St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1884-03-24
MARSHAL NEY.
Evidence in Support of the Theory of
His American Birth.
A Confession of His Nativity--Mieh Ru-
dOlph's Flight.
Il Wonderf,tl Career.
kansas City Times1


hero of score of bloody battle-ields during
the time when the ''little Corsican upstart"
was wording his way to empire and conquer
ing the world. The story of this incident
and the advancement and achievements OF
Marshal Ney up to the time he was shot after
the fatal battle OF Waterloo are familiar mat
tiers of history.
But where did he come from? France has
for almost century claimed the honor OF
his birth. That he was an American, how
ever, of Swiss descent, is highly probable,
and can be proved by strong circumstantial
evidence.
Mrs. Garfield, widow of the late president
admits-nay, claims-that she is a descend
ant of Marshal Ney. This has given rise to
a number of very interesting discussions in
the press. few days ago Times represen-
tative heard very interesting story on this
subject, and the gentleman who is authority
for the story, and whose veracity is unim-
peachable, probably knows more about the
identity of Marshal Ney, and the manner of
his departure from America for France, than
any other living man.
Col. Mike Delaney, the gentleman referred
to, is about seventy years of age, although he
carries his three-score and ten years with the
agility of man of fifty. He was born and
reared in Washington, D. c., has been IA
miliar with almost all the public men of his
day, and has himself, for half a century, oc-
cupied various positions of trust under the
government.
Meeting the colonel the other day the re-
porter asked: Colonel, see the papers
are still discussing, at intervals, the iden tity
of Grand Marshal Ney, of France, as to
no or {ba
moter question of Mrs. Garfields descent
from him. Can you give me any informa-
ton on the matter!n
"Both propositions are true to the best OF
my knowledge and belief,n was the reply in
answer to the first interrogatory. 'Mrs.
Garfield was Miss Rudolph, and Marshal
Ney's right name was Michael Rudolph"
After many exchanges of compliments
and much importantly, Col. Delaney con-
tinued as follows: My knowledge of the
history of Marshal Ney was gained from men
who knew all about the circumstances over
fifty years ago. remember when l was a
boy hearing the story from DR.. Tobias Wat
kins, chief surgeon of the navy, stationed at
Norfolk in the war of 1912, and subsequent
ly. When John Quincy Adams took the
presidential chair in 1925, Dr. Watkins was
secured for the office of fourth auditor of the
treasury. He was one of the most learned
men of his day, highly accomplished in
belles-lettres and social graces, and l have
often seen and admired him at my fathers
house in Washington.
Nicholas Brewer, for over sixty years clerk
of the county court of Annapolis, Md.
also knew the Rudolph family, and should
the old archives of his court be searched,
doubtless many interesting facts concerning
the early history of the Rudolphs might be
brought to light.
Afterward | learned many facts concern
ing Marshal Ney, some of them CLEANED
from European battle-felds, and some of the
incidents occurring in Savannah, from which
port Michael Rudolph made his flight to
France, and some relating to Annapolis,
where Marshal Ney's brother lived for many
years. DR.. Watkins was native of An
napois. His account of the Rudolphs was
substantially as follows:
Somewhere in the latter part of the last
century, probably two decades before its
close, there lived near Annapolis, Nd,
family by the name Of Rudolph. The old
folks had come from one of the cantons of
Switzerland bordering on the French line,
many years before, and the boys Michael
and Nicholas, had probably been born in
this country. The family were well-to-do
and owned a considerable estate. A few
years after the war of the Revolution, Michael
then man well grown in years,
went south to Georgia with his wife and two
young sons, Victor and Adolph. He pur-
chased plantation near Savannah which
could then be bought for very little money,
and for time all went happily. But un-
happily for him Rudolph was compelled to
make long visit to the then French possess
sion of Louisiana. He loved his young wife
devotedly, and appears to have been of very
jealous disposition. On his return, after an
absence of several months, he discovered
that his wife was pregnant, the result,
as he thought, of criminal in
timacy with his overseer. The rage of
the jealous Rudolph knew no bonds. He
Immediately sought the overseer on the plan
tation, smashed in his SKULL broke his ribs,
pounded his face to a jelly, and left him for
dead. Without listening to word of ex-
PLANTATION from his wife he took his two sons,
collected few valuables, and fastened to
French ship in the harbor and was borne
away to the shores of France. Here he gave
himself the name of Ney, which it is said
means nothing, and for years his identity
was as completely concealed as if he were
dead
OF Nine. Rudolph nothing further is
known. She withdrew from the knowledge
of her friends, and it is doubtful if in after
years anybody ever discovered the place of
her retreat.
But history has ouear way of working out
her problems. We must now revert for a
short time to the career of Marshal Ney in
France, In France Ney joined the army,
and fought as private under the great
Napoleon. Egypt, Toulon, the reign of ter
ror, the consulate, MarengO, and Austerlitz,
the first empire and the one hundred d.vs
are some of the scenes of this stirring period
with which the young hero mus have been
familiar. His heart was broken by his wife's
supposed treachery and dishonor. His soul
fired with the ambition for military glory,
and he fought with the desperation of one
who courts death and who has everything to
win and nothing to lose in this life.
At that time very few of the French SOL
diers could write. During the heat of ter
rible battle, the story goes, Napoleon wanted
to send dispatch. For the moment all his
aides had left or had been separated from
him. He turned to a corps near him.
''Can any of you write!"
Private Ney touched his hat.
Come to my quarters"
Napoleon dictated a dispatch. AS the pri-
vate sat writing it a ball from the enemys
cannon tore through the tent and exploded
between the general and his improvised sec
rotary, blowing up the ground at their feet
1t covered the paper on which Ney was writ
ing the dispatch with sand and dirt. Ney
never looked up nor moved a muscle, but,
finishing the line, shook the sand from the
paper, and, handing it to Napoleon, said:
''They have saved me the trouble of sand
ing [blotting] the dispatch"
Napoleon could only gaze on the uncon
cerned young man with admiration, and ex-
claimed in the words at the head of this ar
ticle: 1.-THE bravest of the bravep'