The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-10-30

81 years among the cannlDal DICKS OF
Australia, great traveller or a great
imposter?" The Daily Chronicle asked
this question early IN September. and
since that time has kept up "a continu-
Gus fire of denial, criticism and ridicule
against the modern Crusoe." But De
Rougemont has not been without warm
supporters, and the public has seemed
disposed to listen with interest to his
story, and to believe it until it should
be proved untrue. The world at large
has watched this paper war with in
terest, too, for the account of De
Rougemont, or at least such part of it
as he has related thus far, has been
repeated in every quarter of the globe,
and it certainly has fulfilled the claim
of the Frenchman's hackers as being
the most marvellous story man ever
lived to tell
When Louis de Rougemont, or Louis
Grin, as his name is now reported TO be,
applied to the Hon. Hunneker Heaton
some months ago for an introduction
to some London editor, it is doubtful if
he looked upon himself as in any way
a wonderful man. He had recently
worked his way from New Zealand to
London on a trading vessel, and was
OUT OL HlOItA- Tie IlOutSlly 6ADldluEu
that he had been pearl fisher, had
lived among the Australian blacks, and
had had some adventures which he be-
lieved might make an interesting story.
Until he became stranded in London,
he claimed, it may be truthfully, he
had had no thought of writing about
his experiences.
Through Mr.. Heaton, who is inter
ested in all affairs Australasian, the
traveller was introduced to Mr.. W. G.
Fitzgerald of Sir George NewneS' Wide
World Magazine. His story must have
impressed the managers of that pub
location, for they shortly announced
that they had discovered a new Rob
inSon CruSoe, whose actual eXper-
fences were even more remarkable than
those of Defoe's imaginary hero, and
that his own account of his wonderful
adventures would begin publication in
the August number of their magazine.
Public curiosity. which had been
mildly stimulated by the advertise |
ments of the new prodigy, received a
genuine surprise when the first INSTALL |
ment of De Rougemont'S story ap- |
peared in print 1t is putting it mildly |
to say that his adventures were the /
most remarkable ever related under the |
guise of truth. The e50,009 fargo of |
pearls, the giant octopus, the wreck on
the lonely Sand-pit, the turtle-back
rides, and the other wonders which
formed the inception of De Rouge
mont'S tales, are familiar to the read
ing public. They proved a large dose
to swallow at one gulp, and it is not
surprising that they were received with
establishment and incredulity But |
Crusoe and his publishers were not
abashed. 1t was announced that the
geography of the story had been eX-
amined and checked by DR.. Scott KEEL
tie and DR.. Hugh Robert Mill of the
Royal Geographical society. and that
they believed it true. The most incred-
ible incident of the, first portion of the
story was that in which the narrator
told how he had beguiled the weary
hours on the sand-pit by riding on the
backs of immense turtles, keeping them
at the surface by leaning far back on
the shell and guiding them by pol1ing
his toes in their eyes. But Admiral
Markedly. who had had long exper-
fence among the South Pacific islands,
came forward and said that he had
known of this feat being accomplished ! !
by natives there, and that it was by no !
means impossible.
Then De Rougemont enjoyed a genu-
inc triumph. He was invited to adj :
dress the Bristol congress of the Brit I
ish Association for the Advancement !
of Science. He read two papers before
this dignified body on his geographical
and anthropological observations :
among the Australian natives. More /
than this he was the lion of the hour I
and his papers were the great feature $
Of the meeting. The worthy and dis 2
-inguished gentlemen who compose the
British association are now greatly g
panied and scandaliZed to think of their v
over the man who, accord t
ng to recent revelations, was in SER v
vice as a footman and courier during a Il
considerable portion of the time when n
q Tr-ac cl1nnnSad n no lOrdirc-
ribe of fierce cannibals. c
Under this august patronage De Il
2ougemont became a popular hero. He a
vas invited to fashionable clubs and =
poke at dinners in company with the e
most eminent men of the country But ii
PRESENTLY he again fell under suspicion h
nd some parts of his story proved to a
'e impossible of verification. De Rouge .
mont said that he was born in Paris, q,
tut it was impossible to find any rec
I'd of the event or of his family there. D
borrower, it was found that De Rouge al
nont or his double was born in Neu- re
hatel, Switzerland, was christened ~
here under the name Henri Louis Grin. m
nd that he had revisited his native eli
own in August of this year. 1t was n;
lso said that he was well known in m
ydney under the name of Green, or -,
Irien, that he had lived there for a III III
lumber of years and had a wife and ro
amily still residing there dc
Under these circumstances De Rouge ne
lont bore himself admirably. He sub de
lifted to examinations and re-exami- py
atoms, still clinging to his narrative sii
the main. though admitting that he do
light be mistaken in many of the de- ce
ills. His appearance told in his ia be
or. The extreme bronze of his face Ian
nd arms lent credence to his account IN
: long exposure to the weather; the ~
sep lines and wrinkles of his face and ~
S wear1es, dlfndent air were those of an
man who had endured great suffer-
e and had been long unused to civil
zation. There were many inconsistent J
es, however, in his account of mis- ael
lrly life and he finally relapsed into 80
lence, refusing to answer any more In
lestions. uR
The enemies OF De Rougemont ack- go
,wledge that there may be a consider thu
lie substratum of truth in his stories ne
is known that he was at one time so,
gagged in the pearl industry, and it is ri
lieved that Peter Jensen, who figures ion
the narrative as his partner in this tha
terprise, is still living in New Guinea. ne;
is acknowledged, too, that he may pei
We lived for some years among the ma
acks as no record of his doings from ~ y
out 1873 to 1880 has been found. With an,
portant notifications ii is likely that jou
story will be proved to have basis ten
fact. At any rate, in spite of the per
revelations that have baar ask
10 -egar5ing bis cra5ihi1;,,- ~ the
'ugemont still sticks to his story. An nlU
rently his publishers have not lost Wa va,
cir confidence in him, for they an sta
hof III