The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1875-04-16
The Story OLA Frenchman Hunted by the
Germans.
CHAPTER VI,

Alter Inc grand passage Oh Iue UeTMdn
armies and the bombardment of the city,
thousands of the landoher came to occdpy
the country. These people filled to overflow
ing the hamlets and villages, here one or two
companies, farther away three or four, COM
manded by Prussian officers. They guarded
al the roads and passes, made requisition OF
every kind,-bread, wheat, corn, fodder,
straw, cattle, all was good for them. They
made themselves agreeable at the freside,
talked with the women and children in a
patronising manner, pitied the lots of their
poor brothers in Alsace and Lorraine and
sighed over our mseries. But all that did
not hinder them from eating and drinking
heartily at our expense, of seating themselves
IN the old arm chair of the grandparents and
smoking with satisfaction the cigars we were
compelled to furnish them.
After the first of September their Governor
General, Bismarck-Bohlen, came to make his
headquarters at Haguenau declaring that AL
SAGE had always been German Province and
that his majesty took possession again of his
own; that Strasbourg, Bitche, Phalsburg,
Neuf- Brisach, must be considered as cities in
rebellion against King William; that they
would bring them soon to reason with their
new shells of $50 kitos-300 pounds.
Thus they preached openly in our homes,
showing that these Germans took us all for
fools, to whom they could repeat the worst
Jokes in the world without any fear of ever
being laughed at.
Our only consolation was living in the
woods where these brave men did not like
to risk themselves. / blessed heaven for it
every evening. But scarcely was Bismarck
Bohlen installed, than we saw regularly
morning and evening, mounted gen-d' arnes
passing in the valley with their helmets and
great capes, carrying the orders of the COVER
nor and bundles of placards which the may
ors must .post at the doors of offices and
churches. These placards promised the best
treatment to the faithful subjects of King
William, and threatened with death all those
who should lend assistance to the French,
whom they called "Our enemies" We were
prohibited from giving them bread, or even a
glass Of water in their misfortune, from serv-
ing as their guides, or from concealing them
in our houses. We must deliver them up.
The council of war alone could judge in case
of disebedience, and the smallest penalty for
these crimes was twenty years penal servi-
tude and $1,000 francs fine.
They said also that the employees of the
forester patty would be retained, that they
would increase the salary of the old guards,
and that many would thus obtain advance
ment.
You can easily understand my Indignation
when heard such words repeated. had
not forgotten the words of our brave inspect
or. repeated them to all my men when
the occasion presented itself:
''We must stand at our post! Fortune
will not be always against us. Each one
must do his duty even to the end. have
no other orders to give you"
This order he observed himself, remaining
at Petite Pierre.
Strasbourg defended itself. They fought
around Metz. From time to time 1 sent
Merlin for orders from our superiors, and al
ways the same reply, cit is not desperate
We may be called upon at any moment.
Let everybody wait"
We waited, and the autumn, always beau
tiful in our mountains with its russell colored
leaves, its grand old silent forests, where the
j. birds no longer sang, its meadows newly
mown, smooth as carpet as far as the eye
could see, the river covered with gladioli and
dead leaves-this grand spectacle, so calm at
this time, was grander and sadder in the
midst of the terrible events through which
we were passing.
How many times, listening to the endless
murmur of the forests through which the
first shivers of winter were passing, how
many times have said to myself "While
you are watching, Frederic, these old woods,
where all is sleeping. what is passing below
in Champagne? What has become of this
numerous army, cavalry, infantry artillery,
and cannon, all these thousands of beings
ed on to their own destruction, in the inter-
est and glory of others? Shall we see them
pass in flight? Will they find their graves
in the boys of the Mouse, or will they return
to crush us?
About fourteen days after the establish
ment of Bismarck Bohlen at Haguenau, one
morning we saw rising from the heart of the
valley carriage like those of the Germans
who emigrated to America before the inven-
ton of the railway, long cart loaded with
thousand old things, straw mattresses,
reels, bedsteads, tin pans, lanterns, 1 know
not what, with miserable dog, the woman
ill dressed, brood of ragged, dirty children,
and the man himself leading the old horse
by the bride. We watched them in aston
ishment, thinking, ''What does that mean
Why are they emigrating here?'
We saw these strangers passing every day,
in old cabriolets, pleasure carts, vehicles with
two and four wheels, crowded with children,
old people, young women, and girls, queerly
dressed, in apparel which it seemed to me
had been worn fifteen or twenty years be-
fore by the women of Saverne, and great
hats ornamented with paper roses on their
yellow hair braided like the queues of our
grandfathers.
These people came from all parts of Ger
many, speaking patois difficult to under
stand. They had come by the railroads as
ar as the frontiers; but all our lines being
then occupied with the transportation of
their troops, munitions of war and stores.
from Wissembourg TO Soultz, they were
compelled to drag along in cart, the fashion
in Alsace. wondered why these foreigners
should come into our country at such time,
when food was so scarce that one knew not
one day what lie should eat the next. They
did not whisper word, but pursued their
Journey under the protection of the landwher
who filled the country. We knew also that
they shared in the acquisitions, permitting
them to economic in their expenses on the
route.
All these Bohemians of a new order whose
miserable appearance among us excited pity
ven in the midst of our own troubles, these
were the functionares that Germany had
ent to govern US, our governor, preceptors
ontrolers, clerks of court, school masters,
guard foresters, and know not what. These
men in September and October, even before
the treaty of peace, came quickly to take pos
session of our places, saying without cere-