River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1877-09-27
An Awkward Mistake.

The correspondent of the London
Daily Ne,cs at Bjela gives the following
account of the adventures of himself and
fellow correspondent at Bjela when
that place was occupied by the Russians
about 1 o'clock Villiers, sleeping in
his room, was reused by the noise of
woodwork being smashed in the street
outside. Looking out he saw by he
light of the broken pieces of blazing
wood carried torchwise by the soldiers
that the work of plundering was going
on apace to right and to left. Women
were shrieking, not because of any vio-
lence offered to them, but because of the
ruin to their property. Men were reyel-
ing in a liquor-shop which had been
broken open, and wine was running from
the casks. On the other side of the way
butchers-shop was being cleared out,
fellows tearing at the meat TO make it
part.
"The women Of the house came into the
room occupied by Yilliers, and with tears
besought his protection. But what could
he dol There was no authority IN the
place,-no man to whom appeal could be
made. All was license, and for the time
the Russian soldier, ordinarily quiet, or
DERBY and respectful 10 superiors, was
moi himself Villiers sat Mt the window,
for long time expectant of attempt to
break into the house we occupied. At
length came the challenge, IS that q
Turkish or a Christian houseF Ny SER
want replied in Russian that it was a
Christian house, and occupied by gentle
men accompanying the army. The
soldiers no further attempted TO gain an
entrance, ana apparently went away.
But presently a knocking was heard
below, and the people of the house said
they were breaking into the cellar, which,
as in most Bulgarian houses, has its
opening direct into the street.
presently there was a wild tumult
about the door and hammering for adj
mittance, which quickly brought Yilliers
and my servant down to the door. And
now came the comic element of scene
that was surely grim and lurid enough.
The proverb that ill-gotten goods never
prosper had come home to the Russian
soldiers with more than ordinary swift
ness. As Villiers opened the door there
stood four of them in the torchlight,
clamoring wildly, with bottles in their
hands, strange blackness about their
lips, and curious smell pervading the
groupe which was certainly not the
bouquet of any potable fluid known to
my interesting young friend, who is not
wholly destitute of experience in this
department of practical knowledge.
1.-THE owner of the house had in his
cellar a number of bottles full of vitriol
used for the publication of wool in the
manufacture and dyeing of wooden stuffs,
which, it appears, is the mans business.
These the Russian soldiers, who, although
they did not invade the house, took the
liberty of breaking into the cellar,
promptly annexed, and having extracted
the corks began to drink. The drink
did not exactly meet their views; on the
contrary, they must have had cast-iron
mouths and throats, and the vitriol must
have been greatly diluted, or they would
have paid with their lives the penalty of
their lawless conduct. As it was they
had Jared pretty badly. Their lips and
mouths were burnt black, their clothes,
hands, and boots were burnt, and they
were half mad with rage and pain.
"They had rushed to the conclusion
that the house must be a Turkish house
and the cellar a Turkish cellar, and that
the proprietor had purposely stored a
quantity of devils drink in wine bottles,
wherewIthal to poison his Russian enc
mics, aud that they were the victims.
They insisted on regarding my servant
as the Turkish proprietor, and strove to
revenge themselves by forcing him to
drink what they believed he had brewed.
Il
bottles into his hands and swore that he
should drink Now Andreas is always a
sober man; he drinks only when he Is
thirsty; he has a will of his own, and
would no doubt resent being made TO
drink under compulsion; still more
recalcitrant would he questionless be if
the profered fluid were yitriol. He, it
appears, objected to the beverage in the
most emphatic manner He initiated the
unwilling horse in that they could not
make him drink, but in the struggle he
got his hands and clothes very much
burnt with the vitriol.
"Villiers interlered physically in pro-
lection Of one who is as much comrade
as a servant, and for the second time in
this singular night he was in the hands
of the Philistines. Still they had some
sense Of discipline and order left. They
would not deal condignlv with Nillier9,
although they professed to believe him a
Turk and a spy. They whirled him up
to a solitary under-ofiicer, who was adj
dressed as the patrol, and who appeared
to be serenely experimenting the opera
tons which have attempted to describe.
The patrol recognized the correspondents
badge on Villiers' arm, and ordered the
soldiers to unhand him, whereupon the
victims of the yitriol retired, probably in
search of less fiery fluid as an al
terative.