Louis de Rougemont
Encyclopedia
Louis De Rougemont was a would-be explorer who claimed to have had adventures in Australasia
.
"De Rougemont" was born Henri Louis Grin in 1847 in Gressy, Vaud, Switzerland. He left home at the age of sixteen. He became a footman to the actress Fanny Kemble
, servant to a Swiss banker de Mieville in 1870 and a butler for the governor of Western Australia
Sir William Robinson
. In the latest job he lasted less than a year.
He tried various ventures with very little success. He worked as a doctor, a 'spirit photographer' and an inventor. He also married and abandoned a wife in Australia.
In 1898 he began to write about his invented adventures in the British periodical "The Wide World Magazine
" under the name Louis De Rougemont. He described his alleged exploits in search of pearls and gold in New Guinea
and claimed to have spent thirty years living with Indigenous Australians
in the Australian outback
. He claimed that the tribe with whom he had lived had worshipped him as a god
. He also claimed to have encountered the Gibson expedition
of 1874.
Various readers expressed disbelief in his tales from the start, for example, claiming that no one can actually ride a turtle
. De Rougemont had also claimed to have seen flying wombat
s. The fact that he could not place his travels on the map aroused suspicion. Readers' arguments in the pages of London newspaper, the Daily Chronicle
, continued for months.
Rougemont subjected himself to examination by the Royal Geographical Society
. He claimed that he could not specify exactly where he had been because he had signed a non-disclosure agreement with a syndicate that wanted to exploit the gold he had found in the area. He also refused to talk about Aboriginal languages he had supposedly learned. Still his supporters continued to find precedents to his exploits.
After September 1898 Daily Chronicle announced that a certain F.W. Solomon had recognized De Rougemont and identified him as Louis Grin who had presented himself at Solomon's firm as an entrepreneur
. Grin had collected tidbits for his exploits from the Reading Room of the British Library
. Edwin Greenslade Murphy
had helped to expose him.
Grin tried to defend himself by writing a letter to The Daily Chronicle, using his original name, in which he expressed his consternation that anybody would confuse him with Louis De Rougemont. Daily Chronicle was very willing to publish the letter. The Wide World Magazine just exploited the situation and prepared a Christmas double issue. Sales of both papers increased greatly. De Rougemont himself disappeared from the public view.
During 1899 Grin travelled to South Africa
as a music-hall attraction: 'The greatest liar on earth'; on a similar 1901 tour of Australia, he was booed from the stage. In July 1906 De Rougemont appeared at the London Hippodrome
and successfully demonstrated his turtle-riding skills. During World War I
he reappeared as an inventor of a useless meat substitute. He died a poor man in London
on 9 June 1921.
It was said of the would-be adventurer:
Australasia
Australasia is a region of Oceania comprising Australia, New Zealand, the island of New Guinea, and neighbouring islands in the Pacific Ocean. The term was coined by Charles de Brosses in Histoire des navigations aux terres australes...
.
"De Rougemont" was born Henri Louis Grin in 1847 in Gressy, Vaud, Switzerland. He left home at the age of sixteen. He became a footman to the actress Fanny Kemble
Fanny Kemble
Frances Anne Kemble , was a famous British actress and author in the early and mid nineteenth century.-Youth and acting career:...
, servant to a Swiss banker de Mieville in 1870 and a butler for the governor of Western Australia
Governor of Western Australia
The Governor of Western Australia is the representative in Western Australia of Australia's Monarch, Queen Elizabeth II. The Governor performs important constitutional, ceremonial and community functions, including:* presiding over the Executive Council;...
Sir William Robinson
William Robinson
William Robinson, or Will Robinson or Bill Robinson or other nicknames, may refer to:-Historical:* William Robinson , Quaker martyr* William Benjamin Robinson , Canadian fur trader and political figure...
. In the latest job he lasted less than a year.
He tried various ventures with very little success. He worked as a doctor, a 'spirit photographer' and an inventor. He also married and abandoned a wife in Australia.
In 1898 he began to write about his invented adventures in the British periodical "The Wide World Magazine
The Wide World Magazine
The Wide World Magazine was a British monthly illustrated publication which ran from April 1898 to December 1965. It was resurrected in 2009 as WideWorld, an online publication headquartered in England and devoted to outdoor sport, adventure and offbeat travel.The magazine was founded by...
