The Greene County Republican. [volume] (Waynesburg, Pa.) 185?-1867, 1866-08-15

German, which he spoke with equal flu
ency. The cries Of rage OF his captors
announced the fate which awaited him
and the horrible murder of Gen, Rene
who had pcrlshed IN the most dreadful
tortures but few weeks before, as he
was going to join Junot, was sufficient
to freeze the very blood
'Who are vou?' said Castanos, in
French, which language he spoke per-
tcctly well, having been ecucAted in
France.
Lcckinski looked at the questioncr,
made sign, and answered in German,
Il do not understand you
Castanos spoke German, but he did
not wish to appear personally in the
matter, and summoned one of the officers
of his staff who went on with the exam
nation, The young Pole answered in
Russian or German, but never let a sin
gle syllable Of Frence escape him. lie
He might, however, easily have forgot,
ten himself, surrounded as he was by a
crowd eager for his blood, and who wait
ed with savage impatlonce to have him
declared guilty, that is, Frenchman, to
fall upon hlm and murSer him
But their fury was raised to n height
which the general himself could not
control, by an incident which seemed to
cut of the unhappy prisoner from every
hope OF escape. One of Castanos' aid
de-camps one of the tanatcal patriots,
who were SO numerous in this war, and
who from the first had denounced Leck-
inSki as French spy, burst into the
room, dragging with him man wear
ing the brown .ncket, tall hat and red
plume of a Spanish peasant.
The officer confronted him with the
Pole, and said:
Look at this man, aud then say if 1t
is true that he Is German or Russian
lie is spy, | swear by my SOUL
The peasant. meanwhile, was eyclng
the prisoner closely Presently his dark
eyes lighted up with the fire of hatred.
.Es Fraaciy. he is Frenchman! =! ex-
claimed he, clappng his hands. Aud he
stated that having been IN Madrid few
weeks before, he had been put in requi-
sitlon to carry forage to the French bars
rack and said he, Il rccollcct that this
man took my load Of forage and gave
me a receipt. was near him an hour
and recolcct him. When we caught
him | told my comrades, this is the
French officer delivered my forage to-
This was correct. Castanos probably
dlscerned the true state Of the case, but
he was generous foe. lIoproposcd to
let him pursue his journey, for Leckln>
ski still insisted he was Russian, and
could not be made understand word of
French. But the moment he ventnred
hint OF the kind, thousand threatens
ing voices were raised against him, and
he saw that clemency was impossible.
But said he, will you then risk
quarrel with Russia, whose neutrality
we are so anxlously asking for?
No. said the Officer, 'but let us try
this man.
Leckinski understood all, for he was
well acquainted with Spanish.
lie was removed and thrown INTO a
room worthy to have been one of the
dungeons Of the inquisiton in its best
days.
When the Spaniards took hlm prisons
or he had eaten nothing since the previ4
GUS evening, and when his dungeon
door was closed on him he tasted tor
eighteen hours no wonder, then, what
with exhaustion, fatigue, anxiety, and
the agony Of his dreadful situation, that
the unhappy prisoner fell almost senses
less on his hard couch. Night soon
closed in and left him to realize, in his
gloom, the iul horror Of his hopeless
situation. lie was brave of course -
but to dieat cighteeh--'tis sudden. But
youth and fatigue finally yielded to the
approach OF sleep, and he was soon
buried in profound slumber.
He had slept perhaps two hours, when
the door of his dungeon opened slowly
and some one entered with cautious
steps, hiding with his hand tho light OF
a lamp the visitor bent over the pris-
oners couch, the hand that shaded the
lamp touched him on the shoulder, and
a sweet silver voice, q woman's voice
asked him
DO you want to cat T
The young Pole, awakened suddenly
by tho glare Of the lamp, by the touch
and words Of the female, rose up on his