Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-05-07

II protest. before God and my country.
against this sentence that has condemned
me. l appeal from it to man, to posterity,
to Cod"
The doomed prisoner then turned to
the firing squad, composed of sixty vet
Grams of his own armies:
My brave comrades. when place my
hand upon my heart, fire, See that you
take sure aim at my heart,'
Raising his hand to his bosom. he thus
gave the terrible signal There was a
ragged, nervous cracking of musketry,
and Michel Ney. erstwhile Marshal OF
France. Duke of Elchingen. Prince of
Moskva. dropped upon the ground, his
face turned slightly to one side.
The dust beneath him became crimson
away. And then a squad appeared with
little, on which the CORPSE was borne
to an adjacent hospital. there to be
placed in q leaden coffin incased within
a casket of oak. Early next morning it
was borne to the cemetery and buried.
Such is history's account of the great
hero's tragic ending. His crime had been
loyalty to his old commander. Napoleon
Placed at the head of army sent by
Louis XVIII. to capture the fugitive from
Elba. Ney had fallen upon his knees be-
fore his former emperor and brought him.
victorious. into Paris. Then had come
the surrender to the allies. Napoleon's
exile to ST. Helena. Ney's own fight. his
capture in a friends castle, his trial and
condemnation; his execution on the 5th of
December, 1915.
The day following the marshafs funeral
the deck of vessel bound from Bor
deaux to Charleston, S. c., glanced up
and recognizing a ruddy-faced individu-
al. saluted respectfully.
who do you think / ann asked the
passenger.
my old commander. Marshal Ney,"
said Petrie, very positively.
Marshal Ney was executed two days
ago in Paris replied che stranger. with
a scowl; and, during the remainder of
cabin.
A few weeks later several French inlmi-
grants. meeting familiar figure upon
| the streets Of Georgetown, S. C.. cried
out: Mon Dieu. lie Marechal Ney!"
| whereupon the parsonage thus addressed
vanished, like breath into the wind
| 1t was about this time that mysteri-
Gus stranger. calling himself Peter Ney.
appeared at Cheraw, S. c.. and there
engaged himself to teach the school at
| Brownsville, nearby. CHANGING at a news
paper one morning in the schoolroom he
fell in a swoon, and school had to be
dismissed. That night he was observed
| to be burning documents. decorations and
| badges. Next morning he was found in
| bed with his throat cut, the blade of his
| pocket knife being broken off in the
| wound, which, thanks to good nursing
| healed. The newspaper which caused
| the fainting fit contained news of Ma
poleon's death. Later. when shown a
paper. announcing the death of Ma
poleon's son, the schoolmaster suffered
another paroxysm, and proceeded to burn
| more manuscripts.
One morning, while at Statesville S.
C.. John Snyder and Frederick Barr vet
| Grams of the Napoleonic wars. recognized
| the schoolmaster as the field marshal of
| France. Snyder went so far as TO accost
| Peter Ney. and received only black looks
for his pains.
The schoolmaster. while upon his death
bed in the early winter of 1916. was
pressed by his physician to clear up the
| mystery Of his identity.
Il am Marshal Ney of France" the
| Frenchman gasped with almost his dying
breath. And. after his funeral. one of
his intimate friends. Mrs Mary c. Dali
ton, of 1redell county. n. c. revealed
what she claimed to have been a confess
sion made to her by Peter Ney shortly