The Orangeburg news. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1867-1875, 1867-12-21


f"Who are you 7'' said Castanos in French
which language he understood perfectly woll
having been educated in France. ,r ,ee
Leckinski looked at the questioper, msde
sign, and answered in German, .aI do not un,
derstsid you. iHF et'e9 .st .G4sS' -
Castauos spoke German, but he did not wish
70 appear personally in the matter, and sum-
moned ene Of the officers of the staff, who
went on with the examination The young
Pole answered in Russian and German, but
never let a single syllable of French, escape
him. He might, however, easily have forgot
ten himself, surrounded us he was by a crowd
eager for his blood, and who waited with saw
age impaticncc to have him declared guilty.
that is, q Frenchman-to fall upon and murder
him. ,,
| But their fury was raised to height which
the General himself could not control by) Fan
Incident which seemed to cut off the unhappy
prisoner from every hope of escape. One of
the Castanosl nides-d camps, one of the fanati-
cal patriots who were so numerous in this war,
| and who from the first had denounced Leckin-
ski as French spy, burst into the room, drag
| ing with him man wearing the brown jacket,
| tall hat, and red plume of Spanish peasant.
The officer confronted him with the Pole,
| and said
! "Look at this man, then say If it is true that
he is German or Russian, He is a spy,
swear by my soul"
| The peasant meanwhile was eycing the pri-
soner closely. Presently his dark eyes lighted
up with the FIRE. of hatred. H.
"Es Frances! he is Frcnchman," ex-
claimed he clapping hands. And he stated
that, having been in Madrid few weeks be-
fore, he had been put into requisition to carry
forage to the French barracks, "and," said he.
81 recollect that this man took my load of
forage, and gave ME receipt was near him
an hour, and recollcct him.. When we caught
him, told my comradc he was the French
officer delivered my forage to-"
This was correct. Castanos probably diss
cerned the true state of the case, but he was
generous foe. He concluded to let him pur-
sue his journey, for Lccknski still insisted that
he was Russian and he could not be made to
understand word of French But the mo
mcnt he vcntured hint of the kind, thou
sand threatening 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 arc asking so
anxiously for p
NO" said the officers; "but let's try this
man."
Lockinski understood all, for he was ac-
quainted with Spanish. He was removed and
thrown into room worthy to have been one of
the dungeons of tho Inquisition in its best DAYS
When the Spaniards took him prisoner he
had eaten nothing since the previous evening,
and when his dungeon door was closed on him
he had tasted for eighteen hours. No wonder
then, that with exhaustion, fatigue, anxiety
and the agony of his dreadful situation, that
the unhappy prisoner fell almost. senseless on
the hard couch. Night soon closed in and left
him to realize in his gloom the full horror of
his situation He was brave, of course but
to die at eighteen-'tis sudden. But youth
and fatigue finally yielded at the approach of
sleep, and he was soon buried in profound
slumber.
I He had slept perhaps two hours, when the
door of his dungeon opened slowly, and some
one entered with cautious step, hiding with his
hand the light Of a lamp; the visitor bent over
the prisoners couch, the hand that shaded the
lamp touched him on the shoulder, and sweet
and silvery voice-a woman's voice-asked
him:
"Do you want to eat 2"
The young Pole. awakened suddenly by the
glare of the lamp, by the touch and words of
the female, rose up On his couch, and with his
eyes half opened, said in German, "What do
want?"
;'Givc the man something at once" said Cas-
tanos, when he heard the result of the first OK
pertinent, "and let him Co. He is not
Frenchman. How could he have been SO far
master Of himself? The thing is impossible" I"
But though Lcckinski was supplied with
food he vas detained as prisoner The next
morning he was taken to spot where he could
see tho mutilated corpse of the Frcnchman,
who had been cruelty massacrcd hy the peasan-
| try Of TruxillO and he was threatened with