Sioux City register. [volume] (Sioux City, Iowa) 1858-1871, 1863-07-25
SIOUX CITY. IOWA SATURDAY, JULY 25 1863

hidden all pillage ?"
y! suppose We may take keepsakes," he
replied. "But to what do you refer p
II was thinking" | replied, "of the
ma'aehite eabiaet in the Rostopchin Pa.
lace"
"a peasants lie," saic Krau,zer, pale
with anger and confusion, as he spurred
on his horse, and joined the vanguard
That man had but one thought now. The
beast Of . Jew ran by his stirrup. How
or where he had picked up this man, or
what common interest brought them to.
gether, never could learn. Ae
Presently news came that two hundred
and fifty thousand inhabitants of Moscow
had left the city. 1t was ours. No one
was left in Moscow but beggars and thieves,
and we entered the city soon after noon.
While others sought the Kremlin or The
bazaars, the churches or the cafes, / ON.
ployed myself in selecting 6t place for
the wounded to winter in. When haA
made my arrangements under the Ruid. !.
snce Of Cossack officer, 4 prisoner, I
stopped at . great gateway, next door to
our new quarters, and asked 10 what PAL
ace that led.
"That is the Rostophin Palace, French.
man" said the prisoner, land contains
furniture worth half . million rubles, ell
left for your Corsican's plunder."
We are no thieves" said. "Mar-
shall Mortier, the new governor of Moscow,
is ordered, on pain Of death, to prevent
all pillage."
"Ha r says he, look there; they have
begun already"
looked up to where he pointed there
were two men tearing down some shutters,
and thrusting their heads out Of window
on the third story. l looked; it was
krautzer and that accursed Jew. They
were evidently in full cry after those Ros.
topchin diamonds.
Take charge Of this officer" / said to
the picket Of grenadiers that accompanied
me, land wait below. have business
here"
"Another Of Marshal Mortier's obbers,"
muttered the Cossack I; but | did not deigu
reply.
! leaped through the shattered door,
and il moment was up the staircase.
That moment gun was discharged, and
a bullet shivered the balustrade that nv
hand rested upon. drew my sword, aud
ran into room On the third story where
the door was open.
l stumbled over still smoking musket.
There, in the halflit room, with light
streaming through the broken shutters,
were krautser and the Jew, bending over
hole in the floor, from whence they had
removed two layers of cedar. planks and
much plaster and fresh earth. There, BE-
tween them, was the malacbite cabinet-
tho forced-of carefully replaced.
l was in furious rage at the attempted
assassination. 81 don't know which of
you it was Who shot at me-" said /, "but
one Of you it was If it was tbs aceursed
Jsw-who l already know to be q spy,
and half suspect to be murderer-I will
kill him On the spot. If you, Monsieur,
krau'zer, l shall report yos to Marshal
Moriier."
II know what you want" said Krautzer
suleniy, looking up. Don't ssagger.-
You want your share we'll, then, here
take it, and so saying, be threw of the
lid of the malichi,e cabinet with = hedious
grin Of triumph. 1t was empty; its vel
vet'lined reeesses still bore the impress Of
tiaras, carcane:s, chains and bracelets
you see we were too late; other nsea
bad the fruit aud left the shell for % ~
for the shot, We took you for . stray -
sian, and being here alone, feared violence.
For that shot, a thousand pardons, my
dear doctor; but pray. keep this caskes =
Q small remembrance Of Moscow.
left the room with . curse, dashiuR
the mnlichite box to pieces with kick Of
my foot, and saw no more Of Krau,zer
and his jew for many day, although
heard rumor, that he had undertaken,
Tor several thousand rubes. to convey
back to France Russian lady Of rank,
whose husband had been taken prisoner
at wilma, and sent to the Temple Ineyer
knew > man so translermed By lust for
wealth as that Krautser fame, science,
honor, had all been sacri6ced to that
molach.
That night our ruin began-the Rus.
SLAMS fired Moscow, the flames first break
ing out in the coachmakers' warehouses
From that moment the Emperor knew il
was oil over with him. The fatal retreat
soon after began.
Every day, matters grew worse and
worse. When one morning. on the 9Th
Of November, st Dorogobuj, The frat snow.
h6kes fell large - half-crowns, the Rus
slams prisoners smiled bitterly ,lor they
knew well what WAS coming. From that
day, 1t grew worse aud worse-thicker
and thicker; and the Cossacks skinned
round u like Arabs round . plague.struck
caravan. Al Segur says grandly in bis
great work: "In the vast wreck, The
army, like great ship tossed BY tre.
menduous tempest, threw into that vast
weltering sea Of ice . aud snow al that
could impede its progress" First, plum.
der, guns, arms, powder, shot; then the
wounded, the women, the sick, su.,lers,
prisoners, standards. At the convent Of
Kolotskoi, it went to my heart to tind
thousands Of my poor wounded dead, and
the rest, whom VIZ could not move, crowd
ing to the door. lame aud bandaged,
stretched out their arms, aud praying US
to take them with os. There was no ford
but soMs wagons or guns we're abandoned
at il; no storm of Cossacks hut swept off
some miserable straEgiers no biyOuace