Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1873-02-08
THE F,A TIE or TWO CITIES.

The Chicago fire and the burning of
Boston recall to the student of history
the piteous story of the destruction of
Dinant and Liege by Philip the Good
and Charles the Bold, and teach us, in
the midst of our losses, to be thankful
that we do not live in an age when, as in
the case of those beautiful cities, royal
caprice, without even the weak pretext
of war, deliberately orders the dcstruc-
ton of populous towns, the dispersion
Of the inhabitants, and the utter obliter-
alton of the names, the memory, all
traces of the victims. In "The Fate of
Two Cities, Mr.. James w. Sheahan re-
lates, in the Lakcsidc Magazinc for Feb
rnayy, the causes which aroused the royal
anger against Dinant and Liege-de-
sscribes their costly and imposing
churches, monasterics, and public build
ings, and gives all the sad details of
their destruction. How thorough and
terrible the vandalism of the act was,
may be judged from this interesting
passage, in which Mr.. Sheahan tells how
Dinant met its fate. This city was de-
stnyed because a mob of boys had
burned an effigy of Charles the Bold
son of Duke Philip the Good, and made
an imputation upon his legitimacy. For
this, in 1466, on the 9th of August,
Philip destroyed the city by fire as fol-
lows:
The army was billeted upon the in
habitants. On that day, as soon as the
dinner was completed, each soldier seized
the citizen in whose house he was lodged,
and demanded of him, upon pain of
death, where his treasures We're con-
cealed. For three days and nights the
sack and pillage continued without in
termission. Every building, room, and
clubhouse was searched and pillaged.
The leaden roofs of the buildings were
removed. The horses and vehicles of
the city were taken and employed in re-
moving the plundered property to ap-
pointed places beyond the walls. On
the river, boats similarly laden, swarmed.
There were many contentious and much
blood shed between the spoilers over
their captured prizes. The vindictive
and relentless Duke looked on unmoved
at this scene. To his credit, however,
be it said that from the first he per-
emptorily forbade any outrages on
women, and actually caused some men of
his own guard, accused of this crime, to
be hanged in conspicuous part of the
city, where their bodies remained sus-
pended as warning to others.
An investigation was had as to those
who had participated in the outrage
under the walls of Bouvignes. The wit
nesses We're the people of the latter town.
The details of the examination were I'M
known, but the dreadful result was a
terrible sacrific of human life. Eight
hundred men, bound together in pairs,
were thrown into the Meuse This part
of the atonement was witnessed by Philip
the Good from his perch in Bouvignes,
on the other side of the river. Others
were hanged, and many killed by the
soldiers. The surviving inhabitants
were then declared the virtual slaves of
the captors. Upon every man there was
fixed sum, upon the payment of which
he might recover his freedom if unable
TO pay his captors could hold him or sell
HIM as slave. The women and chill
dren, and the ecclesiastics, were exempt
from this bondage, and were ordered to
leave the city forthwith. They were not
allowed to take anything with them, save
the clothing they had on. In the after
noon OF Aug. 2S this procession moved.
The gates of the city were opened, and
the women and children in long files
moved out. They were offered an escort
to Liege, whittier this same army was
soon to move on a precisely similar
errand. Behind them were fathers, hus-