that is, travelling Gipsies, in Spain, which,
if fortunate in finding, shall speak of at
length in my next letter.
AT THE TOMB OF THE POET.
From the homes OF these miserable out
casts I wandered to the Campo Santo or
public cemetery of Madrid. To me there
has always been strange fascination about
the mournful end of the greatest, and the
most diabolic, poet Spain ever produced.
That one was Espronceda, the mad poNt OF
Spain. could not find his own grave, but
the neglected tumba of his mother was
pointed out-the place where the poets dis
perate agony dethroned hisresson. His life
and death were equally horrible. He sprang
from social drittwood. His mother was
brilliant lascivia; his father titled roue;
his own love affairs horribly dramatic; his
~ arN kao mi ifr,lo md
woman of Spain, and his own death that OF
a madman. The baleful influence of his
daughter was such that royalty in Spain
nearly received its death-blow, and every
hope centering in the present royal success
sion was all but destroyed
" Adelaide, the mad poets divinely beauti-
full daughter, was the favOrlte inamorata of
Alfonso. Indeed, the two we're desperately
in love. Queen Christina, the present queen
regent, bore all his ordinary affairs patiently
enough, but she knew of the radiant beau
ty and intellectually of Adelaide, and it
crazed her with jealousy. Ordering close
carrosa she was driven to the little nest of
quinta Alfonso had provided for his love in
the aristocratic suburb of Chambery, at an
hour when she knew the king would be with
her. Hastily alighting, she attempted to
enter, but was met bv the Duke Sesto, whose
eminence had been attained as procurador
rather than as statesman.
Permit me to enter r. tremblingly de-
manded the queen.
"It is impossible. beg you to return to
the palace" replied Sesto.
"Make way for the Queen-the Queen
will pass r. Indignantly commanded the
niece of Francis Joseph, Emperor of the
Austrias.
"Even the Queen cannot pass l' imper'
turbably and doggedly answered the duke
SHE ENTERED AND WAS STRUCK.
With cry of rage Christina sprang to the
carossa, snatched from it heavy purse of
gold, flung it full in Sesto's face, which sent
him crashing through window of the villa,
and, shrieking, DOG if your master, the
King, pays you one price for your hellish
occupation the Queen will always double it
to defeat him % few into the quinta like a
tigress and discovered the King and Ade-
laide in each others arms.
1t is said Alfonso did not recognize the
identity of the halfcrazed intruder. At all
events, springing to his feet, he struck the
Queen to the floor with his heavy walking
stick, and then fed with Espronceda's
daughter, while the calm Sesto bore the un-
fortunate woman to the carrosa and saw her
safely in the hands of her maids at the royal
palace. Two days later the Queen was with
her uncle at the Austrian Court, determined
on eternal separation from Alfonso, while
the Spanish royal household and the high
dignitaries of Spain trembled for the re-
suit. The affair even penetrated the Vati-
can itself, and for a time was q source of
grave disquiet to all the courts of Europe.
But in little time Alfonso was prevailed
upon to present himself at Vienna, penitent
and promising, and the polite Austrian
Emperor succeeded in sending Christina
and Alfonso back to Madrid together. Thus
the Queens uncle's wisdom made it posi-
BILE ior all Spain to rejoice at the birth OF
the late Kings posthumous son, the puny,
ever-ailing King Alfonso XIII, to succeed
him upon the Spanish throne.
CRAZY, BLAsPHEMoUs GENIUS.
But no man ever lived with greater genius
than Espronceda. He starved and sung.
and Spain crowned him with riches and
honor. But these to him were but instru-
ments for the most hideous emphasis of his
own deadly hatred of all mankind. Stung
to madness by the burning consciousness of
his own unfortunate origin. he swept the
universe of inspiration and language for fam
ing brands of imagery with which to ami
hilate virtue and debauch all mankind.
11iS lTemeuuOuS JnItllecIuhl power ana Su-
preme genius, allied to his awful invective
and the subtle poison of his divine verse,
for time corrupted all Spain. But an
hour came when this wave of ruin swept
back in indignation upon himself. He
struggled against it with infinite dar-
ing and power until, realizing the
enormity of his crime against the
hope of all mankind, or the completeness
of his own fall, he went mad entirely.
Breaking from his keepers be rushed to the
Campo Santo, where his mother lay buried,
and there upon this now weed-hldden grave,
composed the most dreadful and devilish
poem ever-conceived by human mind-"La
Desperation which his own mother,
even the holy virgin, and all semblance of
virtue, maidenhood, motherhood, maternity,
are more loathsomely reviled than elsewhere
in all tongues of men. With this master.
piece of the infamy Of genius he appeared
before his friends, blasphemous maniac,
destroyed himself, and died uttering the
words, "Que talle otrop'-"Let the next one
deal!' EDGAR L. WAKEMAN.