Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1876-10-04
NAPOLEON AT ST. HELENA.
Interesting "reminiscences of an Old Vet
eran 49, NapoIeon's Imprisonment and

eran Napoleon's Imprisonment and
Death. H IA. 6h ~
An old soldier, who. served as one of
the guard over Napoleon at ST. Helena,
has related the Following interestirg 4
story to writer in the London Times.
The veteran served under Sir Hudson
Lowe, and says:
Sir Hudson loves headquarters were
at mile and a half's distance from
Napoleons. A captain either of the
Goth Of Of the Goth regiment was al
ways stationed inside B6ney's COM
pound, and it was his duty to see him
once every day. Boney knew this was
the case, and while he would not re-
port himself. he would give him op-
portunities of seeing him, unless he
was sulky. He was very, sulky some
for or several Sc days. The. captain on the
watch would signal accordingly; and
after two or three days Sir Hudson
would come riding up with his staff,
ring the bell, and ask: $50 u i|5I 1T
I l"IWhere is Napoleon?p aga 81 atdi
! go"In his study" bat1aups aJ 1oa b0u5o|
u'NTell him [ want him." ASA sad If u
| Perhaps after time he would show
| himself without coming to the govern
or.
At the beginning Of the year 1921 Sir
| Hudson sent Napoleon orders to &C.
cupy four rooms which were completed
in the, new State Prison. Napoleon,
with his generals, came and looked at
the APP srtm ents, and said las was re-
quested) >" / am ordered by Hudson to
occupy This place, but [ will never live
q day in it," He returned to his old
quarters, and next day reported him
self sick to DR.. Arnott, the physician of
our (2Oth) regiment. He a was never
seen afterward by any guard or sentry;
never, IN fact, came out from his house
again till he was brought out to his
grave about seven weeks afterward. I
was one Of the twelve who carried him
to his grave, a mile and half distant,
perhaps rather more from his house.
A lieutenant Of our regiment (Lieut.
bConnor, and a, sergeant under him,
commanded the funeral party. The
body was laid in q shell of tin, this
placed in leaden coffin, and this in a
mahogany covered with superfine- black
cloth. Mr.. Darlan (storekeeper) told
lie that 1000 yards of black cloth valu-
ed at 3 guinea yard, were employed
i to drape the three weeping willows
which were at the spot at which he had
requested to be buried. The small
spring at which he procured his drink
ing water was at the same SPOT. A
Chinaman had been employed, at dol
: lar a day, to fetch each morning two
), silver goblets Of water, holding pint
and half each. The whole garrison
was in attendance at the funeral. All
had passed through his chamber previ-
ously as he lay in state.
"Boney was the latest man I ever
), saw; the calves of his legs, and his
cheeks too, you might see them shake
!, as he was walking, and yet he had not
the ruddy, healthy look our people
had. He would carry a stick, about
as thicktas my walking stick, with an
iron spud at the end, and if he saw a
weed he would always spud it up, any
where he went. Four nights out of
seven was on sentry, and would fall
asleep while walking, and stray off the
path; and then my hair would stand on
end with fright and raise my. cap, for I
knew if [ were caught mapping [ was
safe for three hundred lashes. I have
heard en- say that their suferings
from want Of rest In st. Helena were
more trying to them than the hardships
of campaign. ,....I. ..,,
: "Napoleon died on the 5th Of May
1921. Two priests we're in attendance.
We who had to lift the body were not
allowed TO touch the coffin until priest
had sprinkled us with holy water. We
started at three o'clock. The coffin
was very heavy. We carried it sig at a
time, and the, men that were lowest
down in carrying him suffered all the
4 punishment I was one of these. All
the garrison was assembled about the
Emperor's quarters and followed him
to the grave. the bands playing dead
march. It was reported that Napoleon
had requested to be buried with the
honors Of royalty, twenty one guns; but
the governor ordered nineteen guns to
be fired, the number assigned to gen
eral. We carried the body where a
cart with oxen could not go; but in
certain parts of, the distance the men
were relieved, and the body drawn upon
a cart. The Roman Catholic priests
who had been IN attendance on MIN
! conducted the funeral service. The
! actual funeral took place at about 6 P. M.
Nine or ten of us had been en-
ployed for three days in excavating in
the rock a cavity seven feet deep and
eight feet square. The rock was blast
| ed, and where the powder had made
the sides uneven it was filled in and
the cavity smoothed all around. In
the cavity thus made by sappers and
miners, assisted by my own labor and
that of others, .fagstones were inserted
in the rock and formed into case or
box, which received the coffin. The
coffin was covered over with a large
! fagstone, and the four corners were
& bored and filled in with melted lead,
which fastened them firmly together.
The remainder of the excavation was
4 filed In with the rubble and leveled,
| and a mound resembling common
grave raised above it. An iron pail
sading was placed round, and sentry
kept over it mig ht and day until all the
/ traOps were Withdrawn Thav unro