Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1874-08-12
MARSHAL BAzAINE,s E.CAPE.

hth~tltL |
Francois Aehille Bazaine, late q Mar
shall Of the Empire under Louis Napo-
leon, and lastly convicted OF treason to
France by a court-martih and sentenced
to twenty years Punishment by Prssi-
dent MeMahon. escaped from the island
Of Saint Marguerite, his place OF con-
dnsment, last Sunday night, and is said
TO be now in Brussels, Belgium. The
details Of his escape are thus given by
cable dispatches
The apartments occupied by Marshal
Bazaine opened upon a terrace which
was built upon the edge Of a precipitous
cliff o~verhanging the sea. Asentry was
posted on the terrace. with orders to
watch the prisoners every movement.
During Sunday evening the Marshal
walked upon the terrace with Colonel
villette. his aide-de-camp. At 10 o'clock
he retired as usual, apparently to sleep,
but before daybreak he had effected his
escape. He must have crossed the ter
race in the dead OF night, and eluding
the sentinel. gained the precipico, whence
by means Of a knotted rope he descend
ed TO the sea. He evidently slipped du-
ring the descent and tore his hands, as
the rope was found to be stained with
blood in several places. Under the elf
in a boat were Bazaine's wife and her
cousin. They received him rs he
reached the water, and Madame La
Marchal, taking the oars herself. rowed
directly 10 a strange steamer. which had
been lying of the island since the pre-
vious evening. They reached the YES
sci in safety and were taken aboard, and
the steamer then put to sea. II is
thought that they landed at Genoa, a
the steamer proceeded in that direction.
Later accounts state that the Marshal
did not escape by mea Of a rope lad
der. but in some other way through the
connivance Of his guards. BE this as 1t
may. he is. doubtless, safely out OF
French reach and ready to take revenge
upon the country and rulers who have
disarmed and degraded him. Marshal
Bazains is not a young man. Born in
1910, he was, from 1881 to the time of
his conviction and Punishment, contin-
ually in service as m oficerof the French
army. Serving through the CrimeAn
war As commandment Of a legion before
Sebastopol, he was, after its surrender,
promoted to be General Of Division aud
Governor Of the captured city. With
the part he filed in Maximilian's men,
orablc expedition to Mexico, o readers
are familiar. Returning TO France he
was appointed one Of her Marshals,
and during the franco-German war
commanded one Of the corps OF the
French army. This he surrendered. to-
gethsr with the fortified city OF Metz,
20 Prince Frederick Charles Of the Ger
man army. II was strenuously claimed
by Bazaine's friends. and by his adyo-
cate before the Court which convicted
him that he had no other resources but
to surrender; that resistance meant EN-
tire humiliation; in short, that human
ity alone impsllsd his action in delivering
up the fortress and the army he com
manded to the Germans. Upon this
subject opinions yet differ The Court,
however. did not agree with him, and
found him guilty OF treason. Whether
this tribunal was influenced by Bazaino's
refusal to recognize the Provisional Re
public, Is best known to itself. In our
Judgment it was so ~prejudiced that for
1t to acquit Bazains was sheer impossi-
bility. As a contemporary well remarks.
after each military disaster the French
must have n victim. II is not only true
Of France, but of other nations. Our
own is not exempt, although we do not
immediate our unsuccessful military chief
tains as do the French. We simply take
away their military reputation by crit
icism or court-martial. and lay them on
the shen-a situation for q brave and
able General far worse than death
or Punishment. Bazaine is a devoted
monsrchis,. attached to the Napoleonic
fortunes by gratitude for sseriss OF pro-
motions. and no doubt embittered and
enraged by the odium Of his punish
ment, he will seize Al opportunity
should one occur. TO aid in the disrup-
ton Of the French Republic and the
re-establishment of the Napoleonic
dynasty in the person OF tho Prince
Imperial.