New-York tribune., 1896-01-12
TOPICS IN PARIS.
ROMANTIC DISCOVERY OF AN AUTHENTIC
DUO DE MONTMORENCY IN AN
ARAB LIFE CONVICT.
Paris, January 2.

/ dCaVOring to OuSt the cnet lioii ''''N
by rakng up scandals in which Nine Faure
/ father involved himself prior to her birth)
crossed the threshold Of the Elysee Palace last
! Tuesday for the purpose OF paying WISH u
! the ruler Of France The Due d'Aumale, who
/ looks aged and broken. called upon NJ. Faure Win
an object in view and there romantic circum-
stances connected with the matter which render
! It worthy of public attention He visited the
President for the purpose of presenting petition
for the release and pardon Of a celebrated Arap
/ chieftain named Ahmed en-Mokrani, who FOR
the last four and twenty years has been In chains
| eating out his heart as a life convict In ina,
awful penal colony Of New-Caledonia. Mokrani
was during the reign of Napoleon Ill. one OF
the warmest and most loyal friends of France,
his cordiality toward the latter being OF the
utmost Importance, in view Of the immense pres
tige, power and influence that he possessed
throughout the length and breadth Of Northern
Africa and greatly did the Emperor appre-
ciate his good will that he conferred upon him
the collar and cross of a commander of the
Legion of Honor.
1t was thanks In the main to the chivalry OF
Mokran that the natives in Algeria remained
loyal to France in 1870 and lid not take advan-
tage of Germany's overwhelming victories to re-
cover their independence and to shake of the
French yoke. This forbearance the Paris Gov
ernment rewarded in 1872 by issuing decree
which granted the full rights Of citizenship, in
Guiding the electoral franchise to the Hebrew
population OF Algeria, while continuing to refuse
II TO the Mahometan inhabitants Of the colony.
Now the Arabs entertain the most profound
contempt for the Jews. and when they saw the
dosplsed race being thus favored at their eX-
pense they were moved to such fury that the
,,,oct carious revolt broke or among the natives
which the French have ever been called upon to
face Mokrani and his brD theirs being among
the ringlead ders. After much difficulty IN" revolt
was suppressed. and Mokrani. who had lost his
three brothers In battle. nrally surrendered to
the French generals Full honors OF war were ac-
corded him. his military advcrsaries being unani-
nous in declaring him the most chivalrous enemy
against whom they had ever borne arms. In spite
Of the terms of his surrender. and In defiance Of
the promises II the French commanders. he was
brought before a criminal tribunal and sentenced,
not as a bona nde bcgercn'. but as mere in
surgent. t. penal servitude for life. his deporta-
tOn 10 the penal colony In the Pacific Ocean
taking place shortly after that Of Henri Roche
fort and Of the other members Of the Communis'
insurrectiln AT Paris. These latter were liberated
and restored t. their full rights Of citizenship by
the amnesty of 1851. and some Of them are t.
dav holding high office In the French Govern
ment service as Ambassadors. Ministers. Magis-
tratcs and Mayors. But chvalrous Mokrani
whose insurrection. after all. was of a far less
roprchonsiblc character than that II the Com
munr was left To rot in the convict settlements
~ Now-Calcdonia. abandoned t. the most cruel
and severe treatment. In fact, he mad almost
been forgotten whom somebody, probably one x
his former adyorsaries IN the French army. mad
the good idea t. interest the Duo d Aunale IN ms
case. He could not have gone to better man.
since II 10 I'm "A great measure to the prowess OF
the Duke in Northern Africa in the forties that
France is Indebted for ts Algerian dependency
And now comes the romantic feature OF the
affair The Duke. by means OF those car"tul Te-
searches in which ne delights and which haze
v,on for him g. great name in literary. histori-
cal and archaeological circles. has been able TO
discover that the Arab chief Molrani now a
eonyict is the only surviving descendant IN
,ha male line Il the illustrious French ducal
house - Mortnorency II seems that during the
crusade which resulted In the capture 10y the
saracens of that French King known In history
a. Saint Louis there was among his fellow
captlves one ~ the principal scions of the Illus
trious family Of Monimorency. This noblenan
lost his heart to a daughter OF sultan Saladin,
and when. after the restoration Of peace King
Louis and his companions were permitted TO re-
turn to France. he decided to remain In the
Orient He embraced the Mahomean faith. mar
rlcd the Sar;r,en princess. and became tn"
founder ~ that great and celebrated Arab family
Of which the convict Mokranl s the chief and his
direct and lincal representatives,
Now the last rightful Duke of the French
branch # the House of Montmorency died In 1852
at Paris. leaving an only sister. Alice by name.
married 10 the Due de Sagan Talleyrand, and
mother. consequently. Of the Prince de Sagan ana
Of the lattcr's younger brother Adalbert Tn"
dukcdom was thereupon claimed by "A distant cou-
sin If the dead man. who bore the title OF Prince
de- Beaumont However. Napoleon III declined to
admit his pretensons. owing to the fact that he
was an adherent Of the Comte d. Chambord. and
conferred the style II Due De Montmorency in
stead upon the Prince de Sagan's younger broth r
Adalbert on the occasion Of the lattcr's marriage
to Carmen Aguado. daughter Of Empress Eu-
gtnie's Spanish Partisan banker The old aris
tocracy of France, however. declined 10 recognize
Adalbert de Talleyrand's title of Due De Mont
morency. regarding 1t as usurpcd and rs merely
the price paid 10 him by Napoleon III for his adj
hesion To a court So lamentably deficient at the
time I'm illusirous French names.
In 1857 the Royalist claimant to the dukedom,
namely the Prince de Beaumont died. leaving
only two daughters and no male relatives. The
result is. according To the Due dAumale and all
those eminent gcnca!Ogists who have investi-
gated the matter that the only rightful Duke
Of Montmorcncy and the heir To the proud cru
sader title Of premier Baron de France, always
borne by the head Of the Montmorency family.
IS no other than Ahmed Ben MOkranl the Arab
chief now laboring. chained hand and foot, as "A
convict I'm New Caledonia, whose liberation and
pardon the Due d'Aumale is now petitioning
President Faure to grant. Every one who knows
the manly generous and chivarous nature OF the
President ls convinced that the Due dAumale's
/ arguments Will receive Il sympathetic hearing
and that his petition may be considered as good
as granted The Arab and authentic Due dt
Montmorcncy may arrive In Paris at about the
time Of the wedding OF the impecunious and
pseudo Due de Mont tmoreHcy to the millionaire
widow Of NJ. Edouard Andre n lady who. before
/ her marriage to NJ Andre. was celebrated an