The mountain Democrat., 1863-10-31
THE MAD sAvANT.

7 my dear English friend, at No. 45 it is q
curious case; and presently over our wine
in the balcony will tell you the story,
said DR.. FrochOt, the famous mad doctor
of Berlin, to me, with professional sang
froid. The doctor, as he spoke, laid aside
the little round piece of brass that hid a
glazed aperture in the wall, and then took
an elaborate pinch of snuff. while looked
through It into the cell of No. 40. 1t was
small bare room, with no furniture but
. trestle-bed, one chair, and small tri-
angular table.
At this table sat tall, thin, gray-haired
man, with q vacant, care.worn face, who
was busy counting a heap of those round,
prismatic pieces Of glass that are used as
ornaments to chandeliers. Having count.
ed them some twenty times over, he pro-
ceeded to breathe on each Of them, and
then, one BY one, to rub them, and hold
them 10 the light.
Suddenly he rose, drew himself to his
full length, struck his forehead, as if he
was in pain there, or as If some momen.
tary flash Of reason had lighted I'D his
mind, then gave loud shrek, and fell in
. sWOon upon the floor.
replaced the brass slide with an invol.
untary sigh. He has swooncd; should
he not have help, DR.. FrochotH' said TO
my friend the mad doctor.
No; he is often so,' replied the imper.
turbable doctor; he will be better when
he comes to. We never visits patients
but at regular hours. If we were always
visiting patients, what time should we
poor doctors have for ourselves?'
Some ten minutes later, the doctor and
myself were seated in the balcony Of one
Of the pleasantest houses in Berlin, watch-
ing the little beart-shnped leaves Of the
lime trees waver and futter in the street
below, as we smoked our cigars and sipp-
ed our Hochheimer. 1t was a quiet street
in the suburbs, and that part Of the house
where the patient was confined was far
away from us, and separated from the
quarter that the doctor inhabited, by a
large garden, and thus no groan or shrek
could reach US
A pale, fat man, q recovered patient,
waited on US, and the children from time
to time ran out TO Us, laughing and shout.
ing, from the inner rooms. As it began
to set dusk, and the air grew cooler, and
the first star spArkled over the General
Graufencau's house opposite, the doctor,
planting one foot on the upper ledge of
the balcony, and resting the other on a
china garden seat, began his story:
You must know, my dear English friend,
that in lSl2-that is to say, just eighteen
years ago-I, then a mere lad, accompa-
MED the French army to Russia. l wns
surgeon in Davonst's corps, and was often
in the Emperor's tent. No. 45-then a
we'll known astronomer in Berlin-was
also with the Grand Army, having been
expressly commanded by Napoleon to
make observations on the climate Of Rus.
sia, and to record its variations. His
name was Krautzer. and he was well
known at that time in Berlin as an acute
observer Of great industry and sagacty,
but Of an envious and avaricious spirit,
that had led him to waste much time in
alchemic pursuits, which he had finally
abandoned in disgust, only to give himself
altogether up to place hunting and money
making.
We knew each other by sight, and
frequently saw him both during the ad-
vance and the retreat. The story | tell
you is psyiIv from my own knowledge,
and partly from the mouth of his intimate
friends. many Of whom were acquaintan-
ces Of mine.
But let ME delay for moment, my dear
English friend, to recall the glories Of that
vast army Of three hundred thousand men
that crossed into Russia. Only yesterday
an old country woman was brought TO see
me, who had beheld that army pass her
cottage. She described Napoleon as sit
ting on her small table, alternately con-
sulting his maps, and cutting huge slices
from a loaf that lay on the table. All his
marshals were round him, and alldav the
troops moved past the doorway in dusty
columns.
The country girls were peeping in at
the window, to catch glimpse of the En-
peror. why do you look at me 2 he said
good naturedly to one Of the prettiest,
chucking her under the chin as he spoke.
4 am poor little fellow. Look at these
fine tall fellows (pointing to Davoust and
Murat.)
The old woman who told me this bad
head that kept nodding with the palsy !;
and it took one years back to fancy her
young, graceful and pretty. But that lit
tie story recalled to my mind how our
army looked when We arrived at Gjat,
just before the affair at Borodino.
We all know what happened then.-
The Emperor rose at three in the morn
ing, called for glass of punch, sent Rapp
for the reports, and transacted business
with Berthier till FIVE; then mounted on
horseback, and ordered the drums to beat
and the trumpets to sound. 1T is the en-
thusiasm Of Austerlitz, he said as he rode
forward, and the troops began 10 cheer.
We lost ten thousand men, the Russians
fifteen thousand. But a few DAYS after,
the Russians retreated, and we advanced
straight on Moscow.
dare say you have read dozen times
about this famous battle, but cannot re-
sist-pardon an old soldier-briefly re-
minding you of its chief points. The Rus
slams were in strong position, strength.
ened by field works; their right flank
rested on an intrenched wood a brook
running through a deep ravine covered
their right wing; from the village Of Boro-
dino the left extended to Lemonskoie, an
other village, protected by ravines and
thickets in front, secured by redoubts and
batteries; while in the center, on an ele-
Vation, rose double battery, that COM
manded the whole line.
Davoust wanted to turn their left, but
Napoleon thought the plan too dangerous
Poniatowski therefore attacked their right
and center while Ney tried to storm the
redoubt in the center; and Prince Eugene
broke into Lemonskoie. IfNapoleon had
brought up his reserve of the Young
Guard, the Russian retreat would have