The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-07-17
ROMANCE OF A ROGUE
How a Shrewd Adventurer De-
ceived Prominent Officials.
A sELF-APPoINTED COLONEL.
His Part in tho TiIden-Hayes Contro.
versy-How the Imposter Got Into
Washington City Society.

This is the romance of a rogue. The
story has never been told. The rogue was
never discovered to the general public.
Skilled in the art of deception, he made
great place for himself and at one time was
q historical figure at the national capital.
lie had much imagination, fair address
and good memory. He was not satisfied
with his position in life nor his own his
tory. By the force of will and his powers
OF imagination he created for himself n
new position, based entirely upon false
hood, and through his adroitness he
reached confidential position under the
government and was accredited abroad
with letters of our highest officials, so that
the most exclusive circles of Europe were
open to him.
The other day I saw him, broken, gray
and worn, on one of the back streets of
Washington. He is now in the last stages
of iavalidism, and has been under treat
ment for some time in the government
insane hospital. AS he is now harmless
and beyond the ability to deceive any one,
it will not be necessary to give his full
name. 1t will be enough to call him ''the
Colonel"
He was always known as the Colonel,
even in his most brilliant days, although
he had never served in any army, and had
never even smelled gunpowder. Through
mere force of assumption be made the
grave and dignified war department grant
him the honors due to full colonel of the
regular army, and it was through the adju-
tant-general of the United States army
that the Colonel was introduced in Eng
land to Lord Wolseiey as an officer of rank
and consideration in the service Of the
war department.
This successful adventurer played
great part in our history during the event.
full winter of 1876 and 1877, the year of the
ilden-Hayes dispute. At one time the
Colonel was absolutely the arbiter of the
situation, and held in his hands all the
threads of those delicate negotiations
which were carried on between the man.
ayers of the Republican party in the
North and the political leaders in the
South. saw the Colonel at short range
during number of years, and was an
eyewitness of some of the principal
phases of his career. l sat at the same
table with him in the hotel where no
stopped when he first came to Washing
ton City, and received at various times
enough of his confidence to keep me well
informed concerning his career. After
wards, when he became so successful,
became sufficiently interested to make an
investigation and learn the exact truth Of
his real history.
He came to Washington City early in
the winter of 1870 as a newspaper CORE
spondent, representing daily newspaper
in the city of New Orleans. The Colonel
was then in the neighborhood of As years
of age. There was nothing particularly
striking about his appearance; there was
nothing to suggest the military character
that he afterwards so well played. He was
a small, understood man with slight
stoop and rheumatic limp. His face,
however, was rather distinguished look
ing. His head was large, his forehead was
very full and broad; his iron gray hair was
cut very short; his color was good; his
eyes were very dark brown and most per-
suasive in their expression; his nose was
small aquiline; slight gray