The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1896-07-28

Particulars Of the assassination Of
marquis de Mores have been telegraphed
from Tunis. It appears that, warned
by the French authorities in Tunis of
the impossibility of passing through
Tunisian Sahara, he gave a written
promise to go to Gabes, Nefzaua, Der
rezof, Birlaian and FL Biodh, the most
southerly French military post in AL
geria. He had Is European attendants,
As camels, and 10000 francs worth Of
merchandise. At Nefzaua he turned
off to the east. being apprehensive that
q French officer had been sent to stop
him. and he went close by the Tripoli
frontier. At Ell 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. m. on the 9Th inst, after
waiting five days for the camels which
he had paid for in advance, he resumed
his march. The interpreter marched
first. then NJ. de Mores. and next an
Arab. and two negroes, all mounted on
camels, while the convoy was 300 yards
behind. After two miles march three
CT the Tuareg escort fell on II. de
Mores. He shot one and the two others
6ed. 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 a desperate defense, and
were at last massacred. The convoy
was captured and four Of the men in
charge of it were carried of 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 an Englishman
travelling to Africa wrote me that he
had attended lectures given in Tunis
by Marquis de Mores in crowded hall
in the presence of high French Off
Gals. He added that the lecturer, at
lacking 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 the
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 close alliance with France against
English encroachments and covetous-
ness. He had the strange idea Of TAX
ing the Egyptian question, SO to speak.
from behind, and of bringing pressure
to bear on England, not from France,
but from Africa.
My correspondent thought that I
ought to give publicity to such violent
end aggressive language uttered be-
fore French officials against friendly
nation. l did not do SO. for knew the
marquis to be an erratic man Of vague
ideas, somewhat deluded by an I'M
bridled Imagination, thirsting for &C
tion and notoriety, but at heart. in spite
of this ungovernable excitement, fear
less. generous and patriotic to de-
gree of hating whatever he thought to
OC III Ills SouHo "oy A1iS'S'S -
brain fettered by modern restrictions
like mailman by tight waistcoat-
Whatever was out of the common
pleased him. He was Boulangist be-
cause this signifed eonspiring 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
sooundres by whom he, in common
with NJ. Deroulede, who is a 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 Duo de
Vallambrosa. 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 to judge him harshly. He pic
tured me in his delirious moments in
fantastic and mythical guise. He i'm
agined me ubiquitous. managing men
and things quite unknown to me. But
he was perfectly honest. listening to She
vampires who deluded him with trans
parent fables. and one could not feel
resentment against a man living under
q constant nightmare. In the end, IN.
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. It was an 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.