Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1896-01-02
N TRAGEDY.

n 4 D ! ". .
About a year ago when we were in
Camp Anderson serving as sergeant
major OF the Third squadron OF the
Fifth regiment of cavalry, the drill
\ call was sounded and the squadron
/ marched, cut on the field. The major
commanding then gave the order
Captains, take charge of your COM
1 panies and drill them" and as we
had nothing to do, in company with
/ Lieut.. A. S, Way, adjutant Of the
squadron. we lay down in the grass
| In the shade of tree and between
+ the puffs OF a fragrant Havana, he
4 told the following story as | tell 1t
/ TO you:
/ Over a hundred years ago down on
the coast OF Liberty county, Georgia
I had city of some two or three thou
sand inhabitants. Situated on a high
I bluff amid the grand old oaks festoon-
ed with waving fringes of the Spanish
moss, lay old Sunbury, now nanght
/ but pile Of decayed ruins. In the
distance across the harbor, where men
/ of-war might lay at anchor, St Cath
crimes rose blue and misty, and be-
/ yond was the great void of trackless
Y ocean. Near by was fort with its
/ iron-mounted war-dogs and pacing
sentries, while over all shone the
bright, Warmly sun of the semicropics.
/ Here lived, loved and died the fore
/ fathers of many of Liberty's many
/ citizens, and many who Outlines sed-
ately paced the quaint old streets now
/ lie sleeping meath the waving trees
of the little cemetery near by.
1 The town was the birthplace of
many noted men, but none more so
4 than one of the brothers Rudolph,
4 whose name rung through the world
as one OF Frances greatest marshalG-
\ Ney
Born in Sunbury, of wealthy and
Sunbury institute of DR.. Mcclure,
/ where into him was instilled the ru-
diments of the education which he
afterwards went to France to complete.
I A few years passed and young Ru-
dolph again visited his American
y
birth. His manners were those of the
\ Partisan and the language Of the
I French fell far more fiuently from his
4 lips than that of his native land Sum
I bury, quiet and isolated, after the
/ gay life of the French capital, was too
dull. and one day, as the sun was
4 glimmering over the sound, young
4 Rudolph left home to visit Florida,
then the land of the Spaniard.
Months past and no word was heard
of him. The months passed into years
/ and still the fate of the young man
was unknown, but soon an incident
/ occurred which threw much light on
the subject native of old Sunbury
4 visited Paris at the time Napoleon was
( at the zenith of his power and glory,
and CHANGED to be on the street one
day when the Emperor, accompanied
/ by his magnificent train. passed.
Among the followers, clad in all the
panolpy of war and rich materials
Of his high office, rode Ney Napole-
on's greatest marshal.
\ The gentleman from old Liberty rec
ognized his old Payment, Rudolph,
and starting forward, exclaimed:
why that's Rudolph As he familiar
name and language struck the ear of
Ney he quickly turned his head, but
rode on. with face as immovable
as statue.
/ Soon an aide presented himself to
the Georgian and, saluting, announced
4 that Marshal Ney wished to see the
gentleman at his headquarters, and
under the guidance of the officer the
\ gentleman soon found himself alone
with the man before whom armies
4 had trembled. Ney fixed on him a
keen. scrutinizing glance, and in the
\ language of the French said: why
did you call me Rudolph on the street
4 today?" Because you are he" an
\ swered the American. A moments
thought and Ney asked: How do you
know | am he?" "Why, because i
knew you as boy in old Sunbury,
\ in Georgia, where we used to play
together and went to school to DR..
4 MCGUIRE
res, Sdiu NSN, ain INuuOipui
but never let that name again pass
/ your lips, for it's price would be my
head. To Napoleon | am French
man. Rudolph never lived. Go, and
never breathe that name again"
Time went by and the same gentle
man visited Paris again. II was at
the second capitulation, and Ney,
striped of his glory and power, lay in
/ prison. His sentence came and he
was sentenced to die the death of a
traitor by having his head severed at
the block When he heard the YER
dict he asked that three requests
might be granted him. and after due
consideration they were allowed. They
were: First, That as he had always
been soldier, he might die soldiers
DEATH second, that he would not be
shot in the face; third. that as he had
commanded the most famous armies
of the world, so he might command
the squ.d who were to execute him.
+ Two days aftefward. Dec. Z, 1915,
tba vanflamnn from Sim bilrv was