The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1872-11-14
MELANCHOLY METZ.
Sketches Of the Exodus from the |
Conquered Provinces.
New York Herald Letter.


days, must have been an unlucky
town, smothered over with forts and
, bitches, and all the elaborate me
chanism of engineering art. The
great Vauban accomplished these
results in Louis XIY's days, when
that king was doing a little royal
stealing on his own account and was
anxious to protect his acquisition
Within a few miles of its gates the
great battle Of Gravelotte was
fought, where Prussia burst the
French army assunder, driving one
fragment, under Bazaine, into Metz,
to starvation and surrender; the
other fragment, under MacAIahon,
! into Sedan, to surrender with the
Emperor at the head Gravelotte
looks very calm and fruitful this
autumn morning, and shows no trace
of the gigantic strife of two years
ago. The fields are giving forth
corn and hops and vines, and the
| merry laugh of the harvesters is
heard where the cannon sounded on
that dreadful day. As your cores
! poHdent passed down the road along
which the King of Prussia advanc-
ed, looking out over the rolling,
hilly plain, thinking his own
thoughts, there came a group which
would have been made into picture
by the pencil Of Teniers. A don
| key, with a ribbon or two around
his neck by way of encouragement,
was doggedly pulling a small, rude
cart. This was heaped with bas-
kets Of ripe grapes. In one corner,
cunningly protected from self-de-
st-uction by an ingenious arrange
ment Of baskets, was wide-awake
infant, just old enough to stand,
not knowing what the demonstra-
tions meant, and its eyes firmly
fixed on its mother, who came plod-
ding behind, clappiDg her hands
and chanting nursery rhymes. An
old man, with his staff, marshalled
the group with grave aspect, think
ing, no doubt, of sadder things
than grapes and wine. Then came
a struggling procession of boys and
girls-the boys from twelve to five
with ruddy, dirty faces, smeared
with grape juice. They were shout
ing, laughing, hurrying home to
evening rost with their harvest bur
dens.. The young men had gone
The head of the family had gone
The vintage could only be gathered
by women and children. The old
men and the children only remain
ed. This was q first glimpse of the
new aspect of affairs in Alsaee and
Lorraine, and it seemed odd that
this trophy of German rule should
make itself manifest on the victO-
rious field of Gravelotte. Now and
then we met a group Of eager, strid-
ing youths marching toward the
frontier or to some railway station
youths and middle-aged men, oc-
casionally women in the train with
children in their arms, anxious for
France, and we thought of what
Byron wrote of those wanderers. of
Israel when they were driven out Of
the Holy Land
And we must wander, witheringly,
In other lands to die
And where our fathers ashes be
Our own can never lie.
METZ IN DECAY.
As I have said, Metz could never
at best have been a lovely town, and
it is to-day a picture of shabbiness
and despair. In other days it lived
on its garrison. It had military
schools, and a large if not a pleas
ing variety OF peddlers and suttlers
and tradesmen of many nations.
Many were Hebrews, who were the
first to 60, for the exodus began
shortly after the German occupa-
ton. The Germans patronized
their own people, and had no occa
sion for French suffers and pnd-
dlers from the Orient. When the
period came for decision between !
France and Prussia, Metz gave way
in a panic, and thousands swarmed |
out of its gates. At least two-thirds !
of the inhabitants have gone, and
Metz looks as if smitten with a pes
tilence-a sort of city laid out in /
state for funeral, and a Prussian |
army as guard of honor over the
remains. In addition to the ordina-
~. passenger trains running to |
Nancy, during the last few days Of
September, five extra trains left the |
city daily with emigrating inhabi-
tants. The scenes in the railway |
depot showed all the crowding, anx-
ietv and disturbance of Lord May |
or's Day in London, or Fourth of
July fireworks in City Hall Park. |
A railway official informed your
correspondent that on one day 1000 !
left from his depot alone. They /
have swept over the country to !
Nancy, L1neville, Commercy, Lyons
to Rheims and Eperny to !
find work in the champagne bar
vest-many to Paris. In cities /
where the Prussians were in occupa-
tion they would not permit the ex-
lies to remain, especially the young
men fit for duty in the army, but
drove them on beyond their lines
WITH these they were always severe.
But the yonng men, upon accepting
the option of Germany, were com