Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1873-09-10

little village of Rucil, within a stones
throw of the church where Josephine
and Hortense lie buried. | climbed
hill on tho left, and saw the French
pushing toward Buzenval. They
could see nothing before them but a
line Of fre--not a Prussian above the
low wall in front of the thick mass OF
wood. Though ! could see these
Frenchmen dropping down by hun.
dreds, they went steadily on and on.
Some of them were National Guards
who had never before been under fire.
ltwas here that young Henri Regnault
fell, with many other Parisians known
in literature and art. After while
the Germans began shclling the hill
on which | was, and | scampered down
to the open square where the wagons
were. 1t was not long, however, till
another German battery got TO throw
ing shells into this square, each dis.
charge bringing them nearer and
nearer to US. Suddenly shell struck
the corner house in front of us. The
door opened in very deliberate way,
and out came man in blouse, ,smok-
ing pipe, and followed by woman
with baby in her arms. lie leisure.
ly locked the door behind him, and
put the key into hispocket. Then he
started slowly across the square, with
his wife and baby still behind him
As he passed us | exclaimed, "For
Heavens sake, what are you doing
hero with that babyY Don't you sec
they are shelling all around usY"
eyes, / SEQ, l see: one of them
struck our house just now. I've got
another one up here, and we're NOV
ing to it," And without taking his
hands out Of his pockets or his pipe
out of his mouth, he stroIled on across
the open square, followed by his wife,
who seemed absorbed only in hushing
the baby as it walled in fright at the
sound of the busting shells. Loo
The French line was soon thrown
back, and we filed our wagons with
wounded and started for the city, tho
shells still falling unpleasantly thick
and near. One OF them struck right
under our coffee-pot, and exploding,
sent it in hundred directions. The
horses which drew it did not happen
to be hit, but they took fright and
dashed off, wreoking what was left Of
the coffee-pot wagon. We got back
to town as fast as we knew how that
day. We tried TO go out again at
night, but could make no Roadway
against the crowd Of wagons, artillery,
and the retreating army on the roads.
1t was an utterly demoralized mob.
We barely escaped massacre by reg
iment OF Bellville National Guards,
who were mad, raving mad, accusing
everybody of incapacity and treason.
The next day we went out with a
burying- party, and found members OF
this same National Guard thickly
strewn among the vines of Buzenval
and Montretout, and we buried them.
In their new knapsacks we found
crested note-paper and many such
things, showing their owners rank
and want of military experience at
the same time. Some Of these articles
were stained with blood. We saw
out there the young lady who was
soon to have married Henri Regnault.
She was looking for his body among
the dead, and found it during the day.
Young Regnault, it is claimed, was in
PRODUCING new school in French
painting He hadmade someremark-
able studies in Algiers, one of the re-
suits of which was the well-known
picture of Salomo in the Salon OF 1870.
| have said we saw his betrothed
searching for his body among the dead;
and the memory of that sweet, brave
girl in tha. awful scene has lent o
pathos TO the story of his life and
death, which do not get out of the
writer's and painters who have since
dwelt so much and so lovingly upon
the subject. Lippincott's Mdgdsine.