The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-09-06
HE SAW NAPOLEON BURIED.
Capt. Francis Martin, U. s. N, with n
Fund of "Reminiscences.
From the Chicago Times- Herald.

FUND OF mIniscence.
From the Chicago Times Herald.
When a man has reached the ripe age
of 81 he has pardonable pride in max
ing a century run and laudable ambition
to end his days with an even record. AS
a general thing, however, the manor wo-
man-who reaches those advanced years
has lost both the pride and ambition
which make an effort at living on pos
sibility. This is not the case with one re-
spected nonagenarian who lives in De-
troit, Mich, and whose age is coincidenta1
with the year. he being born in 1900. Capt.
Francis Martin, U. S. N, has lived along
easily without any thought of perpetual
ing his days beyond the average record OF
man, until, having passed the 97th mile>
stone, he looks not forward, but lives in
the present or busies himself with memo
ries-and Capt. Martins memories are
worth much to their possessor. He is
the only man now living who was at Ma
poleon Bonaparte's funeral on the lonely
Island of st. Helena. He has sailed into
nearly every navigable port on the face of
the globe up to the year 1890 He was the
friend of Audubon, the famous ornltholo-
gist. He fought pirates on the high seas
in 1924 In 1896 he took part in the SENT
a record as a master of sailing craft Ola
both sides of the Atlantic, Capt. Martin
entered the United States marine service,
receiving his first commission from An
drew Jackson. In the following year he
was stationed at Charleston, S. c., during
the exciting times of notification. He
participated in the Mexican war, his cutter
being part of the blockading fleet cruising
off the Mexican ports
Capt. Martin has a ready fund of story
and incident connected with his relations
with such men as Gen. Winfield Scott,
Gen Taylor-under whom he served at
Corpus Christi, Tex, in 1846-and his ac
counts of chasing Indians during the Sem
mole war through the dismal swamps of
Florida in his cutter and out of it, even
penetrating to Lake Okechebee, and Skin
mishing along the coast, make history as
interesting as fiction. But all these do
ings pale into insignihcance before his
memories of st. Helena and its distin-
guished captive. The writer had the priv
ilege of hearing him recount his uneX-
pected landing upon the island after the
death of Napoleon and before his burial.
There was nothing in the recital different
form the historic account of the French
emperor's passing from the sad scenes OF
his captivity to the welcome peace of the
grave, except the personal details, which
gave-after seVnty-siX years of time had
trail from the lips of an eye witness.
Francis Martin was youth of q years
when he landed on the Island of st. He
lena-a spot toward which the eyes of the
whole civilized world were directed at
that period, and it was by a strange and
fortuitous circumstance that he chanced
to participate in the solemn and historic
service which consigned the dust of the
fallen conqueror to its lonely resting place
beside the sea.
81 was second mate of the burlington, a
sailing vessel commanded by my uncle,
Capt. Williams said Capt. Martin as he
sat by the favorite window and revived his
memory by frequent lapses of thought,
land we were bound from Java to Holland
with a full cargo of sugar and rice. 1t
was on May 6, 1921, and was just as old
as the year-21. We put into st. Helena
for water and fresh vegetables, and at the
mouth of the harbor we were peremptorily
challenged by a British sloop-of-war, the
Resale. l particularly remember it, be-
cause the sloop was commanded by a man
whose name was then and is now dear to
the heart of every adventurous boy-I
mean Capt. Marrayat, the novelist for
boys.
1--WE explained our needs and were per-
mitted to enter the harbor under convoy
of a man-of-war, the Vigo which cruised
In the harbor guarding approach. l ac-
companied my uncle on shore, and expect
ed to return with him Immediately to our
ship But a terrific gale set In, which
blew the Vigo down against the Purington
and in order to save the vessel our crew
slipped her cables and she was blown
twenty miles out to sea, and it was three
days before she could make a landing at
the island
Meantime, in company with my uncle I
witnessed the solemn and impressive spec
tacle of the emperor's funeral, which made
a never to-be-forgotten impression on my
youthful Imagination. A conquered hero
appeals strongly to a youthful nature, and
Napoleon was my hero, and 1 looked upon
him then in the light by which history now
records his deeds of valor was an Amer
lean born and bred, with hatred of ty-