The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1907-02-09


ascend any throne. Yes, my memories
Of monarchy are as hitter as that"
His memories of monarchy cannot,
inded, be very happy. This gentle
old nobleman who lives SO quietly In
Los Angeles saw his father led away
to be slaughtered by Russian soldiers
after long confinement in prison so
vile dog could not have lived in It;
saw his mother driven away from
home almost pauper; saw her driven
like an outcast from country to coun-
try until she died an unhappy exile.
No wonder his eyes flash.
The intricate question Of his right
to that noble ancestry will be consid-
cred below. The mans own life Is SO
interesting, 80 thrilling and romantic
that 1t rightly takes precedence over
family trees.
Even his nearest neighbors in the
pleasant neighborhood of West Adams
street little dream that this sunny old
gentleman his lived the wild life of
soldier of fortune.
He commanded the reserve firing
party that executed the ill-fated EN-
peror Macmillan in Mexico. 1t was his
revolver that sent shot crashing into
the ear of the emperor after he had
fallen wounded at the first unskilled
volley.
He was an eyewitness to the famous
battle of the Monitor and Merrimac;
led a distinguished and sensational
career in the regular army; took part
in the famous expedition against the
Mormons; was under fire 426 times
during the civil war-our own civil
war, not Poland's. Lastly, he became
soldier of fortune in Mexico-in the
Mexican war for independence.
His Remarkable Life.
It was there that fate chose him az
one Of the firing party, where he wiped
out an old score against an emperor,
avenging the cruelty of his mothers
Punishment.
Follows the briefest possible glance
at his remarkable life:
He was born in 1912 in Warsaw, be-
ing the sixth in line Of descent from
the great warrior monarch Of Poland,
John III His father was John Sobi-
eski, who lost his life in 1S4S in the
great Polish rebellion.
He says one of his earliest recol-
lections of childhood Is of sleigh
ride and the gay trappings of Cos
sack soldier who conveyed his mother
and himself to say goodbye to his
father-about to be executed.
His father had been captured by the
Russian army and had been confined
in vile Russian prison, crawling with
vermin, for 10 months.
Before they were allowed to see the
doomed husband and father, the young
mother was taken before the Russian
vicercy, who offered to allow her to
retain her estates and honors II she
would give up her son-the last So
bieski-to be sent to the Russian cap
ital and there brought up as loyal
subject Of the Gear.
Banished by Macmillan.
She proudly refused, and chose ban
ishment, poverty and misery. She
babe her husband good-by, and he was
shot down the next day. At the same
time her father and brother were
killed.
Everywhere went the exiles, or
dered out by the authorities: driven
out of Austria, Prussia and Italy.
They were driven from Italy by the
Austrian viceroy, Maximilian-after-
ward the emperor of Mexico. They
took refuge in England at last. The
mother died and the son was.adopted
into the family Of Polish professor.
who had been an instructor at the
United States naval academy at An
napolis. When the United States
ships of war visited Liverpool the ca
diets used to visit their old professor.
One Of them persuaded Sobiesh to
stow away in the old frigate Constel-
lation and come to America.
He was then only little fellow
IL years old, but managed to enlist
in the United States army as bugler.
He enlisted In 1856, and two years
afterward was ordered out with the
troops that went the desperate Jour-
ney across the plains to night the Nor
mons