The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1871-01-21 00:00:00

THE INGENVITIES OF THE ',Russia:ss!

The Parisians are every day more and more impressed
with the ingenuity of their Garman foe ; the skill of all his
arrangement.; the fertility and novelty of Ida resources,
(writes the Special C mrespohdent of the Daily Nee*. The
French hate the Germans with a terrible hatred ; they are
exasperated beyond measure at the manner in which the
Germane have conducted the war in France ; but being
themselves an ingenious people, they are mightily struck
with the ingeuulties of the enemy. Thus,there is a Pruselan
battery at Brettuil, which for a time received the tire of
Mont Val6rien without any apparent effect, much to the
astonishment of the gunners in the fort. They were ex.
tremely puzzled, and sought the point of attack with
double care. Then they discovered the Caine of their
failure. It seems that the Prussians Putted powder at
some distance from the embrasures of their battery,
and thus contrived to misdirect for some time the
heavy Pre of Mont-Val6rien. Then there is another
contrivance of the Prussians which has taken the fancy of
the French. It is that their sentinels wear white cloaks
when they stand against walls, green ones when they appear
in the fields, brown ones for the woods, and grey ones for the
mist 'Tiers, liens!' says the Parisian, with an appearance
of disdain in which there le an undertone of admiration ;
"their tricks are without number." " But," says another,
' twill tell you one of their tricks which deserves praise,and
from which we might learn • lesson. They go about their
work very quietly ; we niche too much noise with
our clarions and drums—we warn the enemy of our
movements a mile off. Bow much better is their low
whistle' Their people hear it weil enough, and we
do not hear it at all.' " But talking of whistles,"
the conversation goes on, "have you heard of that other
dodge? The other night they managed • reconnaissance in
the woods of Chimer% by meane of hooting. like so many
owls. Our fellows heard its hooting, and could not make
out what it was at Mat They have got a little instrument
to hoot with Then says another,' Quite as good as the
owl is the dog trick. The outposts at Cretell have a dog who
watches for them, and harks when any one approaches."
Then yet another, ..tin they are ingenlotui enough—and that
dog reminds me that they like to take things easy. We
made a reconnalesance to the Matson Blanche the other day.
We found one of the houses with a large room loop.
holed. But if you imagine that the Prussians stand
before these loopholes you are mistaken. They alien chairs.
In another house there Is no chairs—they had to sit on planks
—I suppose the chairs had been burnt; hut to make the
benches ea.!, for the rotund sentinels—what do you think ?
they had got the pillows from the bed in the next room, and
therewithal made cushions to repose upon." Hear one
more. •' I have another story of a loophole, it was a good
big one—in fact, a window. Our people saw a man's head
there, evidently tha man on guard. It was daring too much,
and they peppered him with their Chassepots. But every
time a shot took effect, and we began to crow for triumph,
back comes another sentinel showing himself at the window
as brave as ever. We killed him oil; he was replaced by a
a third. lii m also we killed; and a fourth, and a fifth, and
a sixth. I assure you we admired the pluck of thee° fellows
coming to the window like that, one after another, to be
shot. At last we found that it was only a lay figure. Bather
clever, wasn't it ?"