The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-03-08
GAMBETTA AS A BOY.
A School Friends Memories Of
the Future Statesman.
THE oRloin or HIS FAMILY.
Intsxssting Rsminiscencss sf the
reundsr 81 the Free Rspub-
lie Or Hrance.

MAmEILLEs, Feb. 5.-fSpecial Cores
pondence. 1.-The death, few weeks ago at
Nice, Of the father of Gambetta prompts
me to write the following letter, who
was one Of the school-fellows of the famous
orator.
The Gambetta family originally belonged
to the little italian village Of Celle Ligurie,
which 10 situated some eight kilometers to
the northeast Of Sayona, at the point where
the tiny river Chaige cmpties itself into
the Gulf of Genoa. On the Ligurian coast
everybody Is more or less sailor. The
grandfather Of the illustrious statesman,
like all his compatriots. took part in the
little coasting trade which was carried on
along the shore. On frail bark called .
s'tartanx" he used to bring to Cette, in
Southern France, on the Mediterranean,
he products Of the Riviera--olive oil,
conserves end chiefly, the coarse pottery
known in the south of France
under the name of 'TerrilIo negro"
which is made in the district lying be-
tween Nice and Genoa. From Cette he
used to proceed to Toulouse through the
Languedoc canal and, between that town
and Bordeaux, deposited his wares at
various points on the Garonnc and its
affluents. In 1918 Baptiste Gambetta
reached Cahors, in Central France, in this
way with his small stock of goods. He
found the old capital of Quercy so agree
able that he settled there with his wife,
Benedetta Galiano, and their three sons,
Paul, Michael and Joseph. He set up
business in earthenware and groceries on
the market place. but returned OCCASION
al fo NJ will xuhn he
had small holding. His sons went back
ward and forward between Genoa and
Cahors.
Joseph, the youngest son of Baptiste
(born September "a. 1914, who was to be
the father Of Leon Gambetta, served for
time as cabin-boy on board sailing YES
sci built in one Of the docks Of the Riviera.
In 1924 he made voyage to Chile. The
vessel on which he sailed included Carl
baldi among its officers. and carried pas
wards became Pope Plus TX. Leon Gam
betta's grandfather ultimately returned to
Italy with his eldest son Paul. Michael
and Joseph remained at Cahors, and
opened shop in the Rue du Lycee, in q
house which adjoins the postoffice and
now belongs to N. Delport, member of
the legislature of the department of the
Lot.
The two brothers very soon separated.
On July Is, 1887, Joseph Gambetta married
Marie Magdaleine Orazie Massable, the
daughter of druggist of Molieres, in the
department of Tarn and Garonne, in
Southern France. He then established
himself on the Place de la Cathedrale, Ca
hors, in shop with two large windows,
which still has over 1t the sign board Seen
oese Bazaar" 1t speedily became the fash
ionable grocery store Of the little country
town. Besides colonial produce, earthen-
ware, crystal goods and the thousand ar
ticles produced by the local ceramic indus
try were sold there.
Leon Gambetta was born on April 2,
1888, on the second floor of the house which
his parents occupied in the Rue du Lycee.
The next day his birth was registered in
the presence Of 81. Auguste Berton, the
deputy mayor. On the certificate Of his
birth the signatures Of two policemen,
Pierre Wallet and Martin Combelles, APP
pear A. witnesses. His father, when GO
ing to make the declaration at the town
hall, neglected to procure two friends to
act - witnesses, and took the first persons
he encountered in the vestibule of the
The parents Of Leon Gambetta after
wards had daughter named Benedetta.
She first married NJ. Tommeau, an engi-
neer, who died in 1871, during the siege of
Paris. Of this marriage a SON was born
of "Chasseurs d'Afrique." Leon Gam
betta's sister remarked, in 1878. NJ. Alex
andre Loris, her townsman, then inspector
<1f& a. n = A4. 60 l~ IL
of taxes at Rouen, and now holds similar
post in one of the ACCOMPLISHMENTS Cor
wards) Of Paris.
eventful. At the age of 8 years he almost
died from peritonitis. This disease brought
on an intestinal contraction, which, as the
post-mortem examination showed, proved
TO be the real cause Of his death. When 4
years old he was sent to the monastery
school of the "Picpus Fathers" at Cahors,
where he learned to read. This school is
still known under the name of Petits
Carmes. His teachers were Father Tuf-
fer, one of the victims of the Paris Com
mune, and Father Maigret. who died while
occupying the position Of vicar apostolic
in an archipelago of Occanica. On
"breaking-up day" he several times sus-
tanned role in the childish plays which
were performed on such occasions, and
more than once he has been seen in the
professions robed in q white dalmatlca,
scattering flowers before the canopy.
At the age of9 Leon Gambetta was sent
TO the seminary at Montfaucon, near the
village of Labastide, where Joachim
Murat. king of Naples, was born. Gam
betta's father supplied the seminary with
groceries, and came to an arrangement
with Father Bonhomme, the superior of
the establishment, whereby he obtained
advantageous terms for his sons educa-
ton. Leon Gambetta remained at this
seminary for four years. There. as later at
the lycee or college, of Cahors, his preco-
cious intelligence soon became matter of
remark; but it must be said that he
showed very little inclination to submit to
the requirements of rigorous discipline.
1t was during this period that an acct
dent happened which has occasioned in
Vulnerable legends. 1t has been related
that the child voluntarily put out one of
its own eyes with penknife, when he W as
at the ecclesiastical seminary, in order to
compel his parents to withdraw him from
the charge of the priests. The accident
Leon always spent his holidays at home at
Cahors. Next door to his fathers shop q
cutler named Cattle had established him
self, and the child was constantly in the
cutters workshop. One day as 8 workman
was boring a hole in the handle of a
knife with q steel drill, nut in motion by
means of sort Of bow, the steel rod
broke and one Of the pieces struck the
child in the right eye. Henceforth Leon
Garnbetta was blind of an eye. We all re-
member his proturberant eve at college,
I'D xrstA q xrh ~ sok