The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1871-03-18 00:00:00

AN ARMY OF OCCUPATION.

The detal3 in the following letter from a lady resident
at St. Val4ry, portray some of the miseries incident to
war :

" March 9 —I think it will Interest you to hear how we have
fared under Prussian dominion. They arrived from 1,500 to
2003, and as this is so small a piece It soon became evident
that every tolerably-sized house must have a good num-
ber. . . . We had eight, then six for a fortnight, and duce
we have two, and God knows ter how long Madame
and my brother-in-law had eighteen between therm . . . The
regulation tax for their meals was as followe ;—Co an lait,
bread and hider at eight ; tread, meat, and beer at ten ;
se.ape grove, meat, vegetables, and beer at ens; cafg noir
mot a wineglass of brandy at four; soup grease. meat, vege-
tables, and beer at seven; five cigare per diem, end besides
five candles. ... imagine the berden, and the same to all the
email tradesmen. . . . the soldiers in many costs turned the
people where they were lodged out of their bede. Some
of our friends were obliged to sleep on the floor,
and one lady, who remonstrated, Sal told by the
soldiers she rei,ght steep In the street. The com-
mandant, es ho lodged with a widow lady, who has a
beautiful house here, turned her out of her own bedrooorn,
took her orawing-room for his eating tura smoking.room,
and required all sort of things for Ms table moat difficult
to procure here. . . . A gentleman incense I by the In-
solence of the soldiers called them canaille Ile was
acted, bryught to the commandant, who ordered him the
scluag, aid the poor widow lady was only saved from the
mitrege oi semng Vote gr ntleman ft egged in her own cow C-
I yard by imploring the commandaet on her knees to epare
her such all insult. Another ady received the soldiers
very evenly; ii; revenge they took her drawing-room to
sleep, eat, and smoke in, and in her dining-room they per-
formed every diegustieg office of nature on the finer. Besides
We they drank Mean bottles of wine every day, and kept
up a noise and sintene rill night. But the erne Beat thing of
all was on the lit of March a solemn Reardem service was
ordered for our ye-or dead soldier. Wou:d you believe li-
the Pruselan authorities insisted on celebrating a Protestant
Service of thanksgiving fee their victories in our church on
the some day, and Stan hour which see interfered with the
eervlce as to compel the clergy to hurry fluter, and hardly
hod the last note of the Requiem died away, before they
marched into the church witn their drum, and metric and
sang the'To Dermot Victory!' . . . They demanded 20,0;0%
from this little town. and 5,0001. from a miseraely
poor commune. . . . In vain the Matte expostulated,
saying how many wulows and children had been late 4
thrown upon the town by the epidemic that had prevailed
. . . . Iho commarolant exhibited Ms orderer, s'gued by
Bismarck, to take even the ladles* jewels to melte up the
sum. . . . rhe Metre and my brother-in-law represented t..e
Impseeibility for—to pay 5,0001. . . . 1 hey offered thorn
selves so hostage.. and accordingly the next day 0-- "no
arrested by ae officer and four men armed to toe teeth.
His plot mother, at 73. aced an invalid, sat pole as
teeth and trembling like a leaf, while her fevourile
'son was carded elf, none of us knowing where, as
they sard he would be sent to Germany.' . . . 0., arriv-
hig at the oblige in question be wise, however, re-
it ased and the extortionate demand Fives up, showing how
they Ind trusted to Intimidation tor getting the money.
The commandant had a very flee map. On a gentleman re-
m irking it he said, Yes, it is a very flue map, and it is the
msp of your town see, here is your home, here the church,
Ac' Ile added, I have It since two years.' The officers
here talk o2enly of their deeigns on England and ,if an
luvasion. . . They know everything about ;he Inhabitants
I here, who ore Republic it,, arid who not. . , Such was our
Ifare during the Armistix. What would It have been during
the war