The Clarksburg telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1874-1926, 1895-11-01

requirement of this extensive
territory he conceived the idea
of creating an Utopiain the wild.
erness.
He had many ex.army friends
in France, among the nobility
and leading men of that day. and
fel. assured that with their aid,
he could build up an immense
colony on the empire granted
him by his generous foster. moth
er, the Commonwealth of vir.
ginia. So rentranced was he with
the scheme that he hastily ar
ranged his affairs and departed
for France.
Swami was received with open
arms by his old friends of the
army and readily gained entrance
into the most Influential circles,
and his plan of colonization was
enthusiastically received by his
French friends. Unfortunately
for General Swana, this occurred
at a time when the history Of
France became identified with
Napoleon |, who had returned
from the east and had establish.
ed himself as First Consul. AT
ter months, in which the days
and nights were spent in the dis.
sipation of that time, General
Swami one morning awoke to the
fact that he was a penniless
bankrupt. with a debt of 4,00O,.
600 francs staring him IN the
face France had been thrown
into confusion by the Unsuitable
ambition of Napoleon; money be.
came scarce and could not be
borrowed, as the tinanciers and
monied men foresaw the impend.
ing calamity which soon follow
ed. The colonization scheme
was lost sight of in the whiri Of
national and individual trouble.
His creditors demanded paymen,
either in cash or by mortgage oil
his Utopia in America. Swami
was unable TO pay cash, and
faithful to his sentimental ambi.
ton, emplatically refused to
mortgage his American possess.
IONS. He was arrested and i'm
prisoned in st. Pelage, d noted
prison of that period.
Under the constitut 10 n o.
France at that time, the creditor
was compelled to support his
debtor prisoner in the manner il
which he had lived while at lib
erty, and Swami, though a pris
oner behind great stone walls
lived otherwise like a prince. His
| anortmentS were luSnrious in al
their appointments and his menr
was such as only could be sup
piled by the most noted chefs il
all Paris. He had his wines from
the south of France and all the
delicacies a cultured taste de
manded. He was visited daily By
his morganatic wife, who was sale
to haye been a noted countess
For ten years Swami renamed
a prisoner at ST. Pelage. He was
released during the historical
Three Days, when the doors o
the Bastile. ST, Pelage and many
other great prisons, we're thrown
open.
Emerging into the light o.
day, Swami walked the streets o.
Paris three days and three
nights, looking in vain for {
familiar face. All of his cid time
friends had disappeared. They
had been shot, guillotined OF
banished and Swami found him
self a stranger in a strange land
On the evening of the third day
he, broken hearted and utterly
discouraged, fell dead upon the
street.
When the Legislature of vir.
ginia learned of Swann's death,
that body appointed John Peter
Dumas of Philadelphia, trustee
for the French creditors, who
were princes and potentates Of
great influence before the entire
of the Butcher of Europe"
Monsieur Dumas died in ls3s
and left the estatein debt $780,
0O0 Durine Dumas life the