Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-05-19
MARSHAL NEY IN AMERICA.
Did He Escape Death and Teach School
in North Carolina?

In the year Of 1922 there came to Davie
county, says Mocksville, N. C. letter to
the New York World, a man calling him
self Peter Stewart Ney, who possessed a
fine military bearing, had some means,
and gave such evidences of education as
to enable him to open and carry on a
school for boys during space of over
| twenty years.
He spoke French well, English broken
ly, was accomplished and skilled in the
use of the sword and all warlike weapons,
and his ability as a teacher has rarely
been equalled in these parts. He COM
manded the respect and gained the love
of his pupils to an eminent degree. A
long list of men noted as jurists and
| scholars, as soldiers and statesmen.
could be given who were taught by this
man, about whose life and manners there
was enough mystery to justify many re-
ports.
He lived in close intercourse with the
people of the neighbOrhOod of Mocksville
for twenty-five years: only once when
sOlAA and cool did he claim to be other
than what he appeared; on this occasion,
| overcome by the kindness of Mr.. HOus-
ton, with whom he then lived, who tried
to console him during his deep distress
on the accession of Louis Philippe to the
throne of France in 1880, he confessed
that he was in truth what many firmly
belieyed-that eminent parsonage, Mar
shall Ney. lie gave as a reason for his
coming to the backwoods of North Car
DINA that if he stayed near a city he
might have been recognized and assas-
sinated, besides bringing ruin on his
| friends in France, who had risked so
much in assisting him to escape. 1t was
currently reported that after the over
throw of Napoleon Ney. who was sup
| posed to have been shot for treason on
December Z, 1915, really only feigned
/ death and was saved by the collision of
| his old soldiers, who had been detailed to
/ shoot him that they fired blank cartridges
! and afterwards assisted him to escape
| to America, where he arrived in January,
| 1916.
There are some papers now in the pos
! session of a professor of note in this
| State, written by the veritable Ney. and
/ others by Z. ). Ney, of Davie. These have
| been compared by experts, who declare
that the same hand penned both.
When this poor schOolmaster heard of
| the death Of the Duke of Reichstadt,
| Nap0leOn's son, he burned great many
| papers and endeavOred to destroy his
sword, which he had always kept with
| him. He did break it, and it is probable
| that the hilt of that sword, Which added so
much to the victories of Napoleon in the
hands of the greatest cavalry leader the
| world has ever seen, is now in the posses
| sion of a North Carolina farmer.
| The great Ney had received a CHASTITY
| sabre cut on his forehead and his lower
limbs were wounded, having been run
! over by troop Of cavalry; thus Peter
| Stewart Ney always combed a lock of
hair over an unsightly scar on his forehead
and ii is known from reliable witnesses
that his lower limbs were terribly mashed
and SCARED.
Many statements, traditiOnsand written
evidences might be brought forward to
prove the identity of these two persons,
as well as the fact that while intoxicated
he frequently declared himself to be Ma
! poleOn's Marshal. He also had miniatures
Of Napoleon and of his son, the Duke of
Reichstadt. His correspondence was
chiefly carried on through the French
Consul at Norfolk. Peter Stewart Ney
came to America in January, 1916, and
died at the house of Mr.. Osborne Ford in
the latter part Of 1916. He was buried
in Third Creek churchyard, in Rowan
county, and neat stone placed over his
grave.