The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1878-12-26

crowd eager for his blood, and waited
with savage impatience to have him de-
clared guilty, that is, Frenchman, to
fall upon him and murder him. But
their fury was raised to height which
the General himself could not control,
by an accident which seemed to cut off
the unhappy prisoner from every hope
of escape. One of Castanos's aids-de-
camp, one of the fanatical patriots who
were so numerous in this war, who
from the first had denounced Leckinski
as French spy, burst into the room,
dragging with him man wearing a
brown jacket, tall hat and red plume of
Spanish peasant.
The officer soon confronted him with
the Pole and said:
"Look at this man, and then say, if
it is true that he is a German or Rus
sian. He is spy, swear by my SOUL"
The peasant, meanwhile, was cycling
the prisoner closely. Presently his
dark eyes lighted up with the fire of
hatred.
"He is a Frenchman!" exclaimed he,
clapping his hands. And he stated that
having been in Madrid few weeks be-
fore, he had been put in requisition to
carry forage to the French barrack;
"and," said he, 81 recollect that t.sis
man took my load of forage, and he
gave me receipt. l was near him an
hour, and recollect him. When we
caught him, told my comrade this is
the French oficerI delivered my forage
to.n
This was correct. Castanos probably
discerned the true state of the case, but
he was a generous foe. He proposed to
let him pursue his journey, for Leckin-
ski still insisted he was Russian, and
he could not be made 10 understand a
ventured hint of that kind, thousand
threatening voices were raised against
him, and he saw that clemency was i'm
possible.
"But,' said he, "will you then risk
quarrel with Russia, whose neutrality
we are so anxiously asking forP"
"No,'' said the officer, "but let US
try this man.
Leckinski understood all, for he was
acquainted with Spanish. He was re-
moved, thrown into room worthy to
have been one of the dungeons of the in
QUESTION in its worst days.
When the Spaniards took him prison.
er he had eaten nothing since the previ-
Gus evening, and when his dungeon
door closed on him he had tasted IS
hours; no wonder, then, what with ex-
haustion, fatigue, anxiety, and the
agony of his dreadful situation, that the
unhappy prisoner fell almost senseless
on his hard couch. Night soon closed
in and left him to realize, in his gloom,
the full horror of his hopeless situation.
He was brave, of course, but to die at 18
so suddenly! But youth and fatigue
finally yielded to the approach Of sleep,
and he was soon buried in profound
slumber.
i He had slept perhaps two hours,
when the door of his dungeon opened
slowly, and some one entered with eau
tious steps, hiding with his hand the
light of a lamp; the visitor bent over
the prisoners couch, the hand that
shaded the lamp touched him on the
shoulder, and sweet and silvery voice
"a womau's voice-asked him:
"Do you want to eatP''
The young Pole, awakened suddenly
by the glare of the lamp, by the touch
and words of the female, rose up on his
couch, and, with his eyes only hal
) opened, said in German, What do yor
!, wantP"
, "Give the man something to eat a
once" said Castanos, when he heart
, the result of the first experiment, "ant
, let him 90. He is not Frenchman
How could he have been so far maste
of himself? The thing is impossible.
!, But though Leckinski was supplies
: with food he was detained a prisoner
: The next morning he was taken to
, spot where he could see the mutilate
9 corpse of the Frenchman who had bee
r cruelty massacred by the peasantry G
: Truxillo, and he was threatened wit
the same death. But the noble yout
t had promised not to fail, and not wore
: not an accent, not gesture or look bs
q trayed him.
I Leckinski, when taken back to th
n prison, hailed it with joy; for twelv
i hours be had nothing but gibbets an
: death, in its most horrid forms, before b
d eyes, exhibited to him by men with Il
+ looks and passions of demons. He slep
It however, after the harrassing excit
J. ment of the day, and soundly, toe
S when in the midst of his deep and dealt
like slumbers, the door opened gentl
n some one drew near the couch, and Il
: voice whispered in his ear
n "Arise and come with me. We wis
to save your life. Your horse is ready
r, And the brave young man, hasti
|: awakened by the words, We wish
save your life, eome," answered still
id German
he "What do you wantP'
IL l,uef nos uhan ha heard of this e