# Colonel Japha — The Sword of Damocles character guide

> Colonel Japha in The Sword of Damocles by Anna Katharine Green.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Byron, Colonel

**First appearance:** 0029-xxiv-the-japha-mansion

## Snapshot

A shattered recluse who entrusts five thousand dollars to a young man he believes honest, never suspecting the temptation his trust has placed in desperate hands.

## Who they are

Colonel Japha lives in seclusion in the old Grotewell mansion, broken by the flight and degradation of his only daughter and opening his doors to few visitors, among them the narrator he liked and saw the makings of a considerable man in. Before sailing for Europe he places five one-thousand-dollar bills in that young man's hands as a trust for the daughter he has forbidden his house but cannot forget. His misplaced confidence becomes the hinge on which another man's fortune and guilt turn, making him the unwitting author of the novel's central moral crisis.

## Relationships

### [Jacqueline Japha](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_sword_of_damocles_se/characters/jacqueline_japha)

_family_

Colonel Japha is Jacqueline's father, protective of her but also using her for social and political gain.

### [Jacqueline Japha](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_sword_of_damocles_se/characters/jacqueline_japha)

_family_

Colonel Japha is Jacqueline's father, protective of her but also using her for social and political gain.

### [Jacqueline Japha](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_sword_of_damocles_se/characters/jacqueline_japha)

_family_

Colonel Japha is Jacqueline's father, protective of her but also using her for social and political gain.

## In the story

### [Book III: The Japha Mystery](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_sword_of_damocles_se/chapters/book-iii-the-japha-mystery)

Jacqueline's father, whose strictness and silence contribute to the family's enigmatic atmosphere.

### [The Japha Mansion](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_sword_of_damocles_se/chapters/xxiv-the-japha-mansion)

His death and the mansion's history are referenced, setting the stage for the mystery.

### [XXV: Jacqueline](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_sword_of_damocles_se/chapters/xxv-jacqueline)

Shown as a man of deep family affection, though outwardly strict and proud; he consents to Jacqueline's engagement with difficulty.

### [XXVI: A Man’s Justice and a Woman’s Mercy](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_sword_of_damocles_se/chapters/xxvi-a-man-s-justice-and-a-woman-s-mercy)

Delivers a stern ultimatum and curses Jacqueline when she chooses to leave with her lover.

### [XXVII: The Lone Watcher](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_sword_of_damocles_se/chapters/xxvii-the-lone-watcher)

Died bitter and unforgiving, leaving a curse on his daughter Jacqueline.

### [XXXIX: From A. To Z.](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_sword_of_damocles_se/chapters/xxxix-from-a-to-z)

Entrusts Sylvester with money for his daughter.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_sword_of_damocles_se/characters/colonel_japha
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_sword_of_damocles_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_sword_of_damocles_se/characters