The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1870-09-22
French Prisoners in Berlin.

A correspondent of the London News
gives vivid account of the
reception Of French prisoners coming
by rail to Berlin, by crowd o.
geogls5 ID ihs are yoSET &c lRagaa RSssad tnttS
could we'll afford to be, and to have exten
ded to the prisoners a welcome that resem
| bled triumph more than the prelude to
imprisonment:
A tremendous but merry good natured
yell received the red trowsers of the French
infantry and the blue costume of the Tur-
ccs. In each carriage there was one Frus-
sian private OF either OF the two regiments
who stormed the Geisburg goat hill) at
Welssenburg, his helmet adorned with
green boughs. The French were partly
squatting, but their guides invited them to
stand up to show their respect for the peo-
pie of the capital While they were slowly
| passing before me | examined the expires
sion Of the countenances. 1t was mostly
that Of shy curiosity and
embarrassment not unmixed with
pride. OF course they could not un-
derstand what the people in an enormous
confusion of voices, said to them, but the
| unSpeakable cOmlcal grin of the street boys
sitting on the shoulders Of each other, at
oil events gave them hint of it.
At last one successful cry got the upper
hand, for which somebody had furnished
the boys with the necessary French, and
which they addressed to every turco or
zouaye alter the manner Of LES lampons.
Les chatsl les chats! Where are the tom
cots? had become the favorite refrain Of
the juvenile voices 1t was easily observ>
able that, with the boys the French far
from being considered as h&lghty and
humlllated enemies, were extremely pop
uIar. In few minutes the boundless hill
arlty OF the lads communicated itself to
the French themselves, their officers except
ted, who hid themselves in the interior
Of their first class railway carriages | left
the young ladies handing in refreshing
drink to the tawDy fellows Of southern
France and of the Atlas The prisoners
got each large basin of Jout ciol au ri.,
more than quarter Of pound of boiled
beef, bread and cheese, a pint Of beer, and
a cigar, evorything-I tasted them N.Y.
SeIi-of the very best quality As eight
hundred had been expected instead OF five
hundred the strongest appetite could be
satisfied. Supper finished, the ladies pre-
sented corresponding cards to the prisoners
to write to their friends, with the promise
that they should be safely forwarded either
to the French headquarters or directly
from Brussels. A greater number Of the
French than was expected could write; for
those who could not the others acted 1t
rendered the French extremely 1T their
ease to be waited on by so many pretty
and elegant girls, who all fuentIy spoke
French. When the ladies came to turco,
:hey saluted him partly with ''Salem al
eikuu," and the astonished reply, "Alei>
KUN salem," was given with the hand On
the heart.
The German soldiers who accompanied
the prisoners were enthusiastic in regard to
the bravery with which the French had
fought after the Geissburg had been storms
ed. They pointed out fourteen men, be
longing to the seventy fourth regiment Of
the line, who were the whole remainder Of
the regiment left standing on the battle
field, but who refused to surrender. and
who. deprived Of ammunition kept on fight
ing at the point OF the bsyonet. As the
PruSsians did not like to Kill them, they
rushed at last in body upon them, and
threw them down wrestling. Nous avons
CLeIaAa Ia mort, said one Of tAem to az,