The Oakley herald. [volume] (Oakley, Idaho) 1908-1961, 1912-11-01

n MONG those who accompanied
"A Napoleon to st. Helena va. .
young Polish officer, Charles
Frederick Jules Pointkowski. whose
case has excited ever the interest OF
historians, students and general read
ers of Napoleonic letters. He was Z
volunteer exile. Indeed. h. plea Ell
with tears to be allowed to follow The
fallen emperor, and he gave up rank
and bride for the privilege OF going
to the lonely island. To this loyal
soul. whom Lord Rosebery has called
"a figure of mystery q. L. de 81.
Nj. Watson now devotes "a 30O-page
volume, whcih he calls "A Polish
Exile With Napoleon"
Pending his emharkation in some
vessel bound for St Helena, Piont-
kowski was transferred to the st.
George, then at her moorings in tho
Hamoaze. AS an item of interest the
removal Is noticed in the press, as IL
also his marriage with Mile. Melanie
Despout, which he refers to In the
letters, and which took place on board
ship on Oct. 4. She was very pretty
and accomplished Frenchwoman, who
and had been trained AZ profession
al singer. She had an extremely In
dependent nature and Will Ct her
own.
The honeymoon was cut down to
four days, and on Oct 8 Piontkowski
sailed in the storeship Cormonant,
per navy board order. dated Sept.
3d." as the log shows. His hearts
wish was accomplished" our author
comments, land the sorrow Of parting
with his SO recent bride was lessen
ed, one feels sure. by the prospect of
linking his fate, at whatsoever distance
with that Of the illustrious captive of
st. Helena, and the vision OF sowing
Immortality"
1t is a gray little world, cursed by
routine, which the young Pole enters,
but
Less exacting at heart and less
splendid in antecedents, he found a
measure of content In the life of exile
which SO wretchedly irked the
Frenchman. and. in the man. the ten
months he spent on the Rock must,
with their simple duties and simpler
distractions. have been among the
happiest in his checkered existence.
Napoleon, Clinging to Custom, sets
Up His Court at st. Helena.
Napoleon. the more rightly for his
being denied his rank, and for dy-
nastic reasons. clings jealousy to state
and makes appointments that smack
OF st. Cloud. Gourgaud. the A. d. c.,
is master Of the horse, and Piontkow-
ski takes up the functions OF equer-
ry under him. AS you know. there
Is no love lost between them and they
haev few tastes in common: the
nymph is one; another recalls DR..
Johnson and Kit Smart-neither has
a passion for clean linen. The chiefs
position Is much OF a sinecure, and he
is content, after his round and a few
general orders, to pursue his hobbies
and toast his soles before his extrava-
CANT saloon-fire, and leave the de-
tails to his subordinates. SO that
Pointkowski Is dressed In quite lit
tie authority. He overlooks tho
French grooms and the English host
lers, lords it among the native stable
boys and displays sufficient tact to
keep the heterogeneous personnel
working together in fair harmony"
AS for his reflections, meanwhile:
Twelve months, Is at most, and
all shall be over! Napoleon will re-
turn to France-how, no matter--of
that he Is confident. The island fast
ness will be but as a nightmare that
&c drp, Axx Ht,f 70 Fv~1r tan
his children! Once again for the pa
rade and circumstance of war; the
tense blue lines; the silver CLEAN of
the spearheads; the red and white
pennons afIutter; the Kaleidoscope
staff; the little hat and gray riding
coat; the majestic presence; the crisp.
electric phrases. 'Vive PEmpereur!
'Merci mes enfants!' Water
loo is avenged st. Helena wiped outl
Gas we would fain expunge II today.
And he squares his shoulders and stiff
fens his neck, and his eyes flash In
the darkness.
Then a glorious peace, promotion
and favors, the pomp and ceremony
of court. His bosom swells and NAL
volio's smile plays upon his lips: To
be Count'-Piontkows (His bio
grapher says he was already-per-
haps, perhaps not?) So the Rock is as
Elba to him--a second stone to step
up from, another lull before storm
ing anew the throne
But there is to be an end of expec-
tations. Dreams of the future cannot
blind our young exile to discomforts
and menaces of the present In two
Declarations made in April. 1915.
after Gov. Lowe had demanded papers
Of submission from each capture, we
find Pointkowski denouncing St. Hell
ena for its climate and conditions gen.
orally for their unhealthfulness,s While |
still affirming that he does not regret |
having followed the emperor. We are
asked to consider the feeling of Lord
Bathurst, secretary of war, on re-
r - ~. n.4f-