Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1912-09-05
NAP0LEON'S VILLA IS SOLD
italian Marquis Duys San MARITIME OF
Island Of EIba mt Auction
for 100000.

Rome, Sept -Napoleon's villa on
the Island Of Elba was sold at auc.
tron yesterday to Marquis Camille
Ruspoli for $4,000 on the condition
that the original furniture ana the ar.
tistic ana scientific collections Of relics
remain and that Napoleon's apartment
remain unaltered.
The sale Is PROVISIONAL as 1t must
be ratified by the Tribunal within q
fortnight.
The sale by auction Of Napoleon'a
villa on the island OF Elba and the
estate Of San Martino, which surround(
It, revives the controversy concerning
the authenticity OF the articles vita
which the villa is furnished and tbs
historical value OF the villa itself
Concerning this matter NJ. Frederic
Mason, the eminent French historian
and writer, gIves some interesting
views which may go to prove tt0t the
| art treasure faker has even invaded
this distant island OF the Meiiterra-
mean. In a recent interview M. Mas-
son said:
II can hardly place confidence in this
sale Of Napoleons villa ana effects.
have just recently returned from there
and have seen all the villa and its
furniture. Certainly the villa existS
and Napoleon lived there. but only fov
short while In the memoirs OF
several members of the Emperors en-.
tourage there are found many refer
ences to San MARITIME and the repairs
which Napoleon had male before 10
occupied 1t.
THE estate Of San MARITIME occupies the
center OF the island When the Emperor
became possessor OF the estate he found
nothing there but ruins and q cellar half
filled with old but poor wine Napoleon
joked a good deal about his estate with
it's wine cellar. and n!cknamed 1t Saint
Cloud. On June !, 1914, Napoleon ar
rived at San MARITIME, and he Immediate
~ began the necessary repairs to make
the villa habitable. He at that time had
no thought of returning to France and
had the villa reconstructed as a future
residence. Napoleon aided not only IN
supervising the reconstruction but he took
hand himself. one of the commentators
remarks that he found the Emperor one
day busy tearing illustrations from his
torical book on Egypt and passing them
on the walls Of his lounging room.
But" continues the historian, II have
found no document that permits me to
believe that Napoleon ever lived in tho
villa He could not have taken up his
residence there until the 18th OF Decem-
Der, when the repairs We're finished And
since he left Elba in February he could
not have lived at San MARITIME longer
than one month at most. Again, as It Is
easy to follow the movements OF Napoleon
by his correspondence, dated from this
or that place. he could not have lived
any length of time at San MARITIME be-
cause there is no document in existence
dated from that place. l have a History
OF the Island of Elba.' by a certain Nanzi.
1t Ia dated 1918 and the preface Is dated
1914, and not once does the author mem
ton that Napoleon lived at San MARITIME.
! II have also my doubts to tho
authenticity of the furniture of the villa
At the death of Pauline Borghese, nee
| Bonaparte. the villa passed into the
hands of Jerome and another or
NapOleons brothers Then il became the
property Of Prince Demldof who I'm lsa2
constructed 'musee Nepoleon!en' beside
the villa. All the Napoleonic souvenirs
were placed In the museum. but in 1881
the museum, it's contents and the villa
| itself were sold TO Florentlne, NJ.
Guiliani What souvenirs of the Emperor
can remain? doubt very much If there
J are any.