Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1913-01-21
FRENCH GENERAL
DIXIE GARDENER
Finley of Southern
RI. Writes of BonapartiStS'
Colony in Alabama.

1 UASHINGTON. Jan. 21.-President W.
1 -, FINLEY. of the Southern railway, has
l ,irDa from his duties as railroad
4 ...ti,a to write an interesting historf-
| ..,,B,, If an attempt to colonize Ala
! anna, by few hundred of Napoleon $
..-,,s after the downfall of the Bona
,artfst empire in 1915.
The location of this colony was in what
c,u the fertile and prosperous region
. MIDWEST Alabama OF which the thriv-
:,,, city. Of Demopolis is the center.
Bar rfoneer romance, hardship and mis-
,...,.,. which later gave place to cul-
,,.r.l md wealthy ante bellum clVlllza-
,tar and present-day prosperity and de-
s's,..,r,ent. that region enjoys historic
,...rast uniuue in American annals.
In the early history of this country
.t.,, dense forest and wild canebrakes-
n.y.. woven the names of men and women
'.,.., have played conspicuous parts in the
-ragtost drama of war and nations the
n..rI1 has ever seen. Men who had led
,.,,,,ia. i'm conflicts the result of which had
hanged the map of Europe, and women
WIN, had adorned the imperial court OF
f,rar,e took up the life of pioneers in
,be andeavor to found, in the primeVal
forest colony to cultivate the vine and
tho olive The story of their misfortunes
and trials in the rude life of the frontier
and the final utter failure of the venture
is one full of interest
Live in 6ackwoods.
The officer who had commanded Napo-
looms advance guard on the march to
paris after the return from Elba, Colonel
Nicholas Raoul. became a famous back
OnoJsman, and his wife. marchioness
who had been maid of honor at court,
cooked his meals over the open fire in a
cabin home Colonel Clubs, who had once
had the captured King Ferdinand of Spain
i'm his custody, became the keeper of a
tavern in Greensboro.
General Count Bertrand Clausel. an of
f,e. of merit who commanded at Bor-
5eauz DURING the hundred days raised
vegetables on a little farm and haWked
them through the streets Of Mobile. lie
artcrward returned to France, became
marshal and governor of -Algiers,
Count Lefcbvre Desnouttes, u cavalry
officer with the rank of lieutenant gen
,ral. who had fought with honor in Spain
and Russia. had ridden in the carriage
with Napoleon on the disastrous retreat
from Moscow. and whom the emperor had
embraced for all his officers on bidding
them farewell at Fontainebleu, was
one of those who shared in the hardships
in the wilderness. He was lost at sea at
tempting to return to France.
Henry rAllemandee. a lieutenant gen
craI. NJ. pcnicrs. a member of the French
national assembly, who had voted for the
death of Louis XVI, and a son of the cele-
hrated Marshal Grouchy. whole failure
90 arrive at Waterloo sealed the fate OF
the French empire, We're among other dis
GMguishcd persons who made up the I'M
fortunate colony.
CoIonjsts Are Unfortunate.
THE colony was founded by between 300
and 900 followers of Napoleon who had
been CAdcd by the Bourbuns after their
restoration ON March 4. 1917. congress
gave the eXiles, then gathered in Phila-
doIpI5a. a grant of four townships at 81
per acre on fourteen years time, on con-
o'unn that they cultivate the vine and
the olive
From The outset the colony seemed
doomed To misfortune. The ship on which
they sailed from Philadelphia ran aground
10 Mobile bay, but all on board reached
shore The coIonists were totally unpre-
Jared for the work of clearing the wilder
BOSS and the difficulties of pioneer life.
IAey lacked teams and wagons and
hheW nothing of agriculture. and the pro-
VISION that they must cultivate the vine
an" olive proved q great hardship, since
'h" country was not suitable Misunder-
standings as TO the location of the land
granted them caused much distress. as
many coIonistS cleared and improved land
"h> To find that they must abandon it,
INSCRIPTIONS SQuatters added to the
troubles of the colony, and in two or three
Years 1t began to disintegrate, as many as
could returning to France.