The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1903-12-19

Joseph Lort, who 0ikc Michael Ru
.u.ph ard the captains mltcl is ,aid to
nave lived u..laIl,.ly with his vie, WAS
captain of this vessel. and Michael ltu-
lu!Ih w - it's Suprr-tlrgO. o. fright
morning the Inflated snip sHivd Gown
the HatHp>.o River, accompanied by AN
utncr craft in charge of tOayit hart.
The two vtss,..> parted company opposite
North Point, those GI the OutW.i .-uUuHd
SWING Il luIting salute to the other. and
I.>,b three CIvrrS for "g.DriouS TyyOlu
i.a.sri France, and sailed o. .n'"" the
N SapcakC, never to return 2%'i". Since
..2 disappeared from the vision of Robt.
art. nothing ha> ever bee" &r' -! OF
a. vessel, and Tor Il long time the
IiCndS Of her officers and crow believed
iIat She f0undCrcI ut sru AM MI on
pard persisted. But many 81 Is after
this happened, the late General Thomas
II. Foreman was travelling from Balti
i."Ic to FrrnchtUwn in cOmlIuny With
General l.allemanl. II 1t. timGuShpd
Frenchman. who when Informed by Cen
yial Foreman THAT Frcnchtown wslS in
Cecil County. seemed to he somewhat
jrtoIiShci, and informed him THAT this
county WIS probably the birthplace of
Michael Ncy, better known in history
a. Mar, ial Ncy. who played such CON
spicuu;rS part in the wars of the Empire
under the First Nlpo!con, and THAT in
evidence had been found among Marshal
Ney'> papers that he had relatives living
in Cecil County. and that his real rQmc
WAS Michael Rudulph.
This disclosure WAS as unexpected as
Il cllp of thunder from II clear sky. In
vrStigation followed. and ii WAS found
that the two men p0,'>C >>yd many traits
in common, and that the TING Of the APP
ptarancc of the great marshal in France
CoinciGrd with the time of the Disappear
.rncr of the American soldier. InlSmuch
aS very little is known. or ut least very
little has been written by historians of
the early life Of the great marshal, the
Theory was n advanced by many persons
who knew of the characteristics Of Mich
acl Rudulph. that he and Ncy were one
and the S.lmc person. ard that the vessel
and crew which had Slilod away from
North Point many years ago, cheering
for GLORIOUS revolutionary France" had
been carried by their officers to that
country, and THAT Michael Rudolph had
changed his surname to- Ncy. and enter
ed the French army. In confirmation Of
this Theory. it was asserted by those who
were acquainted with Ncy, that he spoke
the English language quite us we'll GS5 he
did the French when he chose to do 80,
but always RETAINED from displaying his
tiuency in the former, for obvious rea-
sons, when in the presence OF Americans
or EngliShmcn. 1t has also been assert
cd by those who have investigated the
subject, that Ncy was called the Ameri-
can tobacco merchant" by his brother
officers. and that about the time of the
disclosure made on the Elk River by
| Lallemamd 10 Foreman, two Of Ncy'S
SONS by his last wife, had visited Say
annah as WAS supposed to obtain infor-
NATION concerning Ruduiph'S wife,
For tlrHSc rea$on>, and many others
quite aS cogent. not II few people btliev-
! Cd in the truth of this theory. but it was,
| never adopted by the relatives OF the
| missing man, who had >nch implicit CON
| fidrncc in his integrity that they $corncd
the imputHtion that he could have be
|traycd his tr'uct as Supcr-cargo, and sac
| rihcccd the interest Of the pwuclS and
conSignccS of the missing vessel.
Such, briefly told. j. the story of the
disappearance of Michael Rudulrh His
history, after parting company with Mr..
| Robert Hart. is involved in -, much OBJ
security that it is unsatc to hazard an
opinion as 10 whether he and Marshal
Ney were identical