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Napoleon community took
Special to the Item
There is a combination of romance, intrigue and mystery in the history of Napoleon community and of how it got its name. The name came from the fact the Jerome Napoleon, brother of Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte of France, once camped on the high banks of Pearl River just southwest of	u‘'jy	entered	the	Gulf
where Napoleon Baptist	of Mexico they tried to hide by
Church stood for years before an£i travel at night. They being forced to move by the	dare	to	try	to	go	up	the
government.	Mississippi River, which was
The Emperor had been	^y ^ar best way to go to
imprisoned on the Isle of	New Orlenas because of the
Helena. His brother Jerome	buccaneers, who were known
and others loyal to him plotted	to hover around the mouth of
to rescue him from this prison,	this great river. Neither did
Due to the world-wide fame	^iey (kJre to try to go by way of
and the great prominence of	the Rigolets and Lake Ponch-
the Emperor and because of	artrain because of the pirates
his many enemies, the strides	ant* robbers who pounced on
secrecy was vital to the	^ ships in that area from
success of their plan.	their headquarters on Honey
If Napoleon Bonaparte was	Island. Their plan was to land
to be rescued they needed a	0,1 the Mississippi Gulf Coast
place of refuge for him, and	an<* l*U!n W0I"k their way by
that’s where our interest in	secret and little used passages
this story comes in. Jorome	Oriwuis..
and a few of his faithful and fty skilful and careful plaan-loyat followers set out U) visit *n8 and manuevering, they the New Orleans area where	made their way to land in the
*	tlie Emperor was thought to	general area of where
have many faithful friends	VVavelaiid now stands. They
and followers. They slipped were met there by trusted away from the coast of France aides, headed by Jeremiah disguised as an ordinary Henley who lived at that time cargo boat and crew. They on Pearl River about a mile carried with them a usual north of Walkiah Bluff, cargo for those times but, Jeremiah was sympathetic know only to Jerome and those with, and had aided the the very closest to him, they French in their colonial also carried $80,000 in gold arguments with Spain and as a which they hoped to use to reward had had his claim on finance their clandestine Pearl River confirmed. Incid-operation in this area. They entally, this big tract of land hqpe that the great magic on ^e river still goes on the of the Bonaparte name, along record books of Pearl River with their skilful planning, County as the jeremiah would stampede this section of Henley Claim. MC^h informa-the banner of the Emperor tj0„ ni^ recorded in liistory and that they could establish a books has come down to us new nation here with him as through the Henley family, its head.
TheBonapartes had friends,	' H.V. Henley of Eureka,
and known followers in the California, 4 descendant of New Orleans area that they Jermiah Henley, wrote, “In hoped to contact and from 1811 Jeremiah Henley with a whom they hoped for enthus- group of French partisans
■	iastic aid. The voyage across joined with some French the Atlantic Ocean was volunteers to aid Napoleon in , uneventful but they were his war against Russia. They warned of dangers in the Gulf sailed for France in time to be of] Mexico form pirates and integrated into the French fr?e-booters who infested army that was to invade those waters in those times. Russia. They were soldiers No ship that could not fight its in Napoleon’s Grand Army wj'v was "afr* there.	'tfcat marched to M<iwc »*•'•
partes brother, was at the head of the French group uuu would have been a great prize if captured. And, too, the Frenchmen carried with them $80,000 in gold, which the numerous bandits in the general area must now know about.
The French with their Russian Capitol. They stayed American guides and protect-in Moscow less than two 01s arrived at their prepared months. In the terrible march hiding place under two big old back to France in tlie extreme live oaks in a jungle thickness cold and snow of a Russian of wild growth about 1000 f&at winter, many of these soldiers e£.st of Pearl River. All signs j from America were among oi their entrance were ■ those who last their lives from carefully eradicated. As they cold and disease. My grand- , wire getting settled into the : mother told me of Jeremiah ■ a mp one of the mules brayed. Henley’s description of this H »was killed instantly as they t: retreat from Moscow when the kiiew that if any of the many ; snow along the line of march pirates infesting the river and !r was dyed red by the bleeding nearby swarnps head the feet of tlie soldiers. Out of the mule they would promptly 500,000 soldiers who went to investigate. They immediate Moscow, Jeremiah was one of ly buried it as they wanted no , tlie very few who returned. He te. l-tale buzzards informing . had not beep back very long	th: bandits of their location.
before French agents contact- Jerome had with him only ed-hiiu because of his known	i msi in whom ' he had th*
sympathies for France and	greatest trust, yet he realized
asked that he organize a party	th>i great temptation that a
to meet the French conspira-	gnsat sum of gold offered to
tors.”	even the most trusted men to
The French group were met de >ert him and try to take the by Jeremiah Henley and his money for themselves. It is aides at the appointed place said he went through the where Waveland now stands pr etense of burying the gold a with pack mules and supplies litt le way from their camp, for the trip to a prearranged but that he and his most and prepared hiding place on triisted lieutenant slipped out the banks of East Pearl Itiver on the darkest night and just southwest of where old bu.-ied it in another place so Napoleon Church stood.	Ihcit only the two of them knew
Utmost secrecy was neces- where it was. Up to this good sary as Jerome Napoleon, day no one knows whether known world-wide as Bona- they ever came back for it.
Grandpa Thigpen j: