The state chronicle., 1893-05-24
MARSHAL NEY.
Mr. Weston's Interesting Lecture Last
Night at Metropolitan Hall.

Mr. Weston's Interesting Lecture Last
Night at Metropolitan Hall.
A select and cultured audience
assembled in Metropolitan Hall last
evening to hear Rev. Mr.. Weston
in his lecture on Marshal Ney. The |
audience was composed largely OF
ladies. Capt. S. A. Ashe introduced
the lecturer.
Mr.. Weston prefaced his remarks
by thanking the audience for their
presence. He paid high tribute
to Ney as a great soldier
and leader. He declared that Stone
wall Jackson was the only one who
compared to him. He spoke Of Ma
poleon's unbounded confidence IN
Ney, and said that he was the right
arm of the great conqueror. de
rendered the Emperor brilliant SER
vice. At Waterloo Ney would have
gained victory if it had been pos
sible.
The inhuman haste with which
News death sentence was carried
out looked suspicious. Few
desired his death. Many had
sworn that he should not die
at the hands of Frenchmen. An
uprising among the people was i'm
minent when Ney was led out for ex-
ecution, The lecturer said he did
not believe that Ney's old soldiers
who were ordered 70 carry out the
death sentence and shoot him would
have done so. When Ney was sup
posed to be executed, there
was burst of indignation felt
in England. Wilmington himself
lost his head. But he must not be
Judged too harshly. He may have
saved the life of Ney, but he should
have done it openly.
Mr.. Weston quoted from the off
cial record of the execution which
states that the body was pierced by
twelve bullets, three in the head
The body was exposed only a quar-
ter of an hour. Other unofficial &C
counts we're read giving Ney's las
words. Other reports stated tina
the whole execution was over ii
three minutes and the body was a
once borne away. There was no ex
animation of the body. It was rap
idly driven off to the hospital. I
is impossible to believe that Ne.
was executed under such circum
stances. On the following mornin,
the body was conveyed with al
possible privacy to the cemetery
It is probable that Wellington save
) Ney.
| If Ney escaped there can be bu
4: little doubt that he came to tn
: United States. If so he landed i
: Charleston, January 10Th, 191t
. In 1919 he was seen in Cheraw, s
: c., in hotel and was engaged t
/. teach school. Then he went t
Davie county and taught for tw
/ years. He then went to Virgins
= but came back to North Carolin
r and taught in Iredell and surron6
a ing counties. Peter Stewart Ne,
i as he was called, compared to Ma
|. shall Ney in every respect, in al
9. pearance, in disposition, in pec'
v liarites, etc. If they were not tt
same person they we're miraculous
o1;l1o ~, oil or%;ou1opc
- Marshal Ney never slept mo-
:, than 4 or 5 hours in the "a. Pet
=, S. Ney was like him in this respee
y and said he had become accustomt
~ 'o to it in the army. Both were impe
~ ~ vious to hardship and severe weat
y er.Ney had the habit of drinking,b
~ ~ he was no drunkard. The hst
;. never mastered him. The woun
~ upon Marshal Ney all correspond
r to those on Peter S. Ney, except O.
on the neck of the former, which
y. not remembered to have been Sc
IL on the latter. Marshal Ney was t
.. best fencer in Europe. So was Pet
OF S. Ney a master Of fencing in Am'
ke lea. He probably retained the nal
re of Ney because it is the last nal
Nv that he would have been expect
IN to take. The news of the death
10 Napoleon almost killed Peter
d. Mey. He took to his bed, and {
IL not get up for days. He took ,
"a, death of young Napoleon mu
u more to heart, and declared his |
ILL., hope was gone. When under
Dr. influence of intoxicants he wo,
nd declare that he was Marshal N
ur ''In vino veritas." In his last illne
ls about five hours before his dea
he he made the statement that he '
'ur Marshal Ney, of France. JUG
gy Pearson expressed his thorou
ISL belief that he was Marshal Ney.
not Mr.. Weston's lecture was finish
es- scholarly and exhaustive. It shov
lch thorough research, and strong
ng ray of facts to prove that Mars
dl- Ney escaped execution and came
ca North Carolina, where he died.
ce. facts which Mr.. Weston gained
his personal visit to Europe tn
light on the subject. The lect
Ids, was a most highly insterest