The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1870-08-27 00:00:00

A PRUSSIAN SOLDIER'S VIEW OF THE'
WAR.

The following letter from a combatant on the Prus-
sian nitle, to his mother, sketchets the earlier operations
of the war :
" Menhir, Ang. 15
"Oar successes have linen inimente ; but our limes also are
great. The battle at Woerth was worse than that at KO dir.
grate: we had to ninny more wounded, for those horrible
mitrailleures were hit in between the vineyards all up the
steep hills above Woorth, and the peop7e cowered behind the
vines and bushes end fired down in fury upon cur advancing
troops. We emit not fret at them till rue hatteriesc true up,
and when they began to tire in upon the French army there
ensued a scene that must have been horrible, V. e had about
6,000 dead and wounded, but number, of the wounds are in
the legs. Very few shots went higher than the lower parts
of the body, but those ere the most dangerous. I think the
advancing army despised she mitrailleuses too much, and so
were urelesely reposed. The Artillery came up too late, but
from that moment the French bolted. I think our fellows
had no Idea they would run away in that man-
ner. . . . . . There must have been
10 000 French lost in that dreadful battle, and we have
at least half as many more prisoner., mostly unwounded.
What astonishes me Is the number of unwounded officers
that hove fallen into etre hands. They are dirptrited, and
seem to have little hope Mr the Froich cause A poor
colonel of a miserable regiment that was cut to pieces who
was WOUTllied and taken prisoner, went Into loeterics at the
sight of the remnant of his men lam sorry for such old
soldiers, but I have not a grain a pity for Napoleon
Ile has riots groin of pity for his own poor people. Who has
murdered all those wretched fellows ; who but himself and
Grarnont I Toe Permian management of aff Orals splen-
did ; not their worst enemy can say a word against it. The
French prisoners had no words to eaves. what thee thought
of mir armies. They ern our Merrick brigade the Brigade de
rErifor: they are such terrible fellows, and lave such
physical strength, that in • hand to hand fight there is no
standieg against them. The French positions on the passes
of the Vosges were splendid. YlOll know that their whole
camp fell into our hands soil 230,0:01 in gold. Schulze here
has brought the tent and General Mitc-Slabon's accoutre-
meets,, and intends exhibiting them for the benefit of the
sick and wounded.... The French army is demoralised,
also the pepulation. They massacre the wounded and nurses
and doctors, and they illtreat prisoners, but they run away
from the soldiers From all we hear, I believe they never
thought of treat war. The African brutes had orders to be
let loose 111 lisden to rrverte and reorder. About, in the
ConAtitidiontiel calls the Germans a nation of ' hoeing
shoemakers.' South Germany was portly to be ranged and
partly was ma cted to go over to France, ant there wore
caricatures of the Fressiene galloping off at the sight el the
mitreilleuse. The 'promenade ci Btrim'—to-dny they wore
to have been there—has mit been so easy, RIM the day of
retribution has, please God, come. tilt only please Mtn to
continue to us the victory as heretofore. France will no
more be feared for many a year. And this war must have
been I feel sure it was necessary tor Germany, for In spite
of struggling we could not get our Governments to unite,
and now the people have united and sealed it with their
hearts' blood. May it never he torn asunder again. We
shall he better and haripier In the end, though great Is the
heartache and great the misery at present ; bet everybody
Is no kind and rympathizing. We had an awitil week iast
week, no real news, arid such awful reports I would 1110 i
believe them, and nave been rewarded, hut it wee hard to
keep up. God be thanked, fe ear are killed than was ex-
pected. Vi sing Arco Zirineberg is badly wounded, also Otto.
zu Rhein, which is a great sorrow."

v. 7,3 se exlaau,ted by loss of blood as to be unable to
girepse e lengthened account of the transaction. The
house where the tragedy occurred was at once taken
posse.sion of by the police, who were unable, however,
for a long time to find the revolver with which the
murderous woik had been done. On the body of the
father MN found over P. 5 in cash, but he seems to have
left no statement as to the cause of Lis rash act.
An inque:t was held on the bodies on Tuesday even-
ing, when the above facts were deposed to, and the
younger girl, though not well enough to he present, was
enabled to make a statement to her medical attendant.