Omaha daily bee., 1910-12-14
LIFE OF LUCK AND THRILLS
Remarkable Career of the Late
Major Charles c. De RudiO,
u. =. A.

- - ~
Major Charles c. De Rudio. L. S. A.. re-
tired died at his home in Los Angeles.
Novmber l, at the age Of IS years
The story OF Major De Rudio's life reads
like romance. An emperor and an en-
press quarreled on his account once he
was led to the guillotine and his clothing
stripped from his neck and shoulders ready
for his execution, but a minute before the
knife was to fan he was reprieved For
long time he was a prisoner in a dungeon
but one fortunate day he escaped and,
after a series OF remarkable adventures
reached America
As II he had not crowded enough OF the
picturesque and thrilling into his life he
entered upon a new period, which had for
its climax a hair-breadth escape from
death almost as dramatic as that upon
the scaffold, for he was one of the men
who went to the Little Big Horn with Gus
ter. The luck that seemed to attend him
in France did not desert him in Montana
Born in Italy in 1892. and married in
England when % years old, Major De
Rudio began a turbulent career by allying
himself with Garibaldi while stll hardly
more than a boy. From Italy he went
with three companions to Paris where tho
four attempted to kill Napoleon Ill and
Empress Eugene with bombs. For this
| three Of them were sentenced to be gull
lotined.
Pieri, one of the conspirators was exc
| cuted first, and De Rudio was next He
had said farewell to his wife and child
and was ready to die. AS in the case of
Pieri priests marched on either side Of
him. Ills arms were bound behind him
and his clothing was stripped from him
/ nTaCtiCaltV frprn
should be nothing to block the glittering
blade in its fall.
As last favor De Rudio asked that he
be allowed to smoke a pipefnl of tobacco.
| The eNecutioner filled the bir~ for the
| doomed man, placed It in his mouth and
furnished a light
The fire in the pipe was low and had
begun to sputter when through the prison
gate an officer hurried. He made his way
through the ward and mounted the scat
| fold
The newcomer looked at De Rudio's scant
/ attire and smiled
This is rather a cold, unpleasant day
to be out in such costume" he remarked.
De Rudio, whose thoughts were Of an
| other world, did not hear him and the
officer repeated his observation
Yes" replied the prisoner with an an
time to catch cold"
| Then De Rudio apologlzed for keeping
the pipe in his mouth. LAS this is my last
one I want to get the full benefit Of it,"
| he said
Finish 1t II you desire, but you probably
VIII smoke many more. have a reprieye
for you" said the officer.
The pipe fell from the mouth of De
Rudio. In the face of death he had been
a stole Now that he was to live he sud
| denly began to SILVER
The secret Of the reprieve was that hi
Rudio's young wife had so impressed the
Empress Eugene with her fearful pleas for
her husbands life that the empress. fail
ing to win mercy for the condemned man
from Napoleon III, had issued orders her
SELF that the execution be stopped.
When Napoleon learned Of De Rudio's
escape from death he was furious. He and
the empress had a violent quarrel. Had IL
been possible for him to do so legally the
emperor would have ordered De Rudio sent
| back to the scaffold, but hs could not. But
De Rudio had only a short CLEAN of hope.
He was tried once more and again was
| condemned to die. BY this time the en-
peror's wrath had cooled and the tears Of
the empress were too much for him, so he
commuted the sentence to life imprison-
Ihere De Rudio spent more than five
ment In one of Frances penal settlements
years and then by taking advantage of
series OF queer happenings he managed 20
escape and make his way to America.
The north and south were at war when
he reached the United States. He Joined
Company of the Seventy-ninth New
York volunteers as a private, fought under
Grant and other great commanders and
when he was mustered out in 1865 he was
second lieutenant of the Second Unitsd
States infantry. In August, 1867, he Joined
the regular army and was appointed sec
ond lieutenant Of infantry Two years later
he was assigned to the Seventh cavalry
and under Custer saw lots of Indian fight
Ing. For more than ten years he was on
the frontier. Few men in the army saw
more hard service in those stirring DAYS
than did Rudy" as the dashing officer
was affectionately calleu by his brothers
in arms.
In 1876 De Rudio was with the Custer
command that was mRssaored at the LIT
tie Big Horn.
Sent off Oh a scouting expedition just be-
fore Custer drove bhndly into the ambush
set for him by the Indians, lie Rudio and
fifteen OF his men were surrounded i'm a
thicket by more than 300 Indians.
For two days ana two nights they were
without food or water before they were
rescued by three troops OF cavalry.
For twenty years after the battle of the
Little Big Horn De Rudio served in the
army of the United States He was retired
in 1896 and in 1904 was made a major on
the retired list.
Cf ali the historical characters with whom
Ills life was interviewer only one remains.
Napoleon III is dead Mazzini is dead Gus
ter and the others are gone. But Eugene.
tho empress who saved him. Iives-Chlcago
Tribune.