Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1916-05-31
DID NAPOLEON DIE
AT ST. HELENA? /:

e AT ST. HELENA? 8
Did Napoleon Bonaparte die at st.
Helena? Was he ever q prisoner on
that island? Could it be possible that
he fooled the English to the very asst
and finally died, as he lived. a free
man? All these questions seem strange
IN view of the tons of literature which
might have been written in every Lam
guage of modern civilization regarding
the life OF the great French general as
an exile at ST. Helena, and of his final
death. and the return of his remains to
France, to be buried with great
honors many years afterwards.
A distinguished French historian, NJ.
Omessa. has doubted for years that
Napoleon ever saw st. Helena as a
prisoner, and boldly declares that the
general, after losing all on the field Of
to the hated English, but instead es-
capped to Italy, and sent his double, Pri-
Vate Robeant, to ST. Helena, in accord
ance with plans laid long beforehand.
Genera Bertrand. Napoleon's friend
of a lifetime, is supposed to have mad
the supreme sacrifice Of accompanying
Robeant to the island so as to blind the
English to the trick being played upon
them. For seven years. according to
Omessa. the real Napoleon lived in Yer
ona, selling sp%ectacles to British trav-
elers. T.
AT last the desire again to see his
only son, whom he adored. got the bet
ter OF his caution, n the former con-
queror of Europe, the hero of the finest
army the world has ever seen. went to
Vienna, where his little son was In the
care of Francis II, the Austrian en-
peror, who had thought 1t an honor to
call Napoleon soninlaw, and was shot
down like a dog while trying to climb
the wall which surrounded the palace.
M. omessa, who spent a great many
years In his investigation OF the SUBJ
ject, on his journey to h Austrian
court, could find no evidence OF this
killing on h official records. but he
ella he happened upon the private
note book of one Corporal Arnstein.
who was %procurator OF the palace. 1t
contains the following entry, dated
September 5, 1923:
Yesterday an unknown person at
tempted to scale the high ratings
around the park at Schoenbrumn. AS
himself. the sentry on duty fired at him.
The stranger died gasping the words.
king! My son!" Who the man was
do not know. He had a long beard
yet looked like Napoleon I. When the
emperor of Austria heard of the occur
renee he went to look at the man, and
Immediately gave notice to the French
ambassador. who betrayed unusual
emotion. and claimed the body in order
to send 1t back to France. This was
done"
This was but one Of the many incl
dents which has led this French his
torian to declare that Napoleon himself
never reached st. Helena in banish-
ment. He has been able to unearth
a document In the French archives
which says: "a V%olbigeur of the Third
regiment Of Napoleon ], by name Fran
els Eugene Robeant, died on the island
of st. Helena, belonging to the Eng
lish." The date on the parchment has
been carefully eliminated, but Omessa
says he a prove that no soldier OF
that name ever was on the island OF
st. Helena as such.
And still another important docu-
ment in The mind Of this historian
from the declaration of an Eng
fish witness, Miss Maud Ella Richie.
who knew Napoleon in Paris. and man.
aged to get permission to see him on
the island. whereupon h wrote home:
II was most astonished when they in
troduced me into he presence of the
ex-emperor. Instead Of that great and
kingly name which Napoleon pre-
sented. even after his final defeat at
Waterloo. l found a cringing little man
with nor Of that self possession Of
Napoleon. My suspicious, which I dare
scarcely express. were heightened by
the behavior of General Bertrand. who
treated the prisoner with the utmost
disdain."
BY way of confirming the suspicious
of the English woman, M. Omessa add
that she was more than justified in her
thoughts, since the English governor
himself early detected the fraud and
began to treat the false Napoleon in a
manner that never would have been
assumed toward the real emperor.
Omessa says hat the charges of bru-
tality and cruelty made at the time
We're true and that the English gov
ernor knew well enough that he was
m~istreating not the once master of half
of Europe, but a shallow double sent to
die for the eagle whom the net of a
continents armies had not held.
The story of the defeat of Napoleon.
his exile to st. Helena, his lonely life
there-even to the most minute details
is familiar to every reader, and not
worth repeating. but there exists at
least the shadow of a doubt in the
minds Of many whether or not the
| greatest schemer the world has ever
seen would not have found it possible
to do just what the French historian
| has credited him with having done.
Responsibility Without Power.
From the st. Louis Post-D:spatch.