Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1900-12-17
A Sensation of the Fifties.

A writer in the Critic revives the
memory of the excitement in this
country in 1853 over Rev. Mr.. Han
sons article in Putman's Monthly
under the caption, "Have We Bour,
bon Among Us?" Mr.. Hanson related
of an Indian chief. educated to Massa-
Jams, who was reported to be the son
of an Indian chief educated in Mass
chusetts and the translator Of the
Episcopal prayer book into the Mo-
hawk language and missionary
among the Indians on the Mackinac
reservation, had been discovered to
be dauphin, son of Louis XVI, who
was believed to have been murdered
by Simon, the jailer Of the royal fam
lily at that period of the French revo-
luton. The lady MRS. Allen who
writes the Critic article, says her
grandfather, who was stationed in
command or old Fort Mackinac, Mich,
back in the thirties, knew Williams
and secured the interview with him
desired by the Prince de Joinville,
who was supposed to have come to
hunt up the dauphin to bride him to
renounce his claims to the French
throne Mrs. Allen says that her
grandparents did not believe that Will
Jams was an Indian or a halfbreed,
and, narrating a conversation her
grandmother had with the Prince de
Joinville, she says:
'The prince then eagerly asked,
What then, is the conclusion at which
your husband and yourself have arriv-
ed?' Her reply staggered Prince de
Joinville, and he showed visible agita-
ton. 1t was in substance, as follows:
OF course, the matter is obscure to us.
as well as to Eleazar Williams himself,
but some light may be thrown upon it
from a little circumstance which
occurred when he first came among us.
The captain is collector of engrav-
ings, and his collection, which has
been the work of many years, is now
considered a valuable one. These en-
cravings are kept in large portfolio
and indexed. Williams was sitting
with us one evening, and Captain c..
called his attention to the portfolio,
placing it before him. He became
quietly absorbed for some time over
the engravings, when he suddenly ex-
claimed aloud, my God, my God!
Where have I seen that terrible face p
He arose to his feet, trembling from
limb to limb; the cold perspiration was
pouring down his face; he caught hold
Of my chair as support. After talk
ing to himself in a rambling way, he
commenced to walk in agitation UP
and down my drawing-room, "Grace de
Dieu! I remember, I remember" He
babe me goodnight with tears in mis-
eyes. I was quite startled and looked
at the engravings, and turning to the
index, found it was Simon the jailer. %
No inducement could ever prevail
again. My husband and I have al
ways thought that he was a French
man, and that he had at some time in
his childhood, fallen into the house Of
the cruel Simon.
Mr.. Hanson, who wrote the article
in Putnam's Monthly, firmly believed
that the French dauphin, who was en-
titled to succeed the hapless Louis
XVI, had escaped the murderous de-
signs of Simon the jailor, and had
come to this country in some way. The
matter was carefully investigated, but
the proof was lacking. Williams face
was found by some to resemble the
portraits of his royal father and moth