Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1881-08-06
WDKN AT WATERLOO
A. 5. Viilee, OF Lancaster, Presented will,
the Silver Spurs Used by his Father &c
Years Ago.

A. $. vMlee. OF Lancaster. Presented with
the Silver Spurs Used by his Father &c
Years Ago.
Sunbury Daily
After the battle of Waterloo in 1915, and
the overthrow OF the great NapOlean.
among the thousands of French refugees
who came ta this country to start anew
the lsstt!c OF life was Mr.. Fl. w. Villce. a
captain of artillery. Villce was y man Of
superior education. being i graduate OF the
world renowned military school Of Paris.
HIS family was good one and quite
wealthy. He joined the army when q
young man, about the year 1905, and was
at the battle of AusterlitZ. where Napoleon
gained one of his greatest victories. Villee
followed the eagles Of the empire into
Spain and Portugal, being connected with
the artillery most OF the time He left the
army after the Peninsular campaign, but
again joined the grand army in 1872, Oh
the most unfortunate Of all of Napoleon's
expeditions. the invasion of Russia He was
ut the burning Of Moscow and suffered all
the horrors Of that terrible retreat through
the SHOWS OF Russia. In 1914, after Ma
pOleOn had been sent to Elba, Villee took
the oath of allegiance to the new king.
Louis XVIII. On the return Of Napoleon
Fillee again joined the army. He was ap-
pointed captain OF artillery and took an
active part in the hundred days prepara-
tiOn. At Waterloo the French artillery did
excellent service, and Villee, like all tho
officers and men Of the French army, fought
with the valOr of desperation, but Ney and
the Old Guard, although never defeated
before. We're OverpOwered and annihilated
The map Of Europe was changed NapO-
leon was sent to die ut st. fIelen.. and the
Bourbon king. Louis XVIII. was placed
again on the throne Of France. Villec, ,hav-
ing broken his oath Of allegiance, was
forced to leave France, which he did,
saving, however, most Of his property.
Among the valuables, and possibly the
most valuable souvenir of his military life.
were the silver spurs lie wore at Waterloo,
which he brought with him. lie taught
school some time in Sunbury and afterwards
opened 4 hotel in the house now occupied
by George A. Sleedcr, ON Market Square.
Financially he did not succeed we'll he
lost his fortune (sOme $40, ,OOO) which he
had brought from France, in Ills various
business spcculations. About 1910 he
moved from Sunbury to the Mal,anOys
Before leaving Sunbury he was forced to
sell most of his property, and his silver
spurs, which he valued, possibly. above
anything Oh earth, he gave to Ebcn Green
nugh, esq, father Of VIM. |. GreonOugh,
esq, Of this place. as security for some
money advanced. Villce never redeemed
the spurs and they were placed in old Mr.
GrecnOugh's safe in !. pigeon hole, where
they were forgotten and lost sight Of.
Twenty years ago old Captain Villee died
in Jackson township. lie left several
children, who are all doing we'll in the
world. For some time past A. ). Nillee,
esd, one of the captains sons, and daugh
ter, Julia, Of Lancaster, the former being
superintendent of Il cotton factory in that
city, have been stopping ut the City hotel
in this place. This week. W. I. Green
Ough, esq.. havin. lost one set of the keys
to his safe by the burglars breaking into
his house on Friday night Of last week, has
been looking over his papers and removing
the valuable ones. In one of the back
pigeon holes of the safe he discovered the
old silver pair of French spurs. He re-
membered the circumstances of the case,
and sending for MIR. Villee he presented
the spurs to him. Mr.. Villee's gratitude
to Mr.. GreenOugh can be better imagined
than described, as the spurs arc Of price
less value TO him and to his children. Tho
finding Of tie spurs just ut the time Mr..
Eillec was here is one of those strange CO.
incidenccs in the worlds history that
often surprise us.