Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1886-04-28

uvn n Lns ma, rvUUuuuIuy over Uue paving
stones, and down rushed the great can
nom laundering behind it, and the can
non-Carriago noise like hell let
loose,
The German officer had only just time
to get out of the way. He screamed like a
mailman; he roared all kinds Of orders to
his soldiers. | suppose he must have been
saying: stop him! Kill him" All! stop
him, indeed The meu were all paralyzed
with astOnishment and terror Why, you
might a. well have talked Of stopping AN
express train going at full steam! The en-
gine shot straight ahead like d cannon
ball. Inc houses trembled; the pavement'
shivered with bursts of fire; it was a cy-
clone rushing down the street with thun-
der and lightning. Jacques, still riding
the engine, with his grippe on the throat OF
the Prussan, looked like a devil as he
passed We heard him once again shout
Viva la France then down below at
the turn across the hedge-the whole
thing disappeared in the ravine. 1t was
an awful crash! You can not imagine
what it sounded like, unless you think Of
lightning suddenly demolshing this house
we are talking in And the next minute
there was a dead silence Nobody could
0pthh- III "'liiNAl lIt'l AiitAl thNVo III tiiVlA
aprons. all of us felt sick as if our hearts
had been wrenChed from their places.
Would you believe it, sir, | can't think
of the thing now without feeling my flesh
creep. II was fifteen years ago: and it
looks foolish to feel like that after fifteen
years. But can't help it,
Well, To cut the story short, il took those
Prussians more than six weeks to fish up
their cannon out of the hollow There, in
the mud, lay the most awful mess Of
twisted iron, dislUCated wheels, crumbled-
down earth, broken trees, splintered
stones. When they did manage to get the
cannon out of the wreck, it was too late
for the bOmbardment-th siege Of Paris
was over
Brave Jacques Brulefert-that was just
what he wanted. And to think that we
couldn't even bury him-brave as he was!
He was SO crushed out of all shape that all
we could find of him few days after, WAS
few shreds of bloody flesh; and even then
we could not tell whether they belonged to
the Frenchman or the German. But we
took them TO the cemetery, almost without
any ceremony-fOr the Prussians were still
in the village. and all as mad as they could
be after the catastrophe. Afterward we put
a stone over his grave, with his name on it,
and the words Mort pour la Patrie, and
that was all. In thirty years more nobody
will remember who he was The wife is
dead; the house was sold, and the son
Joined the army He's sergeant now in
some regiment of the line and tell you
if we ever get a chance to 90 for the
PruSsians. he's the one that will 90 in
with a good will. But it's very seldom he
comes back To the village; and except him,
and one OF two old men like myself, no
body thinks any more about jacques
Bruletert.
See here, sir. you are a smart man-yOu
ought TO write up his history 1t is only
the fair thing to give him credit. just
tell you, with all their battalions and their
big guns, the PruSsians would have had
the devil 10 pay in 1870. if there were
many of Us Frenchmen like Jacques
Brulefert.
And now. sir" said the old man. I've
been gossiping long enough. Must go TO
work Here's to your health!
Il drink 10 France, Pere Savage; and to
the memory uf Jacques Brulefert. And l
promise yOu that will write this story -
George Renard in New Orleans Times
Democrat.