The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1896-08-28
DE MORES' DEATH.
The Famous Marquis Meets His
Doom In the Soudan.
Well known In This Country for His Con-
uecrion with the Catrie Busine in
the W est and HIS Feariessness
- Fighter.

Fighter.
Particulars of the assassination of
marquis de Mores have been telegraphed
from Tunis. 1t appears that, warned
by the French authorities in Tunis OF
the impossibility of passing through
Tunisian Sahara, he gave written
promise to go to Gabes, Nefzaua, Ber-
rezof, Birlaian and FL Biodh, the most
southerly French military post in Al
geria. He had Is European attendants,
~ camels, and 10000 francs worth OF
merchandise. At Nefzaua he turned
off to the east, being apprehensive that
a French officer had been sent TO stop
him, and he went close by the Tripoli
frontier. At FL Ouatia he met Tuaregs,
who persuaded him to send back his
escort and camels and take Tuareg
escort and camels. He retained three
Arabs and five negroes.
At eight p. N. on the Sth inst, after
waiting five days for the camels which
he had paid for in advance, ne resumed
his march. The interpreter marched
first, then NJ. de Mores, and next
Arab, and two negroes, all mounted on
camels, while the convoy was 300 yards
behind. After two miles march three
Cf the Tuareg escort fell on NJ. de
Mores. He shot one and the two others
fled, but two Tuareg bands came up,
one falling on the convoy and the other
on NJ de Mores. The latter and his fol-
lowers made desperate defense. and
We're at last massacred. The convoy
captured and four of the men in
charge of it were carried off as prison
ers, but they escaped, and on the 10th
inst. reached the scene of the conflict,
where they found the bodies of NJ. de
Mores, two Arabs and two negroes.
all stripped and covered with wounds.
Some months ago Englishman
travelling to Africa wrote me that he
had attended lectures given in Tunis
by Marquis de Mores in a crowded hall
in the presence of high French Off
cials. He. added that the lecturer, at
tacking England with the impetuosity
which always characterized him. pro-
claimed the necessity of an alliance be
tween Islam and Christianity, between
the crescent and the cross, ignoring thC
fact that the cross is the symbol of all
Christendom, and not solely of Catholi-
cism. The marquis then announced
his intention to penetrate into the Sou
dan, where he' had formed alliances,
and to induce the African tribes to enter
into a close alliance with France against
English encroachments and covAtous-
ness. He had the strange idea of TAX
ing the Egyptian question, 50 to speak,
from behind, and of bringing pressure
10 bear on England, not from France
but from Africa.
My correspondent thought that /
ought to give publicity to such violent
end aggressive language uttered be
fore French officials against friendly
nation. 1 did not do so, for l knew the
marquis to be an erratic man of vague
ideas, somewhat deluded by an un-
bridled imagination, thirsting for ac
ton and notoriety, but at heart. in spite
of this ungovernable excitement, fear
less, generous and patriotic to a de
gree of hating whatever he thought TO
be in his eountry's way-a medieval
brain fettered by modern restrictions
like a madman by tight waistcoat.
Whatever was out of the common
pleased him. He WAS a Boulangist be
cause this signified conspiring and over
turning; he was an anti-Semite, because
this harmonized with his medieval ten
denotes; he was mixed up in the gro
tesque Norton affair, because the
with NJ. Deroulede, who is man some
what of the same type, had been drawn
into it had made him believe that il
was combating England. He had not
the slightest inkling of the miserable
origin and contemplate aim of that
childish affair. In fact, he was always
the dupe and paid the piper. He applied
for money to his wife, an American
heiress and to his father Due de
Nallambrosa, who eventually placed
him under tutelage. He was always re-
quiring funds, which disappeared in the
hands of sharpers.
Nobody would be better entitled
than 1 to judge him harshly. He pic
tured me in his delrious moments in
fantastic and mythical guise. He inn
agined me ubiquitous, managing men
and things quite unknown to me. But
he was perfectly honest, listening to the
vampires who deluded him with trans
parent fables, and one could not feel
resentment against man living under
constant nightmare. In the end, un-
able to revive the middle ages on Eu-
ropean soil, he passed half the year in
Africa, where Islam gave him the il
fusion of past ages. There he conceived
the idea of stirring up the Soudan. He
has sent money to the Tuaregs, and
counted, as usual, on achieving imper-
ishable fame 1t was attempt to
turn the world back. His death is the
logical sequence of his life, but nothing
was commonplace in either his life or
his death, and nothing base except
those who preyed on him.-Paris Cor.
London Times.