Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1914-11-06

NAPOLEONS
RAPOLEON'S tomb II spacious.
grandiose, silent. A parkiike
III quarter beyond the Ethel tow
or. Wide, shady avenues. few
people in them: rich new apart
ment houses on . wide parade ground;
old bronse cannon before the palace
Of the SOLDIER Home. One sees few
old soldierA Well dressed. dignined.
they pass like shadows.
Enter . monumental iron gate. Pass
armed sentries. pass . green lawn.
Mount wide steps and stand In . vast
interior beneath . noble dome. Man
sard built it-part Of the Old Veterans
church. Heroic frescoes above. carve>
stone al around.
. In the center Of the door huge cir
cular hole. protected By stone belus-
trade. Look down. Giant angels OF
victory down there stand against the
pillars that sustain the door. Between
them panoplies Of molding banners.
The victories watch . great sarcopha-
gus OF Finland granite. gift OF Car
Nicholas, writes Sterling Heilig IN
the Warrington Star.
Once I WAS near IN aged veteran
who showed . young soldier around.
Napoleon II entombed really In the
historical Old Soldiers' Home Of
P,rbe'Tnvalides" -invalid. But the
system has changed: no new ones en-
ter and the old have almost died on.
This one dated from the Crimea; his
father had fought ct Waterloo, and
he imagined himself and . few other
glorious old relics IN some particular
way to guard the emperor.
Many Fiass and sannsrs.
They stood By the circling balus-
trade and looked into the yawnins
space Of circling Victories and seS-
cophagus. Alternating with the angels
are those stands Of moldsring nagn
ana bannsrs-Aass and banners and
more naes and banners-taksn in bat
tie from all the armies and countries
Of Europe in Napolsoo's grand cam
palms.
Deecending the steps behind the
baldachin you pass the black marble
tombs Of Narshals Duroc and Bert
rand, which guard the approach "a
Napoleon. The door to the circlinG
crypt 10 massive bronse. Il wa
opened for Roosevelt on his famsua
visit Over the door. IN letters d
gold. are the words taken from hid
WI:
II wish< that my ashes shall rsposl
ON the banks Of the Seine. among the
French people. whom I % loved"
He died Ct st. Helena in 1891. h
was not brought back to France until
ls41, and the generous and Gfnndiose
oct WAS done, to the dstrim01t Of thu
Orleans dynasty. BY the gallant youna
Prince De BONNEVILLE. . younger sou
q he then rsigning King Louis
Philippe Joineville.
Thus Napoleon's true funeral tool
place - years after his death. II
was the most gfandiose parade oi
Paris Of the nineteenth century:
I found myself With the veteran
again, before the relics.
IL Il tue that they belong b.
law 20 impress Dugsnisr' asked tn
young soldier.
The old fellow Vas truubled. Vet
er,n Of the Crimes, with IN his prid.
loyal to the Bonapartes. he did moi
kn0w how 70 answer.
In truth. most Of the sacred oh
| jscts had ben inhsrited By Napoleos
III nom members Of his family, q
bought with his own money while en-
peror. or presented 70 him personall,
By third parties.
Il u also tue that they Wer,
awarded b. the highest Preach court,
% Eugsnie - Napoleon ms widow
s,d under his vim. sitter 20 years o
litigatioa. Probably che never con
tsmplated taking the more illustrioul
pieces; probably her object was 3,
merely kssp the Bouapartist tamil,
claim olive. e
Relies Dsle0o - France.
Certainly she might have taken a,
bench Of g. Helena among s. Oh
3ects that bore The tiekst "Belonsint
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