ROMANCE OF KING'S WATCHES

Star (Christchurch), Issue 10682, 31 January 1913, Page 2

ROMANCE OF KING'S WATCHES

A TALE OF THE GREAT WAR

In an obituary-of a Colonel Tcliernozouboff in a Russian provincial paper an extraordinary story is retailed in which are bound up two or three romantic episodes. ' . Among the colonel's effects had been found a -gold watch, on the case of which was the inscription: " Eleonore a Joachim. Ne m'oublie pas!" Upon this "Do-not-forget-me" watch hung a tale of the great war. In 1812, says the "Pall Mall Gazette," the colonel was a simple Cossack, in a regiment engaged in harrying the Trench retreat; while Murat was King of Naples, and in command of the French cavalry. It was on the eve of Borodino ; and 'Murat, galloping ahead of his squadron, was cut off and surrounded. It looked as though ho was doomed.

The range was short, and the Cossacks were about to fire, when Tchcrnoaouboff intervened. "Present arms!" he ,cried chivalrously. " Hurrah for the King of the Brave!" Murat had time to put spurs to his horse and ride away. As the King rode off he took' out his gold watch, and gave it as a souvenir to the Cossack who had saved liira. Platoff, theiHetman of tho Cossacks, admiring Tchernozouboff's chivalry, gave him his commission and made him his aide-de-camp. •, The" watch was thereafter treasured as an heirloom in the Tchernozouboff family, though they received an offer of no less than 20,000 roubles ,for it. It curiously happens that another gold, watch is in existence, baarina an almost identical inscription, but fixing the date of the gift by de:xri!)i:i'» Mnrat as Captain of Chasseurs._ That was Murat's rank in 1797. when Bonaparte sent him from Italy to Switzerland, to select headquarters for him. and thonce to Paris with the test, of the treaty of Campo Formio. Murat," upon that errand, did not ,go alone. He took with him the beautiful Countess Gerardi. whom he had met at Brescia, and who had left her home and her husband to accompany him.

Her husband followed, and made representations to the. Directoire; and the watch of 1797 appears to have changed hands as a peace offering on that occasion; the gift of a previous mistress, with which Murat sought to oacify the mistress from whom he now had to partBut. if Murat pave away the watch in 1797. how ■could lie have it in his pocket in 1.812 P That is a mystery, of which the most probable solution is that Murat, regretting that he had parted with the souvenir, caused a duplicate of it to be made in order to Veep a sentimental memory alive. But Eleonore was not the Countess Gerardi. She belonged to mi earlier period of Murat's sentimental history; and the establishment of h'cr identity is a task which has hitherto beaten Murat's biographers.