Maryland independent. [volume] (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1874-current, 1913-07-04
ALMIGHTY WARRIOR
General Dumas Was a Colossus
In Size and In Heroism.
HIS AMAZING FEATs OF ARMS.

The Hereuiean Father Of the Famous |
Novelist had the Strength Of Sam
son and the vaIor Of Horatius--tiis
Son Was Chip of the Old Block.
General Alexandre Dumas. the IA I
ther Of the celebrated French novelist \
was mulatto Of herculean build. who ]
WIS renowned ms tremendous fighter (
aud SIS man Of marvellous bodily
strength.
II is generally believed that he was
the model from which his sou drew the
character of Porthos IN the Three
Guardsmen"-ih sometimes vainglo-
rious. sometimes heroic. but always
loyable rorthos
OF the reeklessness and daring OF
General Dumas there can be no doubt
and evidently fear to him was an abso-
iutely unknown quantity. Il had long
thought the tents Of arms ascribed tt
him in La yendee. Italy. and Egypt
rather apocryphal. too good TO be trus.'
writes M Jules Claretie in French
paper. "They seemed to combine 10
one the tours de for>c Of Porthos and
the escapades Of Chlcot. But one day
when had promised to write a short
life of the man his grandson put into
my hands all the papers relating to VI.
soldiers career. and then saw that d
had before me real epic. describing
sequence of glorious actions of IN
doubted authenticity.
"lt was. for example. established by
official documents that General Dumas
standing. a solitary colossus. at the emo
of the bridge OF Brixen. In the Tyr.
oil. did. like Horatius Of old, dispute
the passage of il with cloud Of Aus
trians. whom he sabered and shot one
after the other until he 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 he
was In box with lady who had won
his affections when gentleman of the
court. pointing at him. remarked to the
lady. so. marchioness. you have goi
your negro here At which the mulat
to, without word, seized the man by
his collar. lifted him from his seat and
threw him across the footlights on tc|
the stage.
"His son Inherited the fathers mus
cles. Travelling one year in the south
of France for the sake of collecting
some amusing impressions. he came
to Avignon by diligence with the inten
ton of enjoying the well known view
Of the silhouette of the papal palace
The diligence. ov stopping. was sur
rounded by porteIs, who tried 70 clutel
the travellers luggage. Dumas insist
ed on carrying his own valise. and this
provoked some tnsolent remarks from
the porters.
Look said one. at the big loui
who won't let poor fellow earn o.
livlngt
"'wtSt's so astonishing in thatT re
piled another. He's niger. Nature
Intended him for drudge
"The son did not hesitate to Initiate
his fathers example. He put down
his yalise. seized one Of the porters
took him by the waist. carried him toI
the parapet of the bridge and held him
out over the river saying:
"'Give me your word that you are
not the assassin of Marshal BruneH
Marshal Bruno was assassinated at
Avicnon. in the white terror. 1915.
~: But. monsieur
"'Swear. tell you. that you did not
ass,lssinate Marshal Bruno or will
throw you into the Rhoner
.'rhe mans face became as white as
a sheet. aud he gasped out:
~ will swear. monsieur. by all the
saints. did not assassinate him
"'All right said Dumas. and he
threw the wretched man on to the
bridge. took up his valise and went Oh
his way. smiling, leaving the porters
gasping with wonder.
ITO return to the old general. he was
coming back from Egypt when bis shir
was surrounded by some English yes
sells.
Flight to the last. was the order
and when shot and shell are exhausted
blow up the ship sky high
"All very well. but he could swim
and others couldn't. To equalize mat
ters Dumas got two cannon balls, put
them into bis pockets and said with
a laugh;
"'Now shall go all the quicker to
the bottom
''But 1t was not to be. He was taken
prisoner and thrown into a foul dun
geon at Naples, from which he only
emerged with his health shattered and
his magnificent strength dwindled to
the vanishing point"