Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1898-11-10
NEW ROBINSON CRUSOE.
Strange tales Told by an Alleged
Castaway.

/ Crusoe who has appeared with an un-
I paralleled story of adventures among
/ cannibal natives in an UNEMPLOYED part
I of Australia. Nj. Louis de Rougemont,
/ the subject OF this controversy, claims
to have been shipwrecked about 1868
I or small spit in the sea OF Timor.
/ There he spent some 212 years alone,
I and finally reached the Australian
coast through the aid of some natives
VINO had been blown from shore in
their canoes. Reaching the main
land on the northwest coast in the
/ Cambridge gulf region, he spent sew
eral years there, and then passed into
/ the interior where he lived 20 years
among the aborigines. NJ. De Rouge
mont finally returned to civilization in
1895 through the agency of some
white explorers or hunters and dwelt
awhile longer in Sydney. Then one
fine day he appeared in London, and
astonished all England with the story
of his wonderful adventures in a pop
ular magazine. Such, in brief outline,
is the history of his life since 1868,
according to his own claim.
The stories told by De Rougemont
were SO rich, so picturesque and so
varied as to defy more than the brief
est characterization. The popular
magazine advertised the mans ad-
ventures as the most marvellous re-
corded in history, and the skeptios
admit that history, really has no par
/ allel to them If De Rougemont has
/ told the truth. The narrative opens
with this man experience on the pearl
4 ing schooner, telling of the finding of
/ two immense black pearls OF great
I value, of the shipwreck, and of the
/ survivors, struggle for existence on
/ the barren sandspit for 212 years.
| Robson Crusoe faced no such diff
I culties on his desert island as this
man says he encountered. Then the
/ rescue by the Australian blacks and
4 the life among them for over 20 years
afford infinite opportunity for the mass
\ ing Of adventure upon adventure,
and interesting description of the
/ life and customs of the aboriginies.
/ De Rougemont had stories to tel
! about riding Oh the backs OF sea tur-
/ ties and controlling their movements
/ by sticking a big tee into their eye
or altering his position en- their
/ shells; of octopuses larger than nat
uralists had supposed to exist in
( those waters; OF wonderful pelcans
4 frequenting the deserted barren
/ sandspit, and most miraculous ever
heard Of Among the natives on the
mainland he became % sort of king,
and the detail which he gives con
corning their customs in war, mar
riage, industry and religion is wonder
| lul varied and minute
De Rougemonts narrative was so
highly interesting and on its face had
so much of the appearance OF truth.
that well-known people youched for
his genuineness. Finally, the British
association for the advancement Of
science last month at It's annual meet
ing, invited him to deliver an address
on the Australian natives before its
anthropological section. This address,
which was heard by a very large and
attentive audience, was reported to
the extent Of over a column in the
London Times. But the number Of
doubter5 OF De Rougemont's yeraclty
was, mean while, growing az a rapid
rate One o5 The London papers. the
Chronicle, led tho attack upon the
wonderful exile, and for weeks print
ga columns of letters from critics OF
the mans statements De ROugemont
was soon assailed on an sides. by
na,uralists, anthropoogists, travellers,
sailors Yet he bore the onslaught
with remarkable composure, in one
or two cases showing that his critics
uId not know 50 much as they thought
they knew. For example, he Rouge
monts story Of riding sea turtles WAS
declared an imp0ssibility by one
learned man, whereupon an old re-
tired English admiral, who had seen
years OF service in the south seas,
came forward and testified 10 having
seen sailor Of his command ride a
sea turtle exactly as De Rougemont
had ridden one
II was evident that If the man was
an imposter he had in some way ac-
quired a prodigious amount OF out-of
the-way information, and had no
doubt, knocked around the world at
a great rate Still, his critics pointed
out that while De Rougemont was un-
doubtedly an exceedingly clever man,
he could have obtained all his facts
concerning the Australian natives
from books OF travel, adventure and
scientific research. Supplied with the
veneer OF knowledge, they claimed,
his extraordinary power as story
teller wOulu do the rest. At any rate
De Rougem0uts critics have found
serious flaws in his armor Many Of
bis statements regarding his personal
history cannot be verified He says
he was born in Paris. but there IS no
record Of his birth there. Il Is also
proved that be has lived under many
names both in Australia and England.