Mountain Democrat. [volume] (Placerville, El Dorado Co., Cal.) 1854-1860, 1860-04-28
A TRUE STORY
ny BAYARD TAYLOR.

| lagc near Jena. Ii was an occasion OF an EN-
tircly local nature, and might have passed
over unobScrvcd and unknown to all, except
the immediate vicinity, hut for its connection
with the battle which fifty years and one day
before annihilatcd the power Of Russia, An
account Of it, however, Was published in most
Of the German newspapers, and this cirrum-
stance the sequel Of the story ! am about tn
relate was brought ~. At the time the ccic.
bratiOn took place, ! was residing in GOtha,
not more than fifty miles from the spot, and
received the story almost in the very words
of the chief actor in it, nm sorry that his
name and that Of the village, have escaped my
memory. All llother particulars made too deep
an impression upon me to be easily forgotten.
We must first go back to the 18th of Octo-
her, lSuG.-oH- that day thew -MindY-uplandS
northeast Of Jena witnessed the brief but ter
riblc combat, which resulted in the triumph
ant entry Of the French. army into Berlin
eleven days a(tcrwarl rl-duiing which time
Prussia had lost Co. 900 men, 60 standards, and
COO cannon. \ portion of the Frrnrh army
was cnCHmped on the battle field, or quartcrcd
in the village around. The poor inhabitants,
overwhelmed hv this sudden avalanche OF war
upon their quiet tlrldS-whrrc for Il hundred
years or more, they had rcapcd their harvest
in peacc-submittcd in helpless apathy, while
their hunscS and barns Mcrr plnn1crc,l by the
lawlcsS soldicry. The battle was over but
tl,rrr r,,l,iil l,is, ,f l,rarrl,
thr cloudS of cannon smoke which settled into
the hosom of thr drrn valleys os th, raw De-.
tobrr evening came On were heard in all iii.
r,cti,nv xh,irk SnrG,or v,,l. nrr,rn mr. t,i,nuh
and rr;,.. of min mr. lnm.nt,tinn
D,voustLthc "Rutrhrr Of HAMBURG -. ms
the Germans chilled him-took nm his quarters
for IN. NIGHT in one Of thc most convenient
nnd comfortable housrS which could hr fnund
in the nryhhorhood of fine scene Of slaughter.
TIcrc Lr Ia;,;,II, ;SS,,cJ win. rr
tion Of thc fnrccs und,r his command rave
dirrc,i,ns C,r the marrow nud received rrnurtS
from his ,diu;onts lie hoI taken his clonk.
and w,S ,Lnut rri;riu,, tn an ;n,,rr rh,,nl,r
FIR rrnosr when nm officer rutrrrd "parIon
mo rrnrral " he said "but There i n ca SO
which rrouircs ottrntion The German. cy.
.,;Xe muIt hn ,ouoht =, rcsn.rtu. Ten sol.
dirrS oC Comnonv = ofths Enurth Infantry
whn uunrtrrrl themselves in the yil,rr Of
Waldorf drt ms saw have been driven away
hv the nronlc and two or thre, oC them arc
sSvrrclv iniurrd n...-.-.
DnvHus,s rnI cvc cl;ttercd md his mons.
,orhr rurlcI Ike ihr In nr , ,n,stiU os he
turncd and halted n mnmrrt ,t thr dnor of
Tho h,I .rnnm "S.nd a I,utonont and twontv
men to III. villacc. nick ont ten or the vooS.
hnnds and .hoot thcm down." was the bri,.f
nrlrr "Whrrr i Waldorf" h. ,JlrJ turn.
inr IN ono oC those uscCnl crcotnrrs who are
always willing 10 net os ruilrs and intrrprct.
rr. t1r ,Ln enemy in ,L,;r own l,nJ
"Thrrr i. vill,cr collcd Inner WolJorr
vh;,h Iirs mcnr ,hn h.oJ ~ = I,,,aIl r,ilnv ~
,hr l,.rt NiJIi,. Waldorf is nn thr nthrr sidc
If the Nm and Lower W,Idmr ,hout half m
hnur's ,G.,,nrr h,vnnJ
The marshal moi rari,... to onnnv himsclCbv
mnr, u,inu,,. in,u,iri,s v,ut +, i,l If ton
mr,> rn,r ,h,t ir,t v,. .riI;,.i..,,t
Thn nrxt mor,ir., n, .nn,i.n i.rt.ront
I,un,tr with tw,.,tv m,.n n,,,cI,.I nv.r thr
t,m,,rd hills tn Srrk W,llnrr /, v,. dis.
agreeable business and thc snnner il WINS over
rho br,trr On rr,rhinr - ridrr which over.
locked the intcrscrtiou "r twn or thrrc valleys
more than one VILLAGE was visible throuph thr
cold io0 nav bryinnin. tn r;.n "yUi ,xt
W,LiorI'}" innuirrd the officer Of the man
whom il, had IMPRESSED nv tho way "N,s "
answered the man. ";HLobtt UuLL.rt'" mini.
inc to a village ON the left. "kn arant ~
And in fifteen minutes more IN. Frenchman
marched INTO the li,tlr hamlet
IIaltinr in an opcn space between the
church and the two princinnl b,cr.ho the
officer summoned the inhabitants together
The whole village was already awake. for few
had Slcpt during the nirht Their ears were
still stunned by the thundcrs of Yesterday.
and visions of burning and nill,rc Sill danced
before their ewes. At the command Of the
lieutenant the soldiers seized oll th. male in.