The Portland daily press., 1892-09-07

and sat back when the Colonel had the
floor.
1t must be remembered that this artist
never was in the South in his life till after
the war of the rebellion. He had never
had real uniform on his back, not even
that Of a militia company, up to the day
he set up in Washington the role of an ex-
Confec crate, which he played with such
skill and such address that noted ex-Con-
federate generals referred to him in dis
putes concerning strategic points involved
in the Soushern campaigns. The Colonel,
instead of coming from military family,
was the son os a Presbyterian divine and
was born and brought up in Peru, Ind.
He received at rye hands of his father
good education and afterward studied
law. His father was too poor, however,
to do more than launch him in the world
and the Colonel afte- vainly seeking to
make place for himself in the legal pro-
fession in the village OF Harrodsburg, Ky,
drifted south after the war, as an adven-
turer eager to seize upon the first oppor-
tunity to better his fortunes.
The Colonel was at first content to play
the role simply of an ex-Corfederate, but
he was so often asked about his family
that he saw it would be necessary to in
vent another chapter in his history. In
the South everybody is known, and fic-
titious family would be only too soon dis
covered. The Colonel by a bold stroke
transferred his birthplace to Paris.
He built up in that country
thoroughly consistent story, which
was accepted by all of his Confed-
crate friends as they would the Gospel. In
this beautiful story, which he carefully
compiled, the Colonel was formerly d pet
ted officer at the Imperial Court, where
his mother was maid of honor to the
Empress Eugene. The Colonel himself
was a graduate of the great military school
of st. Cyr The Colonel also served as a
military attache in the Austrian German
campaign of '66, and was slightly wounded
Ii his right leg. This accounted for lis
limp The Colonel could not speak over
half dozen words of French. Such story
told in Europe would have involved its
lator instantly. The fact that the Colonel
could not speak the French language
would have instantly stamped him as an
imposter, but in the easy going society OF
Washington no one cared very much
whether the Colonel was what he said he
was or not The Colonel might have
married almost any one of the great
matches of the day in Washington if he
had been free, but earlier in his career in
New Orleans he married. There he had
wife and two children which he never
mentioned, but some of his friends living
fn that town knew her and made known
60 their Southern associates in Washing
ton that the Colonel was married.
During his second winter the Colonel
set up as a mentor to various sons Of high
officials who came to Washington, from
what tho Colonel called the provinces.
This polished graduate of the society OF
Peru, Ind, instructed all these young peo-
pie ss to the ms and outs of high society.
He even purchased the clothes for small
army of youngsters who looked up to the
Colonsl as the glass of fashion. He was
also great authority on duels. He had
fought at least six and had left his man
on the ground twice. In the last four
cases he had grown weary of blood and
gave back the lives of the men who met
him on the field of honor. There was
something so artistic about the Colonel,
such an ahsence of swegger and such an
apparent reluctance to talk about himself
that few ever dreamed Of disputing any
thing he said. He told his stories mod.
>estly and with such minuteness of de-
tail that it was inconceivable to the aver
age mind that his inventions were mere
fantastic lies He became final author
ity on social matters as well as military.
In his posing as hero he captured the
heart of the wife of very distinguished
official. Her devotion to this little insig-
nificant man was one of the most mex
plainable and notorious facts in Washing
ton society at that time. Her final death
afterwards can be directly traced to her
unfortunate attachment for this colossal
humbug. r ~ ta'
The Colonel reached the pinnacle
in his success in the early period of the
Hayes Administration. 1t was during the
winter of that election dispute that the
Colonel was at his busiest and best. It
WdS " poTlCu IA &ICdo uACCA vanity w dSA-
ington was filed with intrigues and plots.
The Colonel was never more at home than
in the atmosphere of an intrigue. His
face at that time was solemn as that of
mask. The gravity of the situation was
outlined upon his classic countenance. He
never smiled except with his closest init
mates, and to them he complained bitterly
Of the terrific responsibilities of the stu
alton. To the ex-Confederates he would
say, 81 am In the confidence of the North
ern leaders" and to the Northern leaders
he would say, F" I am the accredited repre-
sentative of the Confederate element in the
South This was done with such dignity,
such grace, such gravity that he was gener-
ally believed on both sides. There was an
almost pathetic sincerity in his darkbrown
eyes, and as he was active, very energetic
and apparently never slept, he picked
up great deal of loose information which
he used to accredit himself to the side where
he thought it would be the most useful.
Still, in spite of this ne made no great hit,
but simply established reputation for
being very discreet, very diplomatic and
very influential ex-Confederate. His great