" under the name Louis De Rougemont. He described his alleged exploits in search of pearls and gold in New Guinea
New Guinea
New Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...
and claimed to have spent thirty years living with Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
in the Australian outback
Outback
The Outback is the vast, remote, arid area of Australia, term colloquially can refer to any lands outside the main urban areas. The term "the outback" is generally used to refer to locations that are comparatively more remote than those areas named "the bush".-Overview:The outback is home to a...
. He claimed that the tribe with whom he had lived had worshipped him as a god
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
. He also claimed to have encountered the Gibson expedition
Alfred Gibson
Alfred Gibson was an Australian explorer who died in an 1874 expedition organised by Ernest Giles that sought to cross the deserts of Western Australia from east to west...
of 1874.
Various readers expressed disbelief in his tales from the start, for example, claiming that no one can actually ride a turtle
Turtle
Turtles are reptiles of the order Testudines , characterised by a special bony or cartilaginous shell developed from their ribs that acts as a shield...
. De Rougemont had also claimed to have seen flying wombat
Wombat
Wombats are Australian marsupials; they are short-legged, muscular quadrupeds, approximately in length with a short, stubby tail. They are adaptable in their habitat tolerances, and are found in forested, mountainous, and heathland areas of south-eastern Australia, including Tasmania, as well as...
s. The fact that he could not place his travels on the map aroused suspicion. Readers' arguments in the pages of London newspaper, the Daily Chronicle
Daily Chronicle
The Daily Chronicle was a British newspaper that was published from 1872 to 1930 when it merged with the Daily News to become the News Chronicle.-History:...
, continued for months.
Rougemont subjected himself to examination by the Royal Geographical Society
Royal Geographical Society
The Royal Geographical Society is a British learned society founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical sciences...
. He claimed that he could not specify exactly where he had been because he had signed a non-disclosure agreement with a syndicate that wanted to exploit the gold he had found in the area. He also refused to talk about Aboriginal languages he had supposedly learned. Still his supporters continued to find precedents to his exploits.
After September 1898 Daily Chronicle announced that a certain F.W. Solomon had recognized De Rougemont and identified him as Louis Grin who had presented himself at Solomon's firm as an entrepreneur
Entrepreneur
An entrepreneur is an owner or manager of a business enterprise who makes money through risk and initiative.The term was originally a loanword from French and was first defined by the Irish-French economist Richard Cantillon. Entrepreneur in English is a term applied to a person who is willing to...
. Grin had collected tidbits for his exploits from the Reading Room of the British Library
British Library
The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom, and is the world's largest library in terms of total number of items. The library is a major research library, holding over 150 million items from every country in the world, in virtually all known languages and in many formats,...
. Edwin Greenslade Murphy
Edwin Greenslade Murphy
Edwin Greenslade Murphy, , was an Australian journalist and poet....
had helped to expose him.
Grin tried to defend himself by writing a letter to The Daily Chronicle, using his original name, in which he expressed his consternation that anybody would confuse him with Louis De Rougemont. Daily Chronicle was very willing to publish the letter. The Wide World Magazine just exploited the situation and prepared a Christmas double issue. Sales of both papers increased greatly. De Rougemont himself disappeared from the public view.
During 1899 Grin travelled to South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
as a music-hall attraction: 'The greatest liar on earth'; on a similar 1901 tour of Australia, he was booed from the stage. In July 1906 De Rougemont appeared at the London Hippodrome
Hippodrome, London
The Hippodrome is a building on the corner of Charing Cross Road and Leicester Square in the City of Westminster, London. The name was used for many different theatres and music halls, of which the London Hippodrome is one of only a few survivors...
and successfully demonstrated his turtle-riding skills. During World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
he reappeared as an inventor of a useless meat substitute. He died a poor man in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
on 9 June 1921.
It was said of the would-be adventurer:
Further reading
- The adventures of Louis de Rougemont (stories from Wide World Magazine, volume 3, May 1899 & June 1899 , pp. 3–15 and pp. 115–131).
- Geoffrey Maslen: The Most Amazing Story a Man Ever Lived to Tell (1977)
- Rod Howard: The Fabulist: The Incredible Story of Louis De Rougemont (2006)
- Donald Marguiles: Shipwrecked! An Entertainment: The Amazing Adventures of Louis de Rougemont (As Told By Himself) (2007)
External links
- The Adventures of Louis de Rougemont from Project GutenbergProject GutenbergProject Gutenberg is a volunteer effort to digitize and archive cultural works, to "encourage the creation and distribution of eBooks". Founded in 1971 by Michael S. Hart, it is the oldest digital library. Most of the items in its collection are the full texts of public domain books...