New-York tribune., 1902-07-20
THE KILLING OF MORES
SENSATIONAL EVIDENCE IN REGARD TO
THE ASSASSINATION.
PROSECUTION OF MURDERERS BROUGHT
ABOUT BY THE RELENTLE LESS EFFORTS
OF THE MARQUIS'S AMERI-
CAN WIDOW.

Paris, July l.
The Marquise de Mores. formerly Miss Won
Hoffman,. of New-YOrk, has intervened as civil
prosecutor in the criminal trial of the alleged
murderers of her husband. which. according to
present arrangements. will be begun July
II at Soussa near the Tunisian frontier The
trial promises to be a sensational one, not only
on account of the highly tragic circumstances
under which the marquis met his death in the
thirty-eighth year OF his age at EI-Ouatia on
June s. 1896, but because the leaders OF the
Nationalist movement in France seem deter
mined to give the prosecution political aspect
in the hope of adducing evidence to show that
the two Chaamba Arabs. El-Kheir- ben A bd- -eI-
Kader and HANNA ben-Chei accused OF as
sassinating the Nationalist agitator were act
ing upon orders received by them from the
French authorities in Algeria and Tunis TO kill
Mores."
NJ. Maurice Barres. National leader and
warm personal friend of the late Marquis de
Mores, in his book. published a few days ago.
entitled Scenes and Doctrines of National
ISM" devotes sixty closely printed pages to the
narrative of the death of Mores and as the
forthcoming trial is likely 10 occupy public at
tention during the summer months. the salient
features of the story set forth by NJ Maurice
Barres will be OF interest TO the numerous
friends in the United States of the late Marquis
de Mores and OF his American wife.
Antoine Amadee Marie Vincent Manca de
Vallombrosa, Marquis de Mores was born in
Paris on June 15 1858 His family is of Sar-
dinian origin. After having his wild oats
in Paris at an early age he married Miss Won
Hoffman,. daughter Of a prominent New-York
banker. and went to the United States. where
he started a cattle farm immense scale
in Dakota. The scheme was not a financial
success because II started when the price
Of beef was rapidly falling. and the competition
Of the Chicago cattle dealers was too severe
After varied experiences in railway construc-
ton in Tonquin. the marquis returned TO Paris
and In full sympathy with the Boulangist move
ment became anti-Semitic leader and a Ma
tionalist agitator He a clever speaker and
having the confidence OF the butcher BOYS
Of Villette. sought TO revive the days of the
Fronde
TURNS TO AFRICA
Like the famous Duo de Beaufort Roi das
Halles. he armed his followers with slaves. and
attempted TO take active part in the govern
ment. Fooled by the hrmness of the Cabinet
Mores turned his attention 10 Africa where he
found many windmills TO tilt against and per-
Ished in gallant but Quixotic attempt TO
form n French alliance with Islam directed
against England" The visionary but heroic
schemes undertaken In Africa by the Nationalist
aRitator have ELECTED volume OF hexan1eters
young poets NM Marcel de Lihns and Paul
Marvel. and, indeed. a Cervantes might have
found in the daring but fruitess adventures OF
the marquis store Of pathetic themes and
object lessons
Mores was essentially a picturesque person
aty. He tall. handsome and athletic His
broad brimmed gray felt cowboy hat was to his
followers very much the white plume
of Henry of Navarro to the men at Ivry. Ameri-
can felt hats became the emblems OF the Ma
tionalist party, and were worn later by Jules
Guerin and the defenders OF the mprovised
fortress in the Rue de Chabrol who. after a
months siege. starved out and surrendered
to the municipal police Of Paris
One fine day in April 1896 the Marquis de
Mores, accompanied by his devoted American
wife, and wearing his American felt hat en-
barked at Marseilles for Agers. The object of
his mission equalled in ambition and impraC-
tlcabty the dreams of Montcam Duplex or
Lally. He started forth without single Euro
pean, accompanied only by a handful Of Arabs
to found empire the shores of Lake
Tchad. and intended. with the aid of the Mahdi
of Omdurman, to conquer in behalf of France
the whole Bahr-el-Ghazal country, and thus
thwart Cecil Rhodess conception of British
dominion extending from Cairo to the Cape
The mission of Commsndant Marchand from the
Congo to Fashoda was to be part of this grand
enterprise. MoreS was to start first for the
Sahara and he expressed his conviction that
barrage constructed the upper Nile near
Fashoda. would make the Bahr-el- GhazaI re-
gion fertile Egypt. and would reduce Egypt to
a desert.
SACRIFICED HIS LIFE
Such was the chmerical idea for which the
Marquis de Mores sacrificed his life. On May
6. 1895. the adventurous Partisan. with his Arab
followers, embarked at Tunis for Gabes. on
May in the oasis of Gabes forty camels and
their drivers were hired, and the expedition
marched to Kebilli. the last French outpost. At
Kebilli a certain Ahmed ben Hamadi, CaTd of
Nefzaona, provided Mores with guide named
tion after having replaced the Gabesan camel
and Chaamba. On May 21 Mores was photo
graphed wearing his cowboy hat and resting
his Winchester repeating rifle. and with his
hunting knife and revolver in his brown leather
belt.
At Djeneien on May 30 Mores wrote: I'VE
narrowly missed falling into an ambush pre-
pared for us by our enemies behind my back.
Some of my camel drivers have evidently been
bribed. They almost mutinied. / had to show
my teeth" His last letter, dated Imchignig
June Z. states: II hope to leave here tomorrow
with the Touaregs The Chaamba tried to re-
volt / should not be surprised to find that they
have been sent with me by some with evil
intent There is something very treach-
erous in all this.
On June 10 the news reached Tunis that
Mores. his two Algerian servants and his in
terpreter Add -el-Hack, had been massacred at
Ell -Ouatia June & Three weeks afterward
their bodies were brought to Tunis. A military