Anecdotes of public men; by John W. Forney.

366 ANECDOTES OF PUBLIC MEN.
LXXXIV.
HENRY WIKOFF, better known as " the Chevalier," was born
in Philadelphia, where he studied law and was admitted to
the bar. He must now be over sixty, though his adventures
would indicate him to be a much older man. He is living in
London at present, and is still a devoted adherent, of Louis
Napoleon, who has retired with Eugene and the Prince Imperial to Chiselhurst, some -twelve miles. from that great metropolis. Chevalier Wikoff is one of his constant attendants and
friends. His devotion to Louis Napoleon began more than a
quarter of a century ago. He visited him when he: was a prisoner at the Castle of Ham, in I845, three years before he was
mnade President of France, and wrote a: "biography and personal recollections" of him in 1849. Very near him when he
became Emperor, he enjoyed large advantages during the brilliant era between the coup d'~tat of I851 and the flight after the
fall of Sedan, in 1870. Once more an exile, Louis Napoleon
has no more devoted supporter than Wikoff. A.characteristic
of this citizen of the world is.his attachment to celebrated people. His early relations with Fanny Elssler, marked by a bitter quarrel with James Gordon Bennett, of the New York Heraid, closed in the warmest friendship with the veteran journalist,
which remained unbroken down to his death.
You might travel a long way before meeting a more pleasant
companion than the cosmopolite Wikoff. He has seen more
of the world than most men, has mingled with society of every
shade and grade, has tasted of poverty and affluence, talks several languages fluently, is skilled in etiquette, art, and literature,
and, without proclaimed convictions, is a shrewd politician, who
understands the motives and opinions of others. He has written several books in addition to the biography of his idol, Louis
Napoleon, including his strange experience with Miss Gamble,