The Tabor independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1913-19??, 1915-04-15

quarter beyond the Eiffel tow
I er. Wide, shady avenues, te"
people In them; rich new apart
ment houses on q wide parade ground;
old bronze cannon before the palace
Of the Soldiers Home. One sees Few
old soldiers. Well dressed, dignlneo'
they pass like shadows.
Enter q monumental iron gate. Pass
armed sentries, pass q green lawn.
Mount wide steps and stand In q vast
interior beneath q noble dome. Man
sard built it-part of the Old veterans
church. Heroic frescoes above, carved
stone all around. .
In the center Of the hoor q huge cir
cular hole, protected by a 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 Car
Nicholas, writes Sterling Heilig IN
the Washington Star.
Once I was near an aged veteran
who showed q young soldier around.
Napoleon is entombed really In the
historical Old. Soldiers Home of
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES. 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 at Waterloo, and
he imagined himself and a few other
glorious old relics in some particular
way to guard the emperor.
Many Flags and Banners.
They stood by the cireling balus-
trade and looked into the yawning
space Of circlingt Victories and sar-
cophagus. Alternating with the angels
are those stands of moldering flags
and banners-iags and banners and
more flags and banners-taken In bat.
tie from all the armies and countries
of Europe in Napoleon's 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 circlins
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: VI $500. ser:r.
"T 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
IS41, and the generous and grandiose
act was done, to the detriment Of the
Orleans dynasty, by the gallant youns
Prince de BONNEVILLE, a younger son
of the then reigning King Louis.
Philippe BONNEVILLE.
Thus Napoleon's true funeral took
place 20 years after his death. II
was the most g~randiose parade ot
Paris Of the nineteenth century.
I found myself with the veteran,
again, before the relics.
"Is 1t true that they belong BY
law to Empress Eugenie?" asked the
young soldier.
The old fellow was troubled. Vet
eran of the Crimea, with all HIS pride
loyal to the Bonapartes, he did NOT
know how to answer.
In truth, most Of the sacred OBJ.
jects had been inherited by Napoleon
III from members of HIS family. on
bought with his own money while EN-.
peror, or presented to him personals
by third parties '
It IL also true that they were
awarded by the highest French courts
to Eugene as Napoleon III's widow
and under his will, after 80 years OF
litigation. Probably she never con,
templated taking the more illustrious
pieces; probably her object was ID
merely keep the Bonapartist family
claim alive.
ReIlcs Belong TO France.
Certainly she might have taken the
bench Of st. Helena among So OBJ.
jects that bore the ticket belonging