Charles Monselet: Cursed Money (part four)

        Charles Monselet Cursed Money 1863           Chapter Two   The Last of the Plougastel     Nothing prevents our following the representative of Pomard, Issakof and Co., Constantinople, the man in the royal blue hat. Leaving the bookseller Jorry’s, he directed his long strides towards the gates […]

Catastrophe (part thirty-three)

Jean Hess La Catastrophe de la Martinique (thirty-three)                       The 21st, the crater still smokes a great deal. The 22nd, the mission departs and works as usual. We recognize, as was announced by the Suchet, that the city has changed in appearance. This time the […]

Catastrophe (part thirty-two)

Jean Hess La Catastrophe de la Martinique (part thirty-two)                       Monday, 5th. This morning, flat calm, detonations rare. The top of the mountain is covered in a clear, blue cloud. The neighboring houses appear all white. We hear noises like lava that boils and overflows. […]

Catastrophe (part thirty-one)

Jean Hess La Catastrophe de la Martinique (part thirty-one)                       Around one o’clock, we heard something like salvos of cannon fire issue regularly, that is to say, at equal intervals. This lasted about an hour and a half. That evening, M. Alain, director of the […]

Catastrophe (part thirty)

Jean Hess La Catastrophe de la Martinique (part thirty)                       “During the night of the 7th to the 8th, the occurrences redoubled in intensity. The women gathered in the salon, praying. We heard the volcano’s noise constantly. We could easily distinguish three sorts: intermittent explosions, […]

Catastrophe Extra

  From the Sheffield [England] Weekly Telegraph of May 4, 1918, is a curiosity worth preserving—a fictionalized and romanticized version of the “miraculous prisoner”, with a love interest added, and the race of the participants obscured. It’s interesting to imagine the closing months of WWI, an editor thinking about what will entertain his readers, possibly […]

Catastrophe (part twenty-nine)

Jean Hess La Catastrophe de la Martinique (part twenty-nine)                       It is important to say, because it would be odious to allow propagation of this absurd legend, of survivors imploring for help, and receiving none. Dedicated people—doctors, soldiers, police, the simple citizens—climbed through the ruins […]

Catastrophe (twenty-eight)

Jean Hess La Catastrophe de la Martinique (part twenty-eight)                       And we will linger no longer, discussing the improbable, the screamingly impossible. For me Auguste Sybaris produced, simply, the impression of a pillager surprised by fire, at work on a bit of premature safecracking. He […]

Charles Monselet: Cursed Money (part three)

        Charles Monselet Cursed Money 1863         Chapter One (continued) The Quai des Augustins     “And you are too indulgent. I’ve been watching you for some time, and it pains me to see how your carelessness in matters of trade increases by the day. I don’t speak of […]

Catastrophe (part twenty-seven)

Jean Hess La Catastrophe de la Martinique (part twenty-seven)                           Two Legends  The miraculous prisoner and the two gunners     Here is an extraordinary story—that of the prisoner, Auguste Sybaris. But I do not suppose M. Clerc believes it true, for M. […]