The Indianapolis journal., 1902-10-26
A BIT OF HISTORY.
How Napoleon Was to he Brought
from La Rochelle to Virginia.


from In Rochelle to Virginia.
Baltimore American
The sale of the colonial silver and an
tique furniture in the old KinE mansion.
three or four miles south of Princess Anne,
Somerset county Maryland, marks the
severance of the present and the
past in a stately old home where
century ago fashion and wealth
reigned and where centered the po-
litical and social influence of the county.
Piece by piece the land was sold. but the
and stands to-day a monument to the past.
In the King house at the beginning OF
the last century. and for many years
gentleman Of the old school, with busi-
ness and social connections in Baltimore.
frid fphiiadeiphia @ and Washington Among his
1t that Colonel King had planned for the
escape of Napoleon from France after the
second fall of Paris, disaster which he
Mr.. Girard is said to have informed Ma
poleon of his plan, which was to spirit
him away to America. For this purpose
the fastest clipper which Mr.. Girard could
procure was dispatched to La Rochelle,
where Napoleon was to take passage.
Bonaparte acceded to the plan. and after
his abdication in Paris he hastened to La
Rochelle to embark for America.
His enemies, however. were in hot pur-
suit and on the alert and when he reached
the port he was alarmed to find the
harbor filled with the ships Of the allies
He realized the impossibility of reaching
the clipper ship, and even IL once on
board he saw the futility of escape from
the harbor. He did not long hesitate what
to do.
He selected the British warship Bellero-
phon, then in the harbor. and went aboard
committing himself, as he stated in a let
ter at the time, Ito the protection OF the
laws OF the most powerful, the most perse-
vering and the most generous of his foes"
He little realized at the time that he was
surrendering himself into life captivity and
that the barren island Of st. Helena was TO
be his prison.
Mr. Girard's plan was to bring Napoleon
to America and to land him on the coast
OF Accomac county, Virginia, whose numer-
Gus inlets and bays afforded a most desira-
bic harbor for the ship. The residents OF
the interior were most hospitable and would
gladly have aided Mr.. GiIard in the con-
cealment Of the deposed Emperor had such
course been deemed necessary by develop
ments I'm France or on the continent.
Mr. Girard selected the eastern shore OF
virginia as an asylum for Bonaparte be-
cause the Philadelphian had once lived
there, and because, knowing it's people. he
knew he could trust them. When the young
Frenchman first arrived in America he set
tied in Accomac county, and il was thence
that he removed to Philadelphia
Communication was slow in those days.
There were no steamships which crossed
submarine cables Weeks were REQUIRED
then, where only days now count for a
voyage from Europe to America. Colonel
King had heard of the battle OF Waterloo
and or the overthrow Of Napoleon. and
when rumor reached Princess Anne that
Napoleon had landed on the coast of Ac-
comac he believed Mr.. Girard's plans had
carried safely and that the greatest mil
itary genius OF the age was in America
The report OF the landing seemed so well
known that Colonel King concluded that
secrecy had not been deemed a necessary
precaution by Mr. Girard. 1t was also re-
ported that Napoleon would visit Princess
Anne According to legend Colonel King
ordered out the local militia, of which he
was commander, and all preparations were
made to march to the Virginia line about
nfteen miles distant, to meet Bonaparte
In the absence of more specific informa-
ton as to the movements OF the French
Emperor the march was not Immediately
begun After waiting for several hours for
news the citizen soldiers returned to their
homes, fully prepared TO be called together
to essay forth TO greet the great French
man.
The story OF the origin OF the intimacy Of
Napoleon and Stephen Girard Is an Interest,"
ing one and Is sufficient explanation of the
activity of the latter in providing means
OF escape for the Emperor. They first met
while Mr Girard was negotiating for
America the loan by which France was
paid for the territory OF Louisiana, during
the administration OF President Jefferson
Then began the friendship which lasted
throughout that long imprisonment of Ma
poleon on the solitary rock bound island
in the Atlantic. and who tell bat that
poleon from his dreary prison and TO give
the world another flash of his genius was
stephen Girard with his enormous wealth
the chief actor?