The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1914-10-13
WILL RULERS FACE
 FIRING SQUADS AT CLOSE OF EUROPE'S WAR

Will any defeated monarch be call ed upon to face a firing squad at the close Of the present war in Europe? Probably not yet many things have conflict that the so-calIed civilized world considered impossible. If the victors, in their fury, should execute a vanquished ruler, they would not be establishing a precedent. There was Maximilian in Mexico-but the. Mexi- cans are barbarians? Then there was Joachim ATurat, King of Napes-
 It was just ninety-nine years ago. on the HunIucky thirteenth" Of October, 1915, that the Marshal of France whom Napoleon had placed upon a throne faced a firing squad at Pizzo in Ca- labria- A commoner by birth, a mon arch by military genius and Napoleon's favor. he died like king gs.-perhaps more bravely than would many monarch of royal blood by right di- vine.
 Betrayed into the hands of the Bourb bons, the former King of Naples was not given long to prepare for death When his captors sought to place 8 bandage over his eyes, MuratE waved them away, CT have braVed death too often to fear it now" he said. Then he himself gave the order to fire, and his body. riddIed with bull lets fell into an open grave sfz27
 The career of Joachim Murat,
 
 Roi de Naples, was almost as spectac- ular and romantic as that of his irn-i peria1 master He was born at Bas- tide, France, and was barely past his majority when the Directory made him a chief of brigade. In 1T96 he became Napo1eon's afde-de-camp and accompanied the Corsican to Italy. There he distinguished himself as a daring and brilliant cavalry leader. He followed Napoleon to Egypt where he defeated the Turks at Aboukir, and returned to France general of di- vision.
 It was an affair of the heart that later placed Murat upon a throne. Re turning from Egypt, he met Marie Caroline Bonaparte, younger sister of Napoleon. and the girl Immediately fell in love with the dashing officer. The affection was mutual, and in 1900 they were married. By this all Hance Murat became the brother-in- Flaw of the man who was soon to be an l emperor and maker Of kings. Four years after his marriage Murat was made marshal. grand admiral and Prince of the French empire In 1895 he again displayed his military genius in Austria. and entered Vi enna at the head of his troops. For these services he was rewarded with the grand duchy of Berg. He con tinued to share in Napo1eon's victories and was one Of the ab1est of the mar | SnSlS or the 1n1per1aI forces. l. When Napoleon judged it was expe- dient to transfer his brother Joseph to Madrid as king of Spain, Murat i was placed upon the vacant throne of I Naples. That was in 1908, and he reigned peacefully and we'll for four years. In 1872 the Neapolitan mon l arch was called by Napoleon to ac- company him on the invasion of Rus sias as commander-in-c11ief Of the cavalry. On October 18th, three years to a day before his death Mu- rat led the tragic retreat from Mos COW. When Napoleon left the wretch ed remnant of his army, Murat con- ducted the retreat for a time, then left for Naples.
 | After the fatal campaign in Ger many and the defeat at Leipsic Mu- rat concluded an alliance against Ma poleon. The allies were content to recognize his claim to the throne of Naples, but he was ambitious to rule all Italy. Austria took the field against him and he soon fled a fugi- tive to France. and then to Corsica. Attempting to recover his lost throne, he was captured in Ca1abria, and i'm l uaediateIy shot.