The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-07-25
HISTORIC HOSPICE
ARMY POST AGAIN
French Speaking Swiss SOL
diers Occupy Mount st.
Bernard.
FEW TOURISTS NOW
Special Correspondence to Tnr sux.

Special Correspondence to TUE Sun.
foSDoN, July e.-For the second time
In rs history the hospice on the Mount
st. Bernard Pass Is occupied by the mill
tary. The first occasion recorded In the
archives Of the monastery Of soldiers
living for any length Of time there was
in 1929. Early In that year the Aus
TRANS endeavorcd to pass the hosplce
and fierce fighting among the snow COW
cred ruins of the Temple OF Jupiter near
by ended in their complete defeat. A
garrison Of $50 OF the victorious French
then occupied the hospice. where they
remained for nearly twelve months.
They had a pleasant enough time until
the May OF tho following year. when
they fell In with the army OF 5000 men
whom Napoleon led through the pass to
md death or glory in Italy.
Theirs has described this wonderful
march with great wealth OF detail. but I
was nevertheless fascinating to hear, as
! did this evening. the story OF Napo-
Icons brief halt at the hosplce from the
lips OF the present abbot. one listened,
Il almost seemed, to the words Of an
eyewitness. The description which the
abbot gave me was indeed the descrip-
tor which the abbo who was Napo-
Icons host has handed down to his sue
cessors.
Napoleon at the HOapice.
The long thin lire OF infantry. cav
a'rv a-,ilIary had o,ctnied oyor n u.aol
In passing the hospice before Napoleon
and MS suite came into sight. The
weather was bitterly cold. and Napoleon's
right hand was plunged in the breast Of
his great coat and his usually pallid
cheeks had that faint t!nge OF blue
which comes from prolonged exposure
In high attitudes. One or two OF the old
er members Of his staff urged him to
spend the night at the hospice. to rest
and gain fresh energy. n the abbot
spoke OF the dangers Of the descent
among the snowdritts on the Italian
side of the pass but Napoleon expressed
his resolution TO push on.
The abbot tells us-again with the as
surance and confidence of an eyewitness
that Napoleon was calm and collected.
very polite. extremely taciturn.
Earlier in the day a false step Of
his mule had almost flung him into a
rsvine, but the incident had not I'M
nerved him. He was grateful to the guide
whose firm hand had stopped the mule
and a few weeks later sent him from
Italy 1000 francs. The great-grandson
OF the guide is the keeper OF the inter-
est!ng botanical gardens at Bourg ST.
Pierre. a hamlet halfway up the pass
on the Swiss side. He lives in the house
bought by his great-grandfather with
tho 1000 francs, is Intensely interested
in his collection Of Alpine plants and Is
only dimly conscious that a member
Of his family Influenced the destinles
Of nations and changed the course Of
history.
French Speaking Soldiers.
To-day. as lis years ago. the hospice
IS occupied by French speaking soldiers.
French Swiss. citizens mainly OF the
canton OF Valois, where admiration for
Napoleon, one of its greatest benetac-
tors, is still a living. vital thing.
The French Swiss soldiers who guard
me frontier OF their country at this
high altitude 49, sweeping the savag
snowclad mountain peaks with their
field glasses, tramping up and down on
sentry duty outside the hospice during
the night with only the stars and two
St Bernard dogs for company-have all
the hght-heartedness and vivacity. the
military instinct, OF the soldiers OF
France.
Dining with us In the monastery re-
feetory was the Lieutenant who com-
mands hem young eager man. a
great mountain climber. full of enthu-
siasm for his profession. In the depth
OF winter he and his small company had
reached the hospice on skis. and he was
rightly proud OF the short time the
march from the valley below to the
top OF the pass had taken. He wal
NNou TO know our Impressions of the
Swiss army. and his eyes cleaned with
delight when one of our compan said
that II wac so fine an Instrumental.
indeed. II now is-that the pity was
there seemed to be little Immediate pros
pect Of 1t being put INTO use.
The monks say that very few way
farers traversed the pass during the past
winter. The dogs. indeed. had hardly
anything to do. No disasters occurred in
the pass and no dead bodies were laid to
rest In the morgues. These morgues are
curious. gruesome buildings. You see
those stone huts ?" asked our guide when
we were nearing the summit OF the pass.
We assented. zone is for the living and
one FOR the dead" he said laconically.
One OF the huts, he went on. was used as
- O.A'ANNl ltoIh tIp ~ Ia
t!gued travellers: the other was used for
their dead bodies in case they had not
managed to evade the avalanches.
Dead Stand Erect.
Neither in this morgue nor in that ad-
Joining the hospice 10 any attempt made
at burial. The bodies Of the dead,
clothed In the garments they were wear
Ing when the disaster occurred, are
Lined UP against the walls and slaves
driven into the ground keep them erect.
BODIES OF men who have persisted in the
pass during h past thirty years or so
are packed up tightly together In these
morsues. in an excellent state OF preser-
Walton because Of tho frost and the
snow. The present abbot had the
morgues walled up three years ago, 40
mat tho curious traveller can no longer
examine their dreadful contents.
Il had them walled up for two rea-
sons he old us. For one thing MANY
leople who went into the morgues to
look at the bodies often received a se-
we're mental fright. and--this was the
second motive prompting my action
our dogs used frequently to attack and
Year the clothing OF people who had
VISITED the morgues. We think that the
dogs detected the odor of the dead
about the people who had been inside
n" m~orgues.'
Few tourists are expected this sum-
me- and their presence Is not to be
regretted, Their presence Is a disturb
ug factor to the traveller who tries to