The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1870-11-10
DAILY PRESS,
Thursday Morning, November 10. 1870,
The Flight of the American s,..;,.,.
from Paris
PORTLAND Z

The Flight of the American re.;s.v,.
from Paris
On the morning Of Oct. 9th the American
residents of Paris prepared to leave the be.
leagured city. They went in parties of four
and occupied thirty carriages. A pair of good
horses cost 1000 francs. At I o'clock the
carriages began to move, pre- ceded by Messrs.
Ward and Hoffman and the Secretaries of
Legation. Among the party were Mr.. O'Sul-
livan and wife, Harry Stone, Mr.. Creamer
and wife of Detroit, Messrs. Kdder, Hemicll,
Wells and Turnbul, with twenty Russians.
Each American was furnished by Mr. Wash
Durne with laisser- -passer, and each was re-
CURED to sign document promising TO carry
no letters or papers of any kind. The pro-
cession moved along the highway under the
fortihcations, and took the road to Creteui
The country outside had been cleared of all
ealables. Potatoes, grapes, beets and fruit,
all were gone, except here and there stray
apple. For upwards of an hour they encoun-
tered no French soldiers, although they were
all the time preceded by ali ambulance wagon
winch acted as vanguard. They passed un-
der the guns of Fort Clarendon, and reached
Creteuil at 8 O'Clock in the morning. Here
they found ruins and desolation, and the vii
lage abandoned by its population.
On passing the French Outposts at 80
o'clock, our flag was discovered by the Prus-
sian outposts, ten miles from the walls of
Paris, and less than three from the forts.
They were challenged and ordered to turn by
side road, and passed along the banks of the
Marne. they soon came to a Prussian
blockade across the highway, and saw the
spiked helmets OF thousands of German SOL
diers, and above the top two wicked looking
cannon peerirg through the branches. At
lO:3e o'clock Count Papsfeldt, the Military
Secretary of Bismarck whose wife is an
American, met Mr.. Ward in charge of the
party. A formal transfer began. Passports
and papers were examined, the names taken,
ana tne party were furnished with German
saie conducts. The operation was long and
tedious. The company descended from their
carriages, and cut sticks from the trees in
commemoration of the eventlul journey.
AZ II :3O they commenced to move through
the Prussian lines, each carriage guarded by
soldiers. The party passed through Boissy,
where the whole village was filled with five or
six thousand Germans. Here the party halt
ed for refreshments. Beyond Boissey they
were compelled to take circuitOus route to
Versailles. A mile from the town they reach
ed steep hill, when the rain commenced to
pour in torrents. While descending the hill,
one OF the carriages broke down, injuring
some of the ladies. Alter repairing the dam
age the party proceeded. They met 5000 Ba-
varians from Tournon, marching towards the
outposts. At p m. the party crossed pom
toon bridge at Villeneuf and st. George, laid
on twenty-four boats, each twenty-sx feet
long and firmly anchored. Siege guns pass
over this in safety. The party reached the
city Of Villeneuf at O'Clock, and for the first
time heard of the capitulation of Metz. After
delay of an hour the whole party proceeded
to olversailles, having driven nine hours, the
whole caravan keeping in line, except when
TWO teams started to run away. The horses
suffered from hunger and fatigue. it being
dlfieult to obtain food for them. After a
drive of eighteen miles, wet, weary and hun
cry, the Americans entered Versailles. Here
they met with accommodations and people
ready to afford every attention possible.