Louisiana capitolian. (Baton Rouge, La.) 1879-1881, 1881-03-19
TWO STORIES IN ONE.
written for the Cecil Democrat by
George Johnston.
[coNTINuED FROM FIRST PAGE. I


furnish articles for the press. He took
large number of leading newspapers
and read them most attentively. 1t was
his custom to sit mp quite late at night,
only sleeping from four to six hours III
the twenty-four. When questioned by
his rural friends in regard to this (to
them strange habits he acquired 1t IN
camp while in the army, He was always
reticent when with strangers, and rarely,
fever, spoke of his connection with the
French army even to his intimate friends,
unless Gas was often the case) the hinges
of his tongue We're loosened by an extra
glass of wine or brandy, when his
characteristic reserve would be thrown
off, but even then he manifested no
boastfnl disposition, merely speaking
sometimes OF the grand army and the
part he had borne in It's campaigns.
On one occasion when he had become
very much intoxicated, he narrated to
Colonel Thomas +. Huston, q brother of
Mrs. Dalton, all about the famous retreat
from Moscow amid the SHOWS and across
the rivers upon ice; how the ice bridge
gave away under his men and drowned
many of them ; how they persisted from
hunger and cold how the Cossacks
hung upon his rear and TANKS, cutting
off his mon and Strengthening those who
from cold and exhaustion struggled 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 q few hundred, and how
Napoleon embraced him and called him
the brave of the brave" At another
time, when he was lying on bed under
the influence of liquor, he mumbled to
himself the circumstances ofhis supposed
execution. He said it was not true that
he was executed. 1t was true, however,
that he was sentenced and was taken out
to be shot, hut the men who had been
detailed to do the bloody work were
soldiers of his old 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 pla-
toon and gave the command to 'Fire"
himself. They fired above him, but he
fell, and was pronounced dead by the
attendant physicians, who were in the
conspiracy, when his body was turned
over ut once to his friends and secretly
conveyed TO Bordeaux, from whence he
sailed to American, landing at Charleston
on the 10Th of January, 1916.
A few years since Colonel Huston, who
heard the above, met in the West where
he now lives, q Frenchman who related
to him the following strange story Said
the Frenchman, 81 once belonged to
Marshal Ney's command, and after the
fall of Napoleon and capture of Ney |
desertedtbe French army, and, making
my way to Bordeaux in December, 1915,
shipped as u seaman on board a vessel
bound for Charleston. When several
DAYS ont noticed Il man Oh board whose
appearance struck me forcibly, and l
thought knew Tim. tried for several
days to determine who it could be and
mt last it flashed across my mind that it
was my old commander, Marshal Ney.
l sought the first opportunity to satisfy
myself, and the next time the mysteri-
Gus parsonage came on deck accosted
him and told him thought knew him.
He replied, Whom do you think | am 2
j said, My old commander, Marshal Ney.'
In very good tone he responded, MAR
shall Ney was shot in Paris, SIR and
then abruptly turning upon his heel,
he went to his cabin and | saw him no
more, though we were thirty-fve days
reaching Charleston" This Frenchman's
name was Philip Petrie, and he was liv-
ing two years ago If he is still living,
which is probable, lie is an inmate of the
Soldiers Home, either at Evanston, ILL.,,
Detroit, Mich, or Milwaukee, Wis.
Mr.. Ney was stenographer and it is
believed that many letters which he
wrote to France were penned in short
hand. Certain it is large quantity of
manuscript thus written was found
among his effects when he died, most of
which, unfortunately, has been lost
without having been translated. He had
large correspondence with persons in
France, receiving many letters from
there, all of which it appears were re-
mailed to him from some point in New
Jersey, the name of which place, my in.
formant has forgotten. 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
huSt Ia ,nnpb onnI nr ii N much harm