The state chronicle., 1893-04-11
Mr.. Weston's Lecture on Ney.

Charlotte Oh. erver.
Rev. J. A. Weston delivered his
intensely interesting lecture on
Marshal Ney at the City Hall last
night to an audience not at all COM
mensurate with the merits of the
lecture.
After brief biographical sketch
of the Marshal, the lecturer pro
ceeded to discuss the execution Of
Ney. He was convicted Of treason
| on December 6, 1915, aud sentenced
| to be shot at 6 o'clock Or shortly
| after the next morning. The official
report says Ney was shot by 60
veterans doubtless men he had led
to victory, said the speaker) in an
unfre quented part Of the yard of
the palace of Luxembourg. He
proceeded to within 8 PAGES of the
wall and crying out "Comrades,
straight to the heart, fire. he fell
dead. His body was exposed Is
minutes on the place Of execution,
as was customary.
Other reports by eye witnesses,
however, show that the body was
instantly covered with cloth and
carried away to the hospital. An
account by Sir William Frazer, NJ.
P, shows that Ney's own soldiers
loaded their own guns and fired at
him. While the off cial report went
to show that the face and body
were manglea, an eye witness said
al officer made a sketch of the mar
ehal after death and that Ney' S
countenance wore placid smile.
| Another body could easily have
been substituted for Ney's after the
sham execution, said Ar. Weston.
| Because of the lack Of space only
a little portion OF the lecture can be
reproduced by the OBSERVER.
| Marshal Ney four days after Wa
terloo expressed an intention OF
going to the United States. Peter
Stuart Ney told Mrs. Mary G. Dal
ton, who is still living in Iredell
that he whispered to his soldiers
"aim high" as he passed them go
ing to his place at the execution
He left Bordeaux for Charleston
and landed there in January, 1916
Three years be was in hiding ano
} preparing himself to teach.
Every characteristic of Peter S
Ney were shown by Mr.. Weston tt
have been possessed by Marsha
| Ney. Ney was called by his soldi
ers "Peter, the Red" Perha rs
this was the reason he assumed th'
name of Peter in this country. Hi
fathers name was Peter I'll
2 mother was descended from fam;
ly Of StuaTts.
: The iron frame Of the gratest 0
Napoleon's marshals could def
q wind and weather. Peter. s. Ne,
commonly made out wish four hour
sleep He never Sat near fire.
he was too fond Of his cups bu
no drunkard. He commonly dram
more after hearing bad news from
France.
d Peter S Ney wrote very goo
:. poetry. There is no record tha
/ Marshal hey ever did, but tha
!. doesn't prove he couldn't. TIL
! Marshal played the flute Peter
J. Ney owned and played costl
l. flute
q Peter S. Ney is known to hav
/ had every wound en- his personths
: the great Marshal had, except on
5 on the neck. His acquaintance
. cannot remember as to that. II
u had severe sabre wound on tn
o left side of his head, which he sal
E he received at Waterloo
IS Marshal Ney was the best fence
q in France; Peter S. Ney the best i
America. The latter told Burgess
Il Gather, of Davie county, that
V and Murat used to fence with eac
10 10 other in Napoleon's presence. Ma
81 shall Ney could speak English. A
10 expert told Mr.. Weston that tw
% specimens of the hadwriting of bot
~ the Marshal and Peter S. Ney we,
- undoubtedly the same. Both No.
/ were marked with the small pox.
. Peter Stuart Ney tainted in Il
10 school room at Darlington, S.
when the news of Napoleon's deaf
y reached him. He told Col. Ber
.. Rogers afterwards: with tt
e' death of Napoleon my last hope
III gone
l., He was recognized several tim,
81 81 by foreigners as Marshal Ney.
~ one Of these occasions at Statesvil
e' a German named Barr created
-, sensation by saying, There's Ma
~ shal Ney." On his death bed Pet
a' " 5. Ney solemnly affirmed, in tt
- presence of DR.. Matthew Lock al
~ others, that he was the FIen,
Marshal. He died in 1878, and W
20 buried at Third Creek.
y
is