The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1870-10-01 00:00:00

FAMILIES DRIVEN FROM TIiEIR HOMES.

A riot was caused last Friday by the departure of a regi-
ment from Blois. Conviuced that it ought ti remain for
their protection, the people strove to prevent it frm de-
puting, 3131 tore up the rails in order to stop the train; but
in the end the poor people submitted to their fate, stud the
soldiers trooped to Tours. As the Chian. epprosoh Blob%
the people are Rooting in large numbers to Tours In LAU-
gene!es and in cart* they are pushing tenor stricken into a
two which, they fancy, must be beyond the reach of the
Prussian horsemen, since It Is the place from which the
minister. Immo their decrees. It is pathetic to see wagg.m.
loaded with whole f.ntille., and such goods aa they could
take with them in their hasty night Away from the battle-
field itself, uo 411:gives:I more vivid Idea of the desolation
spread by war thin the sight of funnies driven from their
homes, to rest they know not where. And few of them cars
'moan at rours the town Is already choke-full of stran-
gers, so that every- hotel, every inn, and every lodging-house
has to refuse admission, and the only unoccupied rooms are
far too expensive for poor travellers Accordingly, many are
forced to spend the night in the walting.roonis of the rail-
way station, tad such other places as will afford the slightest
shelter.

KING STORK OR KING LOG !

What the Inhabitants of Sedan have had to suffer through
this war is frightful (writes a cewreepondeutl. The requisi-
tions ere heavy acd constantly repeated, while the means of
compl) kg with them, are, of c,mrse, becoming exhausted.
The other day La Chapelle, a poor little vil*e with • hos-
pital iu almost every houso. lia.l to supply seven head of
cattle. The only place out of which nothing Call he screwed
is what was &adder. There, though La Nendicitc rot
defetwltte, poor-bons have been put up. Into these visiton
are invited to deposit alms for the poor. Turmas live! in
Bs:elites. I believe it was the place of his birth. At all
events, his princely chateau still existed there. Ail that
rem sins of It now lithe great stone archway leading to what
was the courtyard. There was a lofty iron cross set in a
copper ball on the tower of the church of &nines. Cron
and ball now lie outside the entrance of the ruins of that
building You are Mated to step on or over them to get
inside what remain of the walls. Alice Lasalle s, hloucelle,
a village half a mile from it suffered wrist. About ono-half
of It is In ruins. As LI. Sadao it la difficult to say whether
it has endured more under King Stork or King Lo,.r. I know
one chateau there in which over SO French t Meets Ile
wounded at the present moment. About 40 Ircbch haves
were quartered in the stables of that chateau before the
Prussians obtained visiesion of the town. Eighty horns of
the German army were then quartered there; arni almost
every room In the houne, which lea. large.. • king's palace,
has either a cAnplemeut of wouuded French or a umnber of
German troops at present occupying it. Besides having his
chateau turned into a bar rack and an and:mbar:o, the pro-
prietor haa been obliged to coutribute his share to tha re-
quisitions.

DOING WHAT THEY LIKE WITH THE GERMANS !

On the departure of the listen troops from Milthousen, the
people, according to the FrallA it,' (id:et.% vented their
rage on the German recidcitts. The Mayor was &eked to
expelthemfr:rn the town ;1 ut be refuseel,asa:sodai the mann-
facturers, on the ground that they had invited the Germans
to nettle there. When the superior officials had let!, subor-
Molder appeared, who Informed the mob they might o what
they hked with the Germane inconeeival le mnities
thereupon commenced The homeo of the ohne:km
foreigners were totc:11 open and rhiudered, the women Lang
dragged into the streets and pelted will mud and stones.
lhe girl wool. said to have bet: e)ed an alleged c onruunica-
Mon with Belton was thrown Into prison alter undergoing
the must ellockfng Tnuee ntis could fled, and
preteLded to the fanatical country people that tin y were
Steles, In order to avoid being attacked with It sits and dung,
as happened to isolated dragoons.

" EMPEROR BY THE GRACE OF PitrBBl.l."
The Empire, which was supposed to be the very symb .1
of order, has in reality left the Republic a legacy of what
beam*ao close a likeness to anarc'iy. By way of repayment,
the people and the local newspaters express their opinion
of tte det,sod Ensseror in a fashion which preteens mi
amazing ,intrast to the flattery lavished on himself and his
doings at no rem otos day. The hostile words, however, de-
note snotl hatred, or even of Indignation, than of cootempt.
i:eferring to the report that King William wishes to keep
Napoleon on the throne, the Journals speak of him as "Em-
peror by the grace of Priusia.” Those comic journals which
swarm in France are filled with earicattmes of the man who,
stew short months ago, was still the first of potentate&
ene draughtsman represents the Emperor dressed la
Napoleon 1., aril arrested as a vagabond by France, in the
guise of a colossal sergenade-rille, who, seizing the little
culprit by the car, lilts him into these as If he were a poodle
dog, and prepares to kick him Ignominiously ester the
frontlet In tte railway cerring,, a nicer. body express
their contempt for the man wits would not go to the
battle-held wttlioat a lone train or luxurious carriam s, and
on whose, toad, they firmly bellete, rests the gEllc of the
capitulation at :i.edan.