Walker Lake bulletin. (Hawthorne, Nev.) 1883-1926, 1914-11-28
"A YAPOLEONS tomb is spacious,
grandiose, silent. A parklike
quarter beyond the Eiffel tow
Il er. Wide, shady avenues, few

-
people in them; rich new apart
ment houses ON wide parade ground;
old bronze cannon before the palace
of the Soldiers Home. One sees few
old soldiers. Well dressed, dignihed,
they pass like shadows.
Enter monumental iron gate. Pass
armed sentries, pass green lawn
Mount wide steps and stand in a vast
interior beneath a noble dome Man
sard built it-part of the Old Veterans
church. Heroic frescoes above, carved
stone all around.
In the center of the floor huge cir
cular hole, protected by stone balus-
trade. Look down. Giant angels of
victory down there stand against the
pillars that sustain the floor. Between
them panoplies of molding banners.
The victories watch a great sarcopha-
gus of Finland granite, gift of Gear
Nicholas, writes Sterling Heilig In
the Washington Star.
Once l was near an aged veteran
who showed young soldier around.
Napoleon is entombed really in the
historical Old Soldiers Home of
valides"-invalid. But the
system has changed; no new ones en-
ter and the old have almost died off.
This one dated from the Crimea; his
father had fought at Waterloo, and
he imagined himself and few other
glorious old relics in some particular
way to guard the emperor
Many Flags and Banners.
They stood by the circling balus-
trade and looked into the yawning
space of circling Victories and sar-
cophagus. Alternating with the angels
are those stands of moldering flags
and banners-flags and banners and
more flags and banners-taken in bat
tie from all the armies and countries
of Europe in Napoleons grand cam
paigns.
Descending the steps behind the
baldachin you pass the black marble
tombs of Marshals Duroc and Bert
rand, which guard the approach to
Napoleon. The door to the circling
crypt is massive bronze. 1t was
opened for Roosevelt on his famous
visit. Over the door, in letters of
gold. are the words taken from his
will:
81 wish that my ashes shall repose
ON the banks of the Seine, among the
French people, whom l so loved"
He died at st. Helena In 1921. He
was not brought back to France until
1S41. and the generous and grandiose
net was done, to the detriment of the
orleans dynasty, by the gallant young
Prince de BONNEVILLE, a younger son
of the then reigning King Louis
Philippe BONNEVILLE.
Thus Napoleon's true funeral took
Mace 20 years after his death. 1t
was the most grandiose parade of
Paris of the nineteenth century:
found myself with the veteran,
again. before the relics.
"Is It true that they belong by
law 70 Empress Eugenie?" asked the
young soldier.
The old fellow was troubled. Vet
ar0u of the OTluled, Win ali HIS pTlu9
loyal to the Bonapartes, he did not
know how to answer.
In truth, most of the sacred OBJ
iects had been inherited by Napoleon
TIT from members Of his family, or
bought with his own money while en-
neror or presented to him personally
nv third parties.
II is also true that they were
awarded by the highest French courts
~ Eugenie as Napoleon III's widow
and under his will, after 30 years of
I,tiaation. Probably she never con-
,amnlated taking the more illustrious
nieces. probably her object was to
merely keep the Bonapartist family
claim alive.
Relics Belong to France.
Certainly she might have taken the
bench of st. Helena among 10 OBJ
iects that bore the ticket Belonging