The Harlowton news., 1912-07-12
AMICHT Y ARRI0R.
General Dumas Was a Colossus
In Size and In Heroisrl.
HIS AMAZING FEATS or ARMS.

The HercuIean Father Of the Famous
Novelist Had the Strength OF Sam
son and the VaIor of Roratius-His
x Son Was Chip Of the Old Block.
$ General Alexandre Dumas. the "a
ther of the celebrated French novelist,
was a mulatto OF herculean build, who
was renowned as tremendous tighter
and as a man Of marvellous bodily Il
strength.
1t is generally believed that he was
the model from which his son drew the
character of Porthos in the Three
Gunrdsmen"-the sometimes vainglo-
rio,1s. sometimes heroic, but always
Iovabie Porthos.
Ot the recklessness and daring or
General Dumas there can be no doubt,
aud evidently fear to him was an abso-
Iutely unknown, quantity. u had long
thought the feats OF arms ascrlbed "
him i'll La vendee Italy, and EGYPT !
rather apocryphal, too good to be true,
writes NJ. Jules Claretie IN French
paper. "They seemed to combine III
one the tours de force OF Porthos ana
the. escapades of Chicot. But one DAY
when | had promised to write SNORT
| life of the man his grandson put into
nv hands all the papers relating 70 the
soldiers career, and then saw that
had before me real epic, describing
. sequence Of glorious actions OF un-
doubted authenticity.
ut was, for example. establlshed by
official documents that General dumas,
standing. solitary colossus, at the emo
Of the bridge of BriXen, in the Iyr-
oil, did. like Horatius of old, dlspufe
the passage Of it. with a cloud or Aus.
trians, whom he sabered AND shot one
after the other until be had broken
his sword and used his last cartridge,
and that he then did convert the body
, of an enemy into battering ram
again, ut the theater one day ne
was in box with a lady who had won
his affections when gentleman OF the
court, pointing at him, remarked % the
; lady. so, marchioness, you have gct
: vonr negro here at which the mulat.
], TO. without a word. seized the man by
! his collar. lifted him from his seat ana
threw him across the footlights on TO
J the stage.
= "His son inherited the fathers mus
/ cIes. Travelling one year IN the south
& of France for the sake of collecting
r some amusing impressions ne came
!, TO Ayignon BY diligence with the inten
!, tion of enjoying the well known view
u Of the silhouette of the papal palace
, The diligence. on stopping, was sur
! rounded by porters, who tried to clutcl
IA the travellers luggage. Dumas insist
il5| cd on carrying his own valise, and thi
e nrovoked some insolent remarks from
J the porters
u Iook.' said one. 'at the big lou
I. who won't let poor fellow earn
= living"
r ".Whats so astonishing in thatT re
t. nlied another Hes Niger. Natur
is intended him for a drudge
.e THE son did not hesitate to ilnitat
le his fathers example. He put DOW
~ his vuise, seized one of the portefs
- took him by the waist. carried MN
= the Darapet Of the bridge and held hll
N out over the river. saying:
~ ".Giye me your word that you al
it not the assassin of Marshal Brune!
ST .Marshal Brune was assassinated
IS Avionon in the white terror, 1915.
".I! But, monsieur
- ~ "'Swear, | tell you, that you did NJ
], assassinate Marshal Brune or WI
throw you into the Rhone!
mrhe mans face became as white
& sheet, and he gasped out:
81 will swear, monsieur, by all Il
saints. did not assassinate him.
..All right said Dumas, and
threw the wretched man on to Il
bridge, took up his valise and went
his way, smiling. leaving the porte
gasping with wonder.
~ ITO return to the old general, he "
coming back from Egypt when his 81
was surrounded by some English W
sells.
hd, ".Fight to the last was the ord
and when shot and shell are exhaust
ent blow up the ship Sky high.
..Al very well, but he could sW
owe and others couldn't. To equalize %
ters Dumas got two cannon balls,
be tnem lhto iiis poeAees 'Nu s'S'a
,.r a laugh:
!. - "'Now shall go all the quicker
imi4ii m the bottom
az But it was not to be. He was tai
on prisoner and thrown into a foul d'
!, at geon at Naples, from which he O
said emerged with his health shattered 8
Wer his magnificent strength dWindled
med the vanishing point"
ac-
d Of Ear'ns WIN ,ne n'ne. 49,