The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1879-02-19

about 200 pounds. His head was nearly
bald, and showed scar on one side, which
he said was a sword wound received in bat
tie, and his face was slightly marked with
small pox. Mr.. Ney was a good scholar, and
possessing the rare faculty of easily inpart-
ing knowledge to the young, be was regarded
as q frst rate teacher. He was q splendid
Mathematician, and seemed TO take great
pride in working out difficult problems. His
hand writing, (many specimens of which
have been shown me by Mrs. Dalton) was
simply magnificent, Astounding in all kinds
of grand and difficult flourishes. Mr.. Ney
was an expert fencer, and taught his male
pupils the art. and after school duties were
over he would fence with them for hours,
seeming never to tire of the SPORT AS a
teacher he was very strict, and was regarded
by his patrons as the best disciplinarian OF
his day, but at the same time he was very
popular with his students, all of whom
loved and revered him, and, to use the Ian
guage of one of them, would have fought
for him and died for him if it had been
necessary"
He spent his leisure hours in reading and
writing, and would occasionally furnish ar.
ticles for the press He took large number
of leading newspapers, and read them most
attentively. 1t was his custom to sit up
quite late at night, only sleeping four to six
hours in the "a. When questioned by his
rural friends in regard TO this Ito them
strange habit, he said he acquired it in camp
while IN the army. He was always reticent
when with strangers, and rarely, if ever.
spoke of his connection with the French
army, even to his intimate friends, unless
(as was often the case) the hinges of his
tongue were loosened by an extra glass of
wine or brandy, when his characteristic re-
serve would be thrown off; but even then he
manifested no boastful disposition, merely
speaking sometimes of the grand army and
the part he had borne in its campaigns.
ANOTHER VERSION OF THE EXECUTION
On one occasion, when he had become
very much intoxicated, he narrated to Col
onei Thomas F. Huston, brother of Mrs.
Dalton, all about the famous retreat from
Moscow, amid tne SHOWS and across the riv-
| ers upon ice; how the ice bridge gave way
under his men, and drowned many of them;
how they persisted from hunger and cold;
bow the Cossacks hung upon his rear and
| TANKS, cutting off his men and slaughtering
| those who, from cold and exhaustion, strag
! gled away and lay down in the snow TO die;
how he marched on foot with his brave
men, and finally brought up the famous
rear guard with only a few hundred,
and how Napoleon embraced him
and called him 'the bravest OF
| thu brave At another time, when
he was lying on a bed under the influence
of liquor, he mumbled to himself the cir
cumstances of his supposed execution. He
said it was not true that he wss executed.
1t was true, however, that he was SEN
| fenced and was taken out to be shot, but the
| men who had been detailed to do the bloody
| work were soldiers of his command, and
they had been secretly told to ''aim high"
| He refused to have his eyes bandaged and
| took his position in front of the platoon and
| ga the command to- FIRE." himself. They
| fired above him, but he fell and was pro
nounced dead by the attendant physicians,
| who were in the conspiracy, when his body
| was at once turned over to his friends and
4 secretly conveyed TO Bordeaux, from whence
he sailed to America, landing at Charleston
on the 29th of January, 1916.
coRRRoBoRATIvE TESTIMONY.
A few years since Colonel Huston, who
| heard the above, met in the West where he
now lives, Frenchman, who related to him
the following strange story: Said the French
man, Il once belonged to Marshal News
command, and after the fall of Napoleon and
CAPTURE of Ney l deserted the French
army, and, making my way to Bordeaux
in December, 1915. shipped as a seaman on
board vessel bound for Charleston. When
several Gays out noticed a man on board
whose appearance struck me forcibly, and
| thought knew him. / tried for several days
to determine who it could be, and at last il
! flashed across my mind that it was my old
commander, Marshal Ney. sought the first
opportunity to satisfy myself and the next
/ time the mysterious parsonage came on deck
| accosted him and told MIN thought
knew him. He replied, Whom do you
rink | amp ] said, My old commander
Marshel Ney.' In very gruff tone he re-
| spouoeu, 'Marsnel Ney was shot at PARIS
SIR and then, abruptly turning upon his
| heel, he went TO his caoin and | saw him no
more, though we were IS days reaching
! Charleston" This Frenchman's name was
4 Philip Petrie, and he was living two year:
ago. If he is still living, which is probable,
| he is an inmate of the Soldiers Home either
at Evanston. H., Detroit, Mich, or Mil
wsukee, Wis.
! NEYs SUPPOSED WRITINGS.
Mr.. Ney was stenographer. and 1t is be.
lieved that the many letters which he wrote
| to France were penned IN shorthand. Ger
| tain it is large quantity ofmanuscript thus
| write N was found among his effects when
4 he died, most of which, unfortunately, have
been lost without having been translated.
He had a large correspondence with persons
| in France, receiving many letters from there,
all of which, it appears, were remailed to
him from some point in New jersey, the
name of which place my informant has for
gotten. The following verse, written in
Ney's hand, was found among his effects:
Oblivion is the common lot
/ OF common men-they die forgot;
He who would live in memory warm
Must do much good, or do much harm.
! Fame lifts her voice alone on high
For those who fill the public eye;
4 Down in the brief ephemeral tide,
Sinks every manikin beside.
Immediately beneath the above lines il
the following note also in his bold hand
writing:
AS written In letter to J. T.. Poellintz, 9Th
May, lS2S, from Abbeville, Va.
VISIT OF MYSTERIOUS STRANGER.
Mrs. Dalton has related to the Herald
| representative an account of the visit of q
mysterious young man to her fathers house
where Ney boarded. 1t was at q time when
the house was filed with company, and
young man rode up to the gate and hall0oed
When Mr. Huston (Mrs. Daltons father
went ont the young man asked the privilege
of staying all night He was told that, the
house being crowded, he could not be &C
commodated, but he insisted. and said hs
his horse being tired and completely worr