The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-03-22

a very handsome man and proud of his looks,
although as brave as a lion.
Ney drew himself up to his full height, folded
his arms, declined to have his eyes bandaged,
and said:
Fire where you will. l have faced death too
often to fear it now"
Ready! aimn' A long level row of muskets
pointing at the doomed men. "Fire!" A streak OF
fire runs along the line, a puff of smoke, a re
port, and the soul of the brave Ney had gone to
Join its Maker.
Twenty five years ago this story of the judge
advocate was told to DR.. Earle, a learned savant,
of Philadelphia. DR.. Earle Travelled over many
battle fields in search of concerning
the life of Marshal Ney. He heard the Judge
advocates story. He learned from him that Ney
had said that he was an American and his right
name was Rudolph. The Doctor was convinced
that New had been in America. But where
could he find the Rudolphsl The French claimed
the honor of his birth. 1t remained for DR..
Earle to meet my informant, Colonel Delaney,
who had heard the story of the Rudolphs, or his
informantS. DR. Tobias Watkins or other resi-
dents of Annapolis during the times referred to,
if they were living, which they probably were
not. By accident, Colonel Delaney and DR..
Earle met in 1874 Colonel Delaney learned
that the Doctor had made extensive inquiries re
garding the career of Marshal Ney. The Colonel
knew the story of Michael Rudolph. The Doctor
knew the story Of Marshall Ney's death and his
confession to the judge-advoeate of his early
career, but his stern refusal to save himself by
CldlLll1S foreign citizenship. AlOlIltE lin lduI
been added to Colonel Delaneys evidence, and
he felt that it was about complete.
Two more incidents gave absolute proof and
all color of a wild, weird romance to this strange
story. | give them as my informant heard them
from the mouths of living witnesses.
In 1915, the French feet, commanded by DIES
taing, being hotly pursued by a superior English
fleet, made for the neutral waters of the United
States, and put into the harboP of Annapolis. A
number of French officers came ashore. Living
near the city was Nicholas Rudolph, the brother
of Michael, who had been lost to the family for
so many years, and the very counterpart OF his
brother. Tall and strongly built, with blue eyes
and a thick mass of red hair, he was walking
along the street, when suddenly a French naval
officer threw himself in his arms, and exclaimed:
'Cest lie grand marechal! Cest Marechal Ney!'
The French officers crowded around the aston
ished Nicholas Rudolph. He was the grand
Marechal Ney. When did he get to America!
1t took Rudolph a long time to convince them
that he was not the man, and even then they
were "of the same opinion still"
This was after the battle of Waterloo and on
the very day when the treaty of peace was
signed. But there was no submarine cable then,
no ocean steamships, and news travelled slowly.
The French knew nothing of Napoleon's escape
from Elba. Nothing of his triumphal march
through France and his defeat, ninety days after
ward, on the fatal field of Waterloo. The gen
uine Marshal Ney was even then a prisoner and
doomed soon to be shot as a traitor to the VIC
torious allies. The French thought they saw
Inc genuine MafSnal Ney ana IndI ne ndu Us
capped from France after Napoleon's abdication.
1t took honest Nicholas Rudolph some time
to get this through his head. and even
then it was hard to understand that he had been
mistaken for his brother Michael, who, as il now
known, had been fighting the battles of the
French empire so CALAMITY.
One more incident and the story is complete.
About 1920 two young men came to Savannah
and made inquiries concerning the whereabouts
of Nine. Rudolph. The city was full of French
exiles who had broken their parole. and only
managed to escape with their lives after the
great defeat at Waterloo. AS the young men
We're pursuing these inquiries they were met by
a French officer, an exile, who rushed to the ED
est, exelaiming, monsieur Victor! Monsieur
Victor Ney!'
The young men got away as quickly as they
could, and were seen no more. They were I'm
doubtedly in search of their mother, Madame
Rudolph, whom their father had abandoned for
her suspected inidelity over a quarter of a cen
fury before.
Such is the strange story of the career of
Michael Rudolph-Marshal Ney, and the facts
seem worthy of publication as a part of the IN
written history Of a great mana man who lived
in a time of the most stirring events-and who,
while his battles were fought under the eagles of
France, was still one of the greatest generals
which the American eagle ever nurtured under
/ her brOOdinO vino