Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1876-02-02
DR.. s. G. HOWE.
A "Reminiscences fills Life Abroad.
From the Louisville Courier-Journal.

revolution, DR.. Howe went to Paris on
visit, and was there when one of the
Polish instructions was put down.
The disaster filled Paris with crowds of
Polish refugees. A committee for the
relief of these sufferers was formed
of which Lafayette was President. DR..
Howe was one of officers of the COM
mittee, and attracted the notice and won
the affection Of Lafayette by his great
services. During the early proceedings
of this committee it was found necessary
to send secret agent to Berlin. From
this enterprise those most ready to
undertake other perilous deeds shrunk,
and, among those who were in the
secret, Lafayette did not find single
volunteer. At length d.. Howe volun-
teered to face the peril, but Lafayette
refused the offer, because, he said, he
could not spare DR.. Howe from the work
in Paris. But the necessity was urgent,
and, as no other person could be found
for the trust, Lafayette reluctantly con-
sented to intrust the business to DR..
Howe. Lafayette drew up letter of
instruction for DR.. Howe, and the Doc
tor started for Berlin, under the con-
viction that the secret was unknown to
all save Lafayette and himself. Berlin
was reached i'll safety. When DR..
Howe reached his hotel he saw gen.
tleman walking On the pavement. As
soon as DR.. Howe's light baggage was
disposed of in an upper room, he came
down stairs to the pavement, where he
was saluted by the stranger, under the
impression that Howe was an English
man. The gentleman proposed walk,
to which DR.. Howe agreed. After
walking together toward the suburbs,
they started back on their return to the
hotel. For some reason, but not on
account of anything connected with the
secret mission, DR.. Howe stepped q
short time in the suburbs. As he
turned towards the hotel, he saw his
English friend walking the pavement,
evidently in great perturbation. As he
passed DR.. Howe he whispered, without
stopping, "The gems d'armes are after
you" DR.. Howe had Lafayette's letter
of instructions 10 his poke and,
knowing that it would compromise
him, he at once determined upon his
course. The three soldiers entered his
room with him, and they were thrown
from their guard by DR.. Howe's ap-
parent willingness to go with them.
AS they descended the narrow stairs,
one of the soldiers was in advance and
one on each side of DR.. Howe. At the
head of long fight of stairs, DIR.
Howe suddenly seized his right and
left companions and hurled them head
long against the soldier in
front, all three of the soldiers falling to
the bottom of the stairs. DR.. Howe
returned to his room, locked the door,
and prepared for the destruction of the
letter of instructions. The guard un.
derstood this as perfectly as DR.. 81. un-
derstood it. Two of them sat down
near his door; the other went into the
yard. When DR.. Howe opened the
window to thu ow out the letter in small
fragments, the guard gathered the
pieces. DR.. Howe said be was conf
dent that no one of the pieces had two
letters on it. After the completion of
the mutilation DIR. Howe opened his
door and surrendered. He was marched
off to prison, and next morning taken
before the military police, where, to his
horror, he saw his letter as perfectly
put together as it had been before he
tore it into pieces. He was ordered to
a Prussian fortress near the frontier for
confinement in a dungeon. He knew
that at one part of the journey the vehi-
Gle approached within about a mile of
the frontier, and, on reaching that
point, he sprang from the wagon and
started for the boundary line. Unfor-
tunately he sprained his ankle, which
interfered with his feetness; but notwith-
standing the accident, DR.. Howe had
nearly reached the line of safety, when
his guards caught him. Upon reaching
the prison he Was thrown into dun
geon, and the authorities not only re-
fused to permit the prison doctor to do
anything for him, but refused to let
him have any more water than he could
drink, for fear that he would use it to
mitigate the suferings in his sprained
ankle. He said that words could not
describe his anguish extending through
many weeks. He often hoped for
death. The Hon. Edward Everett was
our minister to England, and, after
many vexatious delays, he finally Sc.
cured the release of DR.. Howe. His
constitution was shattered, and he was
for many years sufferer.
The following poem is said to refer to
to DR.. Howe, who was ever the friend
of the poor, the afflicted, and the op-
pressed:
THE HERO.
BY JOHN &. WHITTIER:
"Oh, for knight like Bayard
Without 1eproach Or fear;
My light glove on his casque Of steel,
Ny love-knot on his spear!
o b, for the white plume floating,
Sad Zutphen's field above
The lions heart in battle,
The womants heart in love.
Oh, that a man once more were manly,
Woman's pride and not her scorn!
That once more the pale young mother
Dared to boast "a man is born!
But now LIES slumbrous current
No snow-bo cascade wakes;
No tall, heroic manhood
The level dullness breaks.
Oh. for knight Like Bayard,
Without reproach or fear;
Ny light glove on his casque Of steel,
My love-knot on his spear!" Isl
Then said, my own heart throbbing
To the tune her proud pulse beat: