Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1876-10-13
The Death of the First Napoleon.

lie DedGn OF Gue I1FSG In dp0le0u.
The London Chimes" publishes the fol
lowing story told by an old soldier who was
one of the guards of Napoleon 1. at st.
Helena:
'Boney was the latest man [ ever saw:
the calves of his legs, and his cheeks too,
you might. see them shake as he was walk
ing, and yet he had not the ruddy, healthy
look our people had. He would carry a
stick, about as thick as my walking stick,
with an iron spud at the end, and if he saw
weed he would spud it up, anywhere he
went. -Four nights out of seven was on
sentry, and would fall asleep while walk
ing, and stray off the path; and then my
hair would stand on end with fright and
raise my cap, for 1 knew if I was caught
mapping I was safe for three hundred
| lashes. l have heard men say that their
suTerings from want of lest in st. Helena
were more trying to them than the hard
ships of campaign.
Napoleon died on the 5th of May, 1921.
Two priests were in attendance.-We who
! had to lift the body were net allowed to
touch the coffin until priest had sprinkled
US with holy water. Westarted at o'clock.
The coffin was very Eeavy. We carried it
six at a time, and the men who were low
est down in carrying him suffered all the
punishment. I was one of these. All the
garrison was assembled about the EN-
peror's quarters and followed him to the
grave, the bands playing a dead march. 1t
was reported that Napoleon had requested
to be buried with the honors of royalty
twenty-one guns; but the Governor order
ed nineteen guns to be fired, the number
assigned to d general. We carried the
body where a cart with oxen couldn't go;
but in certain parts Of the distance the
men were relieved, and the body drawn
upon cart. The Roman Catholic priests
who had been i'll attendance ON him con-
Quoted the funeral service. The actual fu-
neral service took place at about p. N.
I mime OF ten OF US had been employed
for three days i'll excavating in the rock
q cavity seven feet deep and eight feet
square. The rock was blasted, and where
the powder had made the sides uneven it
J was filled in and the cavity smoothed all
round. In the cavity thus made by sap
pers and miners, assisted by my own labor
and that OF others, fagstones were insert
ed in the rock and formed into case OF
box, which received the coffin. The cot.
fin was covered over with large 1agstone
and the four corners were bored and filled
in with melted lead, which fastened them
firmly together. The remainder of the ex.
cavation was filed in with the rubble and
levelled, and a mound resembling com.
mon grave raised above it. An iron pail.
sading was placed round and d sentry kept
over it night and day until all the troops
were Withdrawn. They were gradually
withdrawn, and our regiment left six
months after the funeral
''Sir Hudson Lowe was q man of very
kind and benevolent character, only strict
in duty. He never took the troops out fol
extra drill without giving them a pint OF
wine extra and Is, and the same if we
were called to ''King's work." wad- max.
ing, or what not.
1
II believe, il ever any man died broken.
hearted it was Boney. He had been low
spirited, and had not taken his usual exer.
else for.some time before he was ordered
to take up his quarters in the new State
prison. To be sure, it had the name of a
prison but 1 saw into the drawing room
and dining-room, and they were beautiful.
It was built by the sappers and miners and
and by 400 Cinnamon, and they were
all OF different trades.
''Mr. Darlan told me that Napoleon left
the funeral patty 1000 francs, but Sir
Hudson Lowe said that it was more than
he dared to grant It, Napoleon also would
have given to each man of our regiment a
gold chain to hold his picker and brush
but we were not permitted to accept it.
INTELLECT lies behind genius, which is
intellect constructive. Intellect IS the
simple power anterior to all action OF con.
| structiOn - Emerson