The Foreign Service Journal, May 2020

52 MAY 2020 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL a considerable amount of treasure acquired during their travels. According to the Aug. 22, 1877, edition of the Argus & Patriot , “their costly goods and baggage fairly surprised the neighbors … as they were unloaded in front of his father’s residence from the extra wagon that brought them into the valley. Among the goods were 100 silk parasols, a large number of silk dress patterns, 200 canes cut from different kinds of wood that grew upon the Island, [and] also numerous curiosities of various kinds.” During their stay, the consul and his wife attended church and “outshone all in elegance and style of dress.” According to the now-defunct Vermont newspaper, Mr. Prentis explained that his wealth derived from his wife, the “daughter of a millionaire, who had given them $8,000 to make their trip.” It is possible that Louisa’s father, the ship captain, had amassed such wealth from commer- cial dealings in the Seychelles. In retrospect, perhaps Prentis should have for- gone the ostentatious displays, however, and kept a lower profile. Instead, his presence in Vermont drew the attention of one Mrs. Sarah Thayer, a widow of about 35 years of age, whom the papers described as of small means, who worked for a living and who was highly esteemed in the community and of fine appearance. She also, apparently, had a long memory and held a grudge. It seems that prior to departing in 1871 for his assignment in the Seychelles, Prentis had made certain promises to Mrs. Thayer; or, at the least, Mrs. Thayer had an understanding that there was an arrangement. In any event, Mrs. Thayer filed suit, claiming $5,000 in damages for breach of promise. Prentis was arrested; and when his father refused to bail him out, he turned to his brother and two friends for the money. No doubt anxious to settle the matter so that he could resume his consular duties, he eventually came to an agreement with Mrs. Thayer, and the suit was dismissed. One account has Prentis paying the aggrieved widow $1,000; but another, in the Argus & Patriot of Dec. 12, 1877, disputes this, stating that although Prentis called on Mrs. Thayer, the discontinuance of the suit “was entirely voluntary upon the part of Mrs. Thayer,” and no money was paid. The official court record indicates that the suit was “discontin- ued, without cost.” The other incident occurred in December 1884, while Prentis was on leave from his assignment in Port Louis, Mauritius. During a visit to New York City, he engaged in a pub crawl and, according to The New York Times , eventually ended up in a dive bar on Front Street. After downing several drinks, he met four young men who regaled him with tales of the city and offered to show him around the metropo- lis. As the evening wore on, the hapless consul became quite inebriated, and his new friends took advantage of his condition, relieving Prentis of a gold watch and chain, $67 in cash and a solitaire pin. There is no honor among thieves, however, and a quarrel ensued over the plunder, resulting in the death by stab- bing of one of them. Some of the stolen property was later found on one Thomas Tobin, a newsboy. Mrs. Prentis had a close-up view of the events unfolding, as the rear windows of her residence faced Mt. Pelée, looming just four miles away. COMPLETESTORYOFTHEMARTINIQUEANDST.VINCENTHORRORS, 1902 Consul Thomas Prentis, his wife and their two daughters all perished in the 1902 eruption of Mt. Pelée. COMPLETESTORYOFTHEMARTINIQUEANDST.VINCENTHORRORS, 1902 The U.S. consulate in Martinique in about 1900.