Louisiana capitolian. (Baton Rouge, La.) 1879-1881, 1881-03-17

| ~ ldi WIN pSApoho Ill
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;
J He who wonld live i'll memory warm
! Must do much good or do much harm.
Fame lifts her voice alone on high
For those who I'LL the public eye;
Down in the brief ephemeral tide,
Sinks every manikin beside
Immediately beneath the above lines
is the following note, also in his bold
handwriting: @
Aswritten in a letter to J. E. Poellintz,
sth May, 1888, from Abbeville, Va.
Mrs. Dalton has related to the Herald
representative an account Of the visit of
mysterious young man to her fathers
house, where Ney boarded. 1t was at a
time when the house was filled with
company and every room was occupied.
Near twilight young man rode up to
the gate and hallooed. When Mr.. Hus-
| ton (Mr. Dalton's father went out the
young man asked the privilege Of staying
all night. He was told that the house
being crowded he could not be accommO-
dated, but he insisted and said he was
willing to sleep Oh the floor, and that
his horse being tired and completely
worn out he could not possibly proceed
further. Mr.. Huston then told him if he
would suit himself to the circumstances
he might remain. The stranger thanked
him and went in. When the stranger
was conducted in to supper he took a
seat at the table opposite Ney, who was
occupying his usual seat. They glanced
at each other, and though not word
was spoken, it was evident to all present
that it was glance of recognition. I'm
mediately after tea these two, taking
their hats, left the house together and
were not seen by any Of the company
any more that night. An old negro man,
servant of Mr.. Huston, reported that
he saw the two, near midnight, sitting
behind straw stack in q field, near the
house, in close conversation, and though
unobserved by them, he could hear them
distinctly, but could not understand q
word they said They stranger ordered
his horse early the next morning and
left. Mr.. Ney remained in his room all
that day reading and writing.
Ney's conduct when he heard of the
death of Napoleon's son, the Duke of
Reichstadt June, 1882, was, to say the
least oft, curious. He first received the
intelligence through aprivate letter from
New Jersey, which was handed to him
one afternoon during school hours. He
read the letter and arose arose from his
seat, threw the letter to the floor, stamp
ed upon it, took other papers from his
pocket, tore them in shreds, strobe viO-
lently up and down the floor and other
wise acted almost as maniac. This
conduct of course frightened the school
children, and Mrs. Dalton, then school
girl, went to him and asked what was
the matter. Placing his right hand on
his forehead and gazing into vacancy he
said in a dramatically melancholy tone,
"The Prince Imperial is dead and my
hopes are blasted.' He dismissed the
school, saying there would be no session
until the following week. He then went
to his room and destroyed large mum
Der of private papers, and for several
days his conduct was such that his
friends feared he would commit suicide.
Three years later he wrote the following
lines in Mrs. Dalton's album, which /
have been permitted to copy:
GONE WITH THE GLoRlEs, GONE.
Though / of the chosen the choicest,
To fame gave her loftiest tone;
Though I mong the brave was the bravest,
My plume and my baton are gone.
My eagle that mounted to conquest
Hath stopped from his altitude high
A prey TO vulture the foulest
No more to revisit the sky.
One sigh to the hopes that have persisted,
One tear to the wreck Of the past,
One look upon all have cherished
One lingering look-'tis the last.
And now from remembrance Danish
The glories which shone in my train;
Oh vanish, fond memories, vanish;
Return not to sting me again.
May &c, 1885. 2. S. NEY.
Although previous to the death of Ma
poleon's son he was frequently spoke of
returning to France he was never after
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