The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1915-10-13
Centenary of the Execution
 of Murat, the Peasant King

Just a centuSy ago today Joachim tNIurat's romantic career reached its tragic end when he &brayely faced "a firing squad and himself gave the order to fire. ''I have braved death too often to fear it now" he proudly said when his executioners wished to banage his eyes. Erect and without a tremor. he stood before them, and in his last moments afforded added proof that Napoleon, in choosing his generals, had not picked towards.
 It is a coincidence that the thir- teenth of october is also the anniver- sary of Murat. 7Forrer was a victim of the Bourbons. Nor does the sirnili- tude stop there. The Spanish scholar faced death without a quaver of fear. He, too.. asked that his eyes be left unbandaged.s and gave the order to ire Aim carefully, my children . he cried to the soldiers, "ft is not your fault If Murat died like a soldier, Ferrer died like philosopher.
 The execution of Murat took place at Pizzo in Ca1abria, where he was buried. The deposed Napo1eonic king of Naples was tried by court martial under a law of his own, after having been betrayed into the hands of the Bourbons. and was convicted of disturbing the public peace and sentenced to be shot within half an hour. He spent that brief period of waiting in writing a touching and af- wife and children, and then bravely walked to his doom,
 Joachim Murat was born in the de- partment of Lot, France, in 1768. According to his own statement he was younger son of weIl-to-do farmer. but some of his biographeFs have alleged that his father was an
 
 of peasant stock. In any event, he had an humble beginning for one des- tined to sit upon throne.
 .Murat was 23 when he became a. soldier, and the brilliancy of his ex- ploits soon attracted the attention Of Napoleon. He accompanied the Cor sican to Egypt and at the battle of the Pyramids Murat led his first famous cavalry charge. He returned to France with Bonaparte, 8 general of division After the coup d'eat Napol con made him conlmandant of the consular guard, and in 1900 Murat married Marie Annonciades Caroline BQnaparte- the youngest sister of the future Emperor He commanded the cavalry at Marengo, and in. 1894 be- came a marshal of France while in the following year he was made a princeh At Austeriitz he added to his military reputation, and he com manded the cavalry at Jena, EyIau, and Fried1and. As generaI-in chief of the French armies in Spain he won further Iaurels, and was rewarded with the throne of Naples. King Joachim Napoleon, as he called him self, entered Naples in 18o8 and within a short time he abolished all relics of feudalism and put down brigandisTn In the ill-starred Rus sian campaign Murat commanded the cavalry of the grand army. In the disastrous retreat he was offended by Napoleon and returned to Naples. He then began an intrigue with Austria. which ended in his downfall In March, 1915, Murat announced that he intended to restore the unity and independence of Italy, but he was soon disastrously defeatd by the Aues- trians, and fled to France and after ward to Corsica. He determined to strike another blow for the Kingdom of Naples, but was betrayed by his companions, and soon found himself in prison.