The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-10-11

Fort Smith (Ark3 Correspondence St. (
Louis Globe-pemocrat: It wiH no
doubt surprise the readers of the Globe /
Democrat to learn that the Uid1w of
Captain Benjamin Bonneville is living. (
The name Of Bonneville belongs TO The (
romantic age OF the west, IN age that
seems to US almost as remote as the
crusades; yet Il has been less than 90
years since his death. and mis- widow
whom he married late in life, is still 4
young woman, comparatively. They
were married here in 1885, after Captain
BonneYille's retirement from the army,
and Fort Smith is still her home.
There is no name in the history of
discovery in the far west more at
traci1ve 70 the lover of adventure than
that OF Bonneville. Lewis, Clark, Ash
ley, Suhlette and Fremont al did as
mach, and some cf then probably
more than he, to explore the west and
make known it's resources. but none of
tae5e men had the magic pen of WASH
/ lngton Irving TO tell the story Of their
achievements, and 50. while their
names and deeds viii gradually fade
from the recollection of men, Benjamin
Bonneville viii 1--we SIS long as the
works OF Irving are read B0nneyiIle's
- " ~ - 81 llAAssI tItAs iItittLAAliC VIC,
( and 1t should be OF special interest To
st. Loutsans, fer that city was his
ne, % Wei as that Of his mother,
I for many years; there his first wife
and his beautiful daughter died, and
( their remains, ard his also, rest in
! EellefOutaine cemetery. He was much
! attached to Fort Smith. He was in
command at this post several times
/ when 1t was one of the leading mill
! tary stations OF the west He entered
large tracts OF land in this vicinity in
( the early days and when he retired
{ from the army he came here to spend
+ the remainder Of his days and il was
! here that he died. The writer Of this
knew him We'll. h was not cOmrnu-
( NEGATIVE and seldom spoke Of his re-
( marka0le adventures in the Rocky
J mountain region, and very rarely of
! his early Gays or family history 1t
vas only on social or c0nViVial occa-
SONS, when in Il parlOr and surrounded
Dy a company OF ladies and gentlemen,
that he yielded TO their requests and
became the r2eoNteur in the center of
an interested circle. and entertained
them with incidents of his western ex-
! pcrlenCe and stories OF the Indians
their customs and superstition5. Incl
dents in his early life were only re-
lated 70 chosen friends and spoken of
( but seldom
! Ce~ptetiIA AOAAtNA!ie Was born in
France in 1896. His father was highly
educated ard controlled printing es-
( adjustment in Paris, where he became
a member OF republican club organ
lzed by Tom Paine in the great reVolu-
ton against the Bourbon monarchy.
known as 4 republican, he had es-
capped tire guillotine, but when Napol-
con assumed imperial power he was
dlspleased 1T criticisms in pamphlets
ms r1t-I
ton of Paine's Common Sense"
pamphlet, which was issued in Amer
lea during our revolution and did so
NUeh to strengthen our cause against
England Like al impeliaHsts, Ma
poleon wished 90 control the press
Fouche, MS minister Of police. arrested
old Bonneville and he was imprisoned
IN the Temple. When released he
wished to so to America. but was kept
under surveillance By the police and not
allowed TO leave France. Paine, finding
fdrlS getting warm for republicans, Sc
/ cretly embarked f0r New York with
Mme. Au!aie Bonneville and her son,
benjamin Louis Eulalie Bonneville
, then srnan boy. Paine had a farm
OF 200 acres near the village of New
Rochelle which Was given to him hy
the state of New York in gratitude for
his services to our country, and in this
village, about 80 miles from New York
the Bonneville family Was domictled
, The elder Bonneville Was finally re-
leased from prison and rejoined his
family
, There was quite large colony OF
French refugees at the time in Now
ork, and they had I hard time of il
: as their property in France was confis-
Gated or sequestered. Nine. Bonneville
was highly educated and accomplished
and she had figured in the select salons
: in Paris in her palmy days She opened
: 4 school for young ladies in New YORK
! and did much TO support her family
: The elder Bonneville WAS not 4 bushes s.
man. lie Wag broken in health ane
spirits from his reYerses and imDriSOn
ment ard socu died. The widow gave
the children their carly education anC
through the influence of Paine anC
other friends young Bonneville wa;
placed in West Point military academy
Paine died in 1904 He had no near rel
. atives and it is said that he wilIed hi
! property to the Bonneville family.
Bonneville continued at West Point
His faVorite studies were navigation
and civil engineering, and his library
vas composed Of books Of travels, Yoy
ages and explorations. which We're hi
2 delight. He graduated in 1913. Whel
General Lafayette made his last Visi
to this country, in 1924, he evineed {
5 marked interest in the Bonneville fam
q lily. Our War department. in its man!
+ courtesies to the distinguished visitor
: gave him an escort Young Bonneville
: was appointed as one Of his honorar.
n aid. and he accompanied Lafayette il
: his tour through our cities. When La
d fayette returned to France he tool
: young Bonneville with him as his cues
: and domiciIed him in his family a
Paris. In the palatial Lafayette resi-
V dence ne lived for some time. He oc
t oupied the room and slept in the sam
bed with George Lafayette, and IN