New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-10-14
MARSHAL BAZAINE.
TnE CAREER OF AN ADvENTURER AND
TRAITOR

tpnoN TIE REGULAR CORRESPONDENT or ~ r'ih' 50
Paris, Sept 20.
Marshal Bazainc's memory is laudcd by the
German press and execrated by the French Inns
Is as it should be. Bazaine deserved gratitude
from the German Empire and curses from MS own
counfrymcn. The capitulation of Metz was the
biggest one that history mentions I don't think
the Marshal had, to begin WITH distinct plan OF
treason in his head. but he slid into what was
treasonablo He was dead in trespasses and sins
that is to say. in gluttony and soft living. Any
thing that enabled him to keep up his luxurious
style of housekeeping and his fine position was
legitimate in his eyes He had too little moral
sense or intellectual culture TO entertain any sort
Of enthusiasm for the Republic, or to separate the
cause of France from his own interests. He was
man of humble orgin-the son OF Lorraine
Hebrew from the small burg Of Lensse who mar
ried Catholic ard settled at Versailles as green
grocer Naturally the Marshal was cunning and
unscrupulous.
He rose from the ranks in Algeria. His low
breeding made him callous as to the OPINION OF
men Of honor, and his first wife and her family
brought him into close relations with the scum OF
the earth Her death took place in a Paris board
ing-house when he was in Mexico. The circum-
stances connected with it were strange Inc
Black Man. Of the Home Office went round to the
papers after the event to warn them not to speak
of II. Was she murdered 10 was thought sne
was By whom and for what purposeF lhcre
was much conjecture. But the affair being hushed
up by the Imperial police and judicature there
could he nothing more than what was con)ectureo'
An attempt made to get people TO ncneve
that she committed suicide. and then il was whs-
nered that man with whom she had struck up
on acquaintance under a lamppost had stranded
~
Az any rate. death rid the Imperial Court, into
which she forced her way mot Disgusting what
she v-as). of nuisance, and her husband was de-
lighted to get rid of her.
He soon after married lively, excitable, hlgh-
spirited and lovely Mexican whose family ne
longed to the faction which worked with JecSer
end De Morny to get order restored IN their
country by means Of French expedltlon. b'-
,oine was sent 70 Mexico after Forey had almost
failed, to stamp out patriotic resistance lie
orranizcd the guerilas whose function II was 70
shoot every one suspected of not liking the IN
radcrs and he plundered and backmaled as wen
as shot natives. Bazaine meant himself TO be
Emperor Of Mexico, and when Maximilan ana
Charlotte went there he intrigued against them
Macmillan wrote to Napoleon III TO beseech MN
10 recall /" the knave and rufhan' who commanded
the French army of occupation. French gen.
would sell his mother to q cannibal without being
hard up for a five-franc piece"
When he came back to France he bullied the
Empress, who had intended to disgrace him ana
was appointed to succeed MaoMabon in the grand
military command at Nancy. That ex-capital OIL
Lorraine is town Of splendid palaces ana Is sui
inhabited by a wealthy arlstocracy IL mas u
university and a judicature The Marshal and
cfV-la nd
snowy patriotism. As they were never sure that
the Emperor and especially the Empress would
not take short turn on them, they entered Sc
eretIy into relations with her Parliamentary OPP
position which on the defeat Of MacMahon at
Woerth. insisted upon the grand command OF the
army at Metz being handed over to Bazaine by the
Emperor Jules Favre, Theirs and their friends
sn a way believed IN Bazaine, because, as Bazalne
himself said, he took the Emperor by the nape OF
She neck and shook him like a cur dog Ihen'
such as he was his military reputation was OF the
highest for thoroue hness and daring in the french
simy and only his chums were aware that TT
wrong side Of these qualities was rascahty at the
best of times
SO Bazaine got the command Of 100000 men,
with ample ammunition for campaign purposes
A small force was all that Metz required to hold
Il five or six months Indeed, the larger the force
.brown into il. the more inevitable was capitula-
ZION at short date unless there was power 10
break through the investment and knock the be-
sieoinr army over or oblge ii 10 retreat In his
defence Bazaine said that he went back because
The artillery and baggage tram could
not manoeuvere on the only ROADS that
were available II he had but kept what was
essentially military and thrown away useless I'M
pediments, there would have been plenty Of road
way The Emperor's personal train, which foi-
lowed the Imperial runaway from Metz, encum-
bcrcd the roads with its numbering and useless
Injuries. When one recollects what the Empire
was one cannot too severely blame Bazaine for
not having shunted all this rubbish into field
and cleared the roads for real business. AT any
rate. Bazsine had as much roadway as the Ger
mans at ST. Privat and Gravelctte.
What hampered him was the vast prepa ration
made BY TIE officers of the guard to cut dash
when encamped las they hoped they would be- on
tie plains Of Brandcnburg around Berlin. per-
1ectly remember that they had tents made for
themselves lined with blue and pink satin which
they procured before war was declared by OH ner.
All those about the Court knew that declaration
of war was certain. the Empress being bent upon
ST. and TO please her the officers had the satin
lined tents made private exhibition of them
took place in the reserved park of Fontaineblcau
early in July, 1870. Not only were the officers
Of all that part OF the Imperial Ouacd winch was
In contact with the Court sunk in effeminacy,
but the private soldiers at Fontainebeau used to
ray soldiers 10 do their fatigue work in the bar
racks yard. Nevertheless the rank and file were |
tough generally, and would have been brave If
they had had confidence in their leaders.
Bazaine was surrounded by German spies at
Metz, when the Emperor there. The servants
who waited on the Marshal and his sovereign-the
Grown Prince, afterward Emperor Frederick, |
eaid-were Prussian staff officers. This was told !
the Prince of Wales in 1873 the person who had !
81 from the Crown Prince himself repeating it TO
England's coming King warning, 30 that he
should be served, when entertaining Gambetta at
the Hotel Bristol, only by his own attendants.
But the spy of spies, take it, was one Rviere, |