The Orangeburg news. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1867-1875, 1871-07-01
saatsd lls sasay long DsIstslN lN9ysnbsE


Soated slis enemy long peIsts Noyeabet
came, i, i
After the Investment of faris = isaa= -
taken phcc, however the snrging waves
of thcgteats combat that was aooding
France began to draw nearer aud dnearcr
20. vaux Yihipe
Pruasiaa :toeps, hasteuing. down to
join the besioging army constantly pass
ed quite olosoito tho village Occasion
ally some of the. yn,ondescript stragglcrs
who followed in the rear would make a
raid upon the little shops in the main
street, and carry off all they could lay
their hands upon. This cxaspcnted the
peasants, already furious. at the national
disgrace; and The euro in vain preached
patience, and impressed on his people
thattI forgiveness of injuries was The
noblcst of Christian virtues. Thore
were not few turbulent spirits who dc,
clared that, il they could get tho chance,
they would have their revenge on these
''muadits Iirassieis, anu knock tie life
out of some of them, at least. These
| Threats garc great anxiety to tho, visor
aud more experienced inhabitants for
rulnors had reached the yiilage of the
terrible reprisals cxactcd by the Prust
sians for every attempt at defence on the
part of the pcasantry.
AT length, ono cyoning, when tho au-
tumn days were growing dark and cold,
an unusually large number of Prnssian
troops marched past the village, and
biyouackcd for the night within quar-
ter of mile from Vaux Vilainc They
had never been so near before, and
scarcely was their presence known when
a Prussian colonel with small escort
rode haughtily UP to the house cf Lerel-
letter. Martel's father, who acted as
mayor, aud made a rcquisition nf 70 d
and wine for his men, which could only
be obeyed at tho cost! or i,ppovcrishing
the whole Inhabitants of the village for
some months TO como.
Romonstrances and cntrcatics were all
in vain, and every family sullcnly yield
cd up their best, till the cxorbi,ant de-
mani was satisfied, and then the Ger.
mans rode away, followed by tho curses
of every man in the place There were
some, however, who were not content
with maledctious, anil uttered cminous
threats which cnused Lepellciicr, as the
chief parsonage in the place to nuke ap
haranguc to the assembled people, in.
which he implored them not, by any rash
act, to bring down upsn their unprotect-
cd village tho wrath Of the whole vast
host who lay. cneampcd SO nearsthem.
He could see that some of the younger
men listened to him with iil.supprcssed
ilnpaticnce bnt he could do no more,
and, calling to his son, who was standing
near with Jules and Evariste, he made
them all thrce enter his house with him,
lest they should be led away by any f
the iliadsised proposals which were cir
culatipg among the crowd
Several OF the principal inhabitants of
Vanx Nilains, both men and women,
followed Lepeileticr iuto his sitting
room, and remained in sorrowful convar-
sation. for some time over the disaster of
their unhappy country and their own
present wrongs. Among them were
Vcvatte aud Ieonic, with their parents;
and their presence teuded greatly to ;hc
inaction to which they were doomed,
even with the hated enemy lying SO
near to him.
= Jules, meanwhile, who was not natr-
rally eloquent, was talking eagerly with
Lepcllctior and some of the gray heads
ofthe village ON the remedies which, in
his iuexperience and self confidence, he
thought might rectify the dreadful state
of matters in France
Suddenly, MS they were all thus en-
gagged, and the conversation was waxing
more and more excited, there camo
sound, clear and ringing, though distant
which caused tho voices of the speakers
to cease ns if thunderbolt had fallen
among them. 1t was shot coming from
the direction in which the Prussians lay,
and followed in succession by one or two
more as il from the discharge ot a re-
volver. There was CONSERVATION on
every face as the sonnd died o,v,y md