Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1889-08-12
WHY THE PLOT FAILED q.
The affair was romantic enough

enough.
The Swiss nation sympathized with
France, and Col. William Rurstow
thought that Switzerland ought to give
her helping hand. This Rurstow was
a German by birth and a Prussian officer
when the revolution of 1S48 broke out.
Joining the revolutionists he soon dis
tinguished himself greatly and became
known as the general of the revolu-
tionaTy movement. - AS Marx was said
to be the brains and Herwegh the poet,
so Rurstow was said to be the sword Of
the revolution.
After the revolution was over he took
refuge in Switzerland and was appointed
professor of the science of war at the
University of Zurich. His opinion on all
matters relating TO war was considered
as of the highest value, and the books
which he wrote on the subject are still
used as text books.
A consistent enemy of the Hohenzol-
lerns, he gathered his friends around
him when the Franco-German war broke
out and laid before them plan for help
sing France. His scheme was approved
Of, each man present received his in
structions and in a short time Col.
Rurstow had the satisfaction of knowing
that so, 900 men were prepared to
All these men were volunteers who be-
Iieved that an attempt was being made
to wrong France and that it was their
duty to defend her. They were we'll
armed and thoroughly disciplined, and
felt confident that under Rurstow IS
guidance they could do some good work
for their friendly neighbor. They were
not socialists, and their leaders, with a
few exceptions, were not political eXiles
but chivalrous Swiss gentlemