STANLEY'S STORY
As Told by a Companion of his
Travels in Asia Minor — Forgery,
Horse-Stealing, Swindling, and
Other Eccentricities.
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Correspondence of the New York Sun.
Permit me to express a little incredulity in
reference to Henry Stanley, Dr. Livingstone's
alleged discoverer. I know the man.
I know his fertile powers of invention, and
more than once I have seen his ingenuity
impose upon men. But as I do not desire
to throw discredit upon his alleged discoveries
without at least showing a fair reason,
I will tell his story as I heard it from his
own lips, from the lips of his relatives, and
from irrefragible proofs which shall be
forthcoming when desired.
Near the close of the late civil war, when
a boy of fifteen I enlisted in the navy, and
was assigned to the United States frigate
Minnesota, Commodore Joseph Lanman,
lying at Hampton Roads, Va. A young
man calling himself Henry Stanley was one
of the crew. He was full of aspirations for
adventure; told marvelous tales of foreign
countries and he urged that when we
should leave the service I should accompany
him on a proposed tour in Southern Europe.
Being of a romantic turn of mind, I was
pleased at the suggestion.
To hasten the opportunity he planned our
desertion from the navy and by his ingenuity
it was accomplished at Portsmouth,
N. H., when the frigate had gone to the
navy yard for repairs. Soon after our
arrival there in February, 1865, Stanley
forged a pass, affixing the Commodore's
name to it, permitting Stanley and myself
to pass the gate of the navy yard. Once
without the gate, we came directly to New
York. He then unfolded to me a plan for
raising the means necessary for our travels.
It was for him to enlist me in the army,
taking the bounty money; then for me to
desert to re-enlist and secure more bounty,
again desert, and so repeat the process until
he had the money to enable us to go in
search of adventure. But I declined to
acquiesce in his plan.
After a few days of unsuccessful effort
to obtain employment, I enlisted as a
private under the name of Louis Morton, in
the Eighth New York mounted volunteers,
Col. Pope and continued in the service
until after the close of the war. Meantime
Stanley called on my parents, who informed
him that I was in the army. He
commenced a correspondence with me, in which
he opened up a scheme of travel to the
Rocky Mountains. He urged me to join it
and again proposed desertion. As I declined
he went to Colorado alone, where he remained
until the spring of 1866. On his return he
visited my parents, and urged them to allow
me to accompany him. My admiration of
Stanley amounted to enthusiasm, and I
longed to go with him in search of romance
and adventure. He told of diamonds, and
rubies, and precious stones, and rich India
shawls and other fabrics in Central Asia, of
the real value of which the natives knew
scarce anything, which could be procured
by us for insignificant sums of money, and
could be sold at an enormous profit. He
professed to have acquired abundant means
in Colorado and was willing to pay all my
expenses for the pleasure of my companionship.
About the first of July, 1866 we left for
New York, where he met a gentleman
named Cook who was to accompany us on
our travels. Stanley introduced me to
Cook as his half-brother. We proceeded to
Boston. About the middle of July we
embarked on the bark E. H. Yarrington for
Smyrna.
Just before the vessel quit her moorings
I was surprised, after the rose-colored
prospects Stanley had held out to me, when he
expressed a wish for me to work my passage
on the vessel, for which he stated he had
made arrangements.
After sixty days' voyage, we arrived at
Smyrna, and to my further surprise I
found that the exchecquer of the expedition
was not of the proportions I had supposed.
His purpose was a prolonged tour through
Asia Minor and Persia into the heart of
Asia and thence to the coast of India,
through Thibet. With what little means he
and Cook had they had purchased a couple
of sorry horses, a few cooking utensils,
and other things to make a meagre outfit.
The whole amount of money left did not
exceed $5 in gold. The two horses were
used by Stanley and Mr. Cook. Instead of
the finely-equipped Arab horse which I was
to have, I was compelled to trudge along on
foot. A hundred dollars in gold would
have purchased everything we had in the
way of outfit — horses, arms, ammunition,
utensils, and camp equipage.
On our second day from Smyrna, while
Cook was seated by a bunch of bushes, half
asleep, in boyish sport I set fire to the
bushes to give him a scare. The flames
went further than I had intended. They
spread into a briar hedge and soon burned
it. The inhabitants became excited, and
four or five men came up and after some
resistance arrested Stanley and Cook. During
the struggle I escaped and mode my way
to Smyrna on foot, ten or twelve miles.
That afternoon Stanley came back to
Smyrna in search of me, and stated that he
and Cook were taken to a guard house,
where their papers were examined, and after
some delay they were released. By flattering
words and professions of love he
reassured me, and I consented to go on with
him again.
Soon I learned the real character of
the man I had confided in. Instead of
being a traveling companion, I found
that I was to be a slave and a beggar,
and a slave too of a remorseless master.
My duties were soon taught me. They
were to perform any menial service he
directed and to procure the necessaries of
life - black Turkish bread and fruit — and
any articles of camp equipage to add to
our scanty stock by begging, or failing in
this, by theft. The latter was not unfrequently
resorted to. Indeed, all the food
we used on our route for many weeks was
what I obtained in these disreputable
ways under the guidance of my instructor
in morals. I was taught the next day
after my escape by an impressive lesson
that my own will must be subject to
his. Without giving me notice of his
intention he asked me into a pomegranate
forest off the road. He seized me, tied my
hands together round a tree, stripped my
clothing from my back, and on my bare
skin scourged me with whip which he
cut from the trees, and on which he left
the sharp knots, until the blood ran from
my wounds. I asked him what I had done
to deserve a whipping. He said that "whipping
does boys good, whether they have done
anything or not." During the scourging,
between the blows, he recalled to me facts in
our past intercourse in the navy and in
New York when I had offended him. When
he had concluded, he comforted me by saying:
"I think you are a good boy, just
the one I want for a companion. We will
let the matter drop for I am satisfied."
Each day Stanley made new revelations of
his character. They convinced me that he
was capable of any crime. When we were
fifteen miles distant from Chihisar, a squalid
mountain hamlet about 300 miles from
Smyrna, Stanley remarked that their cheap
horses would not hold out much further,
and to make better progress we must have
new horses. Perceiving a Turk in advance
of us in possession of two horses, he said
to me, "I am going to have those horses,
and to help me get them, I want you to do
as I tell you." Cook was some distance in
the rear, and not within sight. We overtook
the Turk, who was leisurely riding
one horse and leading the other. Stanley,
who had learned some of the language, soon
engaged the Turk in conversation. As he
related it to me he asked tho Turk if he
didn't want to buy a girl, and represented
that I, though dressed in boys' clothing, was
really a girl. The Turk approached me,
and Stanley following him seized a favorable
opportunity raised his sabre, and, with
all the force he could muster, struck the
Turk a blow on the head which I thought
would kill him. The Turk was staggered
by the blow, but did not fall. Two other
strokes followed in quick succession, and
then they closed, seemingly for a death
struggle. The Turk fought with desperation.
With a drawn dagger he tried to
reach the heart of his antagonist,
and soon seemed about to
obtain a mastery over him. Stanley struggled
to free himself, but finding he could not, he
called out to me, "Shoot him, Lewis; shoot
him or he'll kill me."
I raised the gun, leveled it at the Turk,
and pulled the trigger. That morning, after
shooting at a mark, Stanley had failed to
reload it, and by this fortunate omission I was
spared the guilt of shedding blood. Stanley
continued to cry out "Kill him! kill him!"
and then I approached them, clubbed the
Turk with the butt of the rifle, and Stanley
was again free. But to allow the Turk to
escape might hazard our own safety, and
Stanley rushed to his saddlebags, took out
his revolver and fired two shots at the
retreating Turk, then two or three rods
distant. He missed his mark, and the Turk
continued his retreat to the top of a sand
hill forty rods distant. Stanley mounted
one of the Turk's horses, and was about to
start. He hurriedly directed me to gather
up our blankets and utensils and to follow
him. Just at that moment Mr. Cook came
up, and with a cry, "Ho, for the mountains,"
Stanley galloped off, Cook following.
As quick as possible, I gathered up what
things I could and mounted the remaining
horse. I galloped off after Stanley and Cook,
who had left the highway and moved to the
south toward the mountains. We ran our
horses a distance of fifteen miles, when they
were exhausted and we were compelled to
encamp for the night.
But in the meantime the Turk had not
been idle. He collected a force of eight or
ten men and started in pursuit, and just
before dark, when Stanley thought that all
was safe, we were startled by the yells of
the Turks, who captured us, bound us with
lariats, conveyed us to Chihissar, and there
held us prisoners for four or five days, during
which we were subjected to cruel
torture. Each day we were drawn up over the
limbs of trees by ropes and lariats around
our necks to compel us to give them money.
At other times they laid our heads on blocks
and sharpened knives before us, and by
signs made us understand that we must give
them money or they would cut our throats.
But as we were penniless, of course we
could not accede to their demands. The
first night of our imprisonment I was taken
out by three of the Turks and treated in a
shocking manner. At last, tired of thus
torturing us to no purpose, the band took
us to Aflum-Kara-Hissar, a city about four
hours travel from Chihissar, where we were
again imprisoned, and a charge of highway
robbery preferred against us before the
Cadi.
But fortunately, the excess of our captors
in committing outrages upon us and
robbing us of what little we had — our arms,
our passports and blankets, and our few
extra garments — opened an avenue for our
escape, and Stanley's genius was quick to
take advantage of it.
When we were accused of robbery, Stanley
made a counter accusation, and said that
we not only had not robbed, but that we
had ourselves been robbed, and that the
truth of his statement could be verified by
examining the persons of our accusers. Sure
enough, underneath their garments were
found our papers and property, and the
Cadi was convinced that Stanley's story was
true. At once they were put under arrest,
and afterwards conveyed to Broussa, a
provincial city, nearly a day's journey from
Constantinople, where after some delay and
many adjournments, the Turks were
convicted of robbing us of our valuables and a
large amount of money which we never
possessed.
While the trial was pending at Broussa,
we went two or three times to Constantinople,
reaching there at first destitute of
means, ragged and forlorn. But Stanley's
genius was equal to the financial emergency.
He appealed to the Hon. E. Joy Morris,
American Minister to Turkey, and so fully
did he enlist the sympathies of that gentleman
in our behalf, that Mr. Morris
advanced from his private funds an amount
equal to several hundred dollars, Stanley
giving therefor a draft on his father, who,
he represented, was a wealthy merchant in
New York. The draft was forwarded for
collection, only to be returned protested,
and with the intelligence that no such man
as Henry Stanley's father could be found.
Stanley obliged me to sign a statement that
I had received one-third of the amount Mr.
Morris had advanced. But my third went
into Mr Stanley's pocket, and that is the
last I ever saw of it.
With a fictitious draft sent to America,
Stanley felt that the air of Constantinople
would not be conducive to his health. Without
waiting for Mr. Cook, who was still at
Broussa awaiting the termination of the
trial, we took a steamer for Marseilles,
France, and then proceeded to Liverpool.
Here he left me in the
house of an uncle and aunt of
his people in humble circumstances,
while he proceeded to Wales, where
he was born and where he had lived until at
the age of fifteen years he came to America.
It was from his relatives that I learned his
early history. His aunt told me that his
real name was John Rowland, and he was
so called by his relatives in my presence.
I frequently urged Stanley by letter to send
me means to reach home, but without
success and was unable to leave Liverpool
until I received means from my parents.
THE LIVINGSTONE EXPEDITION.
It was while I was at Liverpool that Stanley
spoke to me of Dr. Livingstone's
explorations in Africa.
The story of his travels he has told.
He may have succeeded in his search. If
he has not, he has the ingenuity to fabricate
a plausible story which will gain him a
passing fame. He is a ready and skillful
penman, and can write in many styles.
To sum up his character, Stanley is a
daring adventurer, bold and unscrupulous,
but intelligent and specious. In disclosing
his infamy to the world, I have but a single
object and purpose, and that is, as far
as I can, to prevent the subjection of
others to the outrage and wrong I was
compelled to submit to at his hands. More
than once he has threatened to kill me if I
exposed him. With his cruel and revengeful
nature I believe he would not hesitate
to carry his threat into execution, if a
favorable opportunity occurred.
LEWIS H. NOE.
(1849-1931)
SAYVILLE, L. I., Aug. 16, 1872.
