St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-01-22

Peter the Red" by his soldiers. This
name of 1.-THE Red" and his other title
of the Red Lion" were given Ney be-
cause of his fiery red complexion and
hair. The same red complexion and
hair were noticeable characteristics OF
Peter Ney, the school teacher.
NapOle0n'S death was a great grief to
the schooimaster. He always admitted
having been in NapOleon's army, and
held firmly to the belief that Napoleon
would escape from st. Helena as he
had done from Elba. After the death
of Napoleon it appeared the dream OF
Peter Ney's life to see the young Ma
pOleOn on the imperial throne from
which the father had been driven.
When, therefore, the death Of the
Young Napoleon occurred in 1882 all the
hopes of Peter Ney we're blasted. and
those who knew him at the time say that
his grief was terrible. For three weeks
he lay dangerously i'll with fever and
delirium. and when he finally recovered
he declared again and again:
My life is ended"
Peter Nev Is described by those who
knew him as a most I0vable and eX-
rmDlary man. but he had one great
fault: lie would occasionally drink to
excess.
Upon one occasion he became over
come with drink and lay down by the
roadside to sleep. Some friends laid
him on the back of horse to take him
nome. Waking up, New cried with IL
dgnation:
''Whatl Put the Duke of EIchingen
on horse like a sack. Put me down at
once.
Ii will be remembered that Marshal
/ Ney hrld that title.
But most remarkable of all were Peter
] Ney's words upon his deathbed. Loving
friends had gathered about his bedside
! when one of them said to him:
Before you die, Mi. Ney, tell Us who
you are"
With the stamp of death upon his
| brow. and the light fast fading from his
brilliant eye, Peter Ney said slowly and
decidedly:
Il am, or was. Marshal Ney of
| France and in very short time was
/ dead.
But history says that on the morning
/ of Dec. Z, 1915. Marshal Ney was taken
/ to the Luxembourg gardens. there shot
! by squad of soldiers. his body taken to
| the Hospital Maternitie. near by, and
/ buried that night. Hon. Quentin Dick
! bv chance witnessed the supposed eX-
! ecutiuu and wrote an account of it in
| his memoirs.
In this account he said that about that
| time he had lodgings overlooking the
Luxembourg gardens, and that on the
morning Of the execution his servant
! came INTO his room to inform him that
! some one was to be shot in the garden
below. HuTrying out. he saw 4 squad
| of soldiers loading their guns, and few
minutes later Marshal Ney arrived in
a carriage. stepped out. faced the
soldiers, was fired upon at once,
fell. and was Immediately picked UP.
placed III the carriage and driven to the
hospital, the whole time from the arri-
val OF the carriage until its departure
not exceeding three minutes. This ac-
count is very suggestive. In the first
place, it must be remembered that the
squad who shot at Ney belonged to his
old command. and no man was ever
| loved by his soldiers more than the
| "bravest of brave" In the second place.
! soldiers loaded their own guns. a usage
! entirely contrary to the military rule
! then as well as now, which is that the
guns must be loaded by the non-com-
| miSSiOned officer III command OF the
| squad, one gun to be loaded with 4
| blank cartridge. Again. it was the mil
| ilary rule in force at the time that the
| bodies OF those executed should lie for
fifteen minutes after being shCt without
| being touched or disturbed.
! An account of the execution was pub
| liShed at the time by the London papers
| from Paris correspondent. who cor
roborates Dick in every particular.
| Neither OF these accounts intlmates ahY
| belief that Ney had escaped, and it IS
| probable that the idea never occurred TO
! either of The writers. Sir William Fra
! zier III his Words on Wellington"
| quotes these accounts. together with
many other facts. and states as his de-
Hberate opinion that Marshal Ney was
not shot Yet Frazier had never head
Of Peter Ney.
AS has been said before, the facts