The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-08-29

an impostor, 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 mar
ried almost any one Of the great matches OF
the day IN Washington il he had been free,
but earlier in his career in New Orleans be
had married. There he had wife and two
children whom he never mentioned, but
some OF bis friends living in that town
knew her and made known TO their southern
associates in Washington 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 the Colonel called the provinces This
| polished graduate Of the society Of Peru,
Ind, instructed all these young people as to
the lbs and outs Of high society. He even
purchased the clothes for a small army OF
! youngsters who looked up 10 the Colonel as
! the glass Of fashion. He was also a 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.
THE CAUSE OF ONE woMAN's DEATH
! There was something so artistic about the
! Colonel such an absence OF swagger aud
| such an apparent reluctance 10 talk about
| himself that few ever dreamed u disputing
| hnYLDlnR ne shll. he JOlQ HIS bLpllos
! modestly and with such a minuteuess Of de-
tail that it was inconceivable 70 the average
| mind that his inventions were mere fantastic
| lies. He became IA final authority on social
| matters as we'll as military. In his posing
| as a hero he captured the heart Of the wife
| of very distinguished official. Her devo-
| tion to this little insignificant man was one
| of the most inexplicable and notorious facts
| in Washington society at that time. Her
death soon afterward can be directly traced
| to her unfortunate attachment for this CO.
| lOssal humbug.
| The Colonel reached the pinnacle in his
success in the early period of the Hayes ad-
ministration. His great stroke was made
when the deal was made with Mr.. Hayes
whereby the southern people were given
their state governments in the three dis
puted states in the south 10 return for their
yielding their claims on the presidential
count This alone made the electoral com.
mission compromise possible.
The Colonel had by this time 80 allied
himself to the strongest men In the south
and had to such an extent even the conf
dence Of Mr.. Lamar, now justice of the
supreme court, that he was able to 90 to
Murat Halstead In Cincinnati, who was
then spokesman for Mr.. Hayes, as the
fully accredited representative OF the south
ern brigaders. Then he went to Mr. Hayes
at Columbus.
HE TOOK IN MR. HAYES COMPLETELY.
To what extent Mr.. Hayes gave him his
confidence can be judged only by the fact
that the Colonel went back to the southern
brigadiers the accredited representative Of
Mr.. HayeA or course he had no document
airy credentials, but from the conversation
had with him then he was able TO prove
that he was In active communication with
the future President, Everything now was
easy. He would return to MIR. Hayes as
the representative OF the southern people,
and then In the shortest possible time
would return 20 them as the agent OF Mr..
Hayes In this way he played a most I'm
portant part. Neisher side disoredited him,
and when the agreement was actually
made In Wormley's hotel by Mr.. Foster
with the southern leaders to deliver to them
their state government undoubtedly the
Colonel Is to be credited with preliminary
work which led up to this meeting and
agreement.
Up to this time his receptions had harmed
no one. l do not think underneath the
Colonel was a man of bad propensities.
Within very short time after Mr.. Hayes
inauguration the Colonel was appointed to
one OF the best civilian appointments in the
war department.. Here, il he had been
quiet and content with the good fortune
thus far secured, he might have remained
undisturbed until the end OF his life. But
his actually being in the service Of the war
department revived all Of his military fic-
lions, aud he sought at once the right to
wear the uniform of an officer of the United
States army now went to the governor
OF Louisiana, and through his newspaper
connections obtained a staff appointment.
The Colonel then went TO work and had
uniform devised, copied after one of the
most brilliant in the Austrian army. He
appeared Ia 1t upon many public occasions g,
and in SO doing excited Che attention of an
,,NE1 81
OF the staff OF Gen. Sherman, but the
! Colonel captured fully the regard and
esteem Of Townsend, the adjutant general
| Of the army.
| TIE FAVORED GUEST OF LORD WoLSEIEY
1t was about this time that the Colonel
had the happiest period of his romantic
career. He had obtained leave of absence
| of two months from the war department
! and, armed with a letter of introduction
from the adjutant general CT the United
States, went TO Europe, taking with him
In his trunk this special uniform which be
had made, and which was covered with
more gold lace and braid than any uniform
| ever made before or since. He found moth
| ing in his pathway in Europe; he was ac-
credited to Lord Wolseley, the actual com
mander in chief of the British army, aud
was his guest at the annual maueuvers at
| Wimbledon. A personal friend of mine
saw him one day in full military rig, seated
at the right hand of Lord " olseley. his
most honored guest, and heard afterward
compliment after compliment from English
| officers who admired the correct knowledge,
the modesty OF this officer of the United
| States.
1t was a great pity that he ever returned.
Fortified as he was he might have remained
in Europe for years, but he came back to
his fate, which was, of course, discovery
and exposure. Col. Bacon had nothing
poetic in his nature. He could not appre-
ciate the ideal character which the Colonel
had built up for himself, and 80 with coarse
rudeness be took upon himself, through very
proper military channels, to find out lust
who the Colonel was A friend of his. a
distinguished ex-colfederate officer, then
in charge OF the bureau of rebellion records,
was then engaged in making up the roster
of the confederate army. Col. Bacon's at
tack upon the Colonel was very indirect,
THE RoGUE's GREAT BLUNDER.
He asked the chief of this bureau to call
upon the Colonel to give his regiment aud
the rank occupied by him in the confederate
service, as he was then sending out to every
available ex-confederate officer for infor-
nation necessary to complete the roster
The Colonel made the mistake of giving a
definite and explicit answer. 1t was found
after examination that there were five men
of his name in the confederate service, and
III he had been q little more cgrerul in build-