Sunday Washington globe., 1902-05-04

the northwestern states. He had a ranch
in North Dakota, was interested in cattle
raising in Montana and during his visits to
St. Paul became widely known there and
eventually started the first beef refrigerating
warehouse in that region. He was a gay,
'dashing fellow. adventurous to the verge of
daring, and while he made many friends
throughout the northwest he incurred the
enmity of some and participated in several
affairs in which pistols figured conspicu-
'ously.
The young Frenchmsn returned to his
native country about a dozen years ago,
taking with him an American wife, whom
he FIRST met in New York. Their romantic
marriage and subsequent wild life together
in Montana his splendid visionary schemes,
his sensational failure, his subsequent duel
ing escapades in France and his assassina-
ton in Africa are still fresh in the minds of
every reader of American newspapers.
And yet, even with all that has been
printed the full story Of the De Mores ro-
nance has never been told The handsome
young Frenchman's chroniclers have been
prolific in tales OF his recklessuess, his
love of newspaper publicity, the fOOlhardi-
ness Of his sensational Montana enterprise,
his lack of business capacity and his per
y
justice to his wife's answering love nor to
the fact that the cause of many Of his fail
ures was his devotion to her ideas.
His Western experience was the central
incident in the life of the debonair young
marquis Tt was during his stay in the West
that the young wife risked her life to save
his, an incident that is said to have in
fuenced De Mores to his last day
Tn rgQr he Morae married Marie NFa1o~a
Won Hoffman, the pretty and clever young
daughter Of the millionaire banker, L. A.
Won Hoffman, of New York. For some
time he had been working on a scheme 70
compete with the beef trust by packing
beef where the cattle we're fed and shipping
it 10 the Eastern market dressed or packed,
expecting to save enough money on the
difference in freight to enable him to under
bid the trust
The scheme was rouudlY condemned at
the time by Eastern meat men, though
Western cattlemen seem to have considered
it feasible enough. Undismayed and
backed by the wealth of his father-in-law,
who furnished readily large sums for the
enterprises De Mores started West with
his bride soon after the marriage.
He had obtained $4,000 acres of railroad
grant land in the bad lands Of eastern Mon
tana, near the Dakota line. It was here he
meant to erect his packing houses and buy
and keep his stock. A spot in a treeless
'coolee" in the center Of the bad lands was
chosen as a town site and the place was
named MedOra in honor of the marquise.
Montana was greatly agitated over the ac-
QUESTION of this eccentric character and his
money but the cattlemeu of his section
were soon his bitter enemies. They Aeeced
him at every turn and they despised his
good clothes, his English riding saddle. his
dandi6ed ways and his fences. These last
were the osteusible bones of contention,
but, cowboy like, their greatest seorn was
for his English fashion of rising in his
saddle when riding a matter of continual
wonder to the plainsmeB, who sit in their
Mexican saddles as If they were part of the
animal under them.
De Mores' fences were undoubtedly a
trial, both to him aud to everyone else. He
had surrounded his entire $4,000 acres of
land with his fence. Such an article was
unknown on the ranges but the green mar
quis did not understand that. Besides, the
fence crossed several Of the cattle trails so
the COW puuchers were obliged to cut
through whenever they wanted to cross to
new grazing ground or round up herd. It
kept the marquis anu DIS uAEu Du5F most OF
the time making repairs.
By spending money lavishly the building
of the town was fairly rapid. Brick was
imported from the east and thoroughly
up-to-date packing house was erected and
equipped. A pretty little white cottage,
French in style, was built for the home of
the marquis and his wife, a station house
was put up, residences for the men and a
little Roman Catholic church were con-
structed and a crop Of saloons and small
stores soon appeared.
Il was prosperous town and its popula-
tion soon increased. De Mores bought
tens of thousands of cattle, spent money
like prince and brought such prosperity
as had never been seen before in all the
cattle country Of Montana.
But still the cattlemeu were not happy
At each new outrage of their western sense
of the fitness Of things more bad feeling
was stirred up and De Mores felt that
trouble was brewing But he paid no heed,
riding over the ranges daily as it every
man in the state were his fast friend
But one day things came to a climax and
II was while the titled cattle owner was
out on the range.
Late in the afternoon, while pretty Nine.
De Mores was in the little chapel, where
she spent part Of each day, band Of wild
COW -punchers," rather the worse for
liquor, galloped into the little town and be.
gan shooting il up" shouting the while
for De Mores. They made no effort to
hide their purpose They we're there to
shoot down the young marquis on sight.
The little Eastern wife, reared in luxury
with every protection that a young girl
could have. heard their cold -blooded threats
and resolved to save him. She knew that
he would soon come home riding behind the
little white cottage and the big brick pack
ing houses and that he would be an easy
mark for every man in the "coolee -
She could not get to her house without
being seen, so she braved it out Stepping
from the church In a dainty frock, the like
Of which had never been seen in that wild
country before, she walked firmly across the
main street within City feet Of the desper
ADDE'S
They knew with certainty that she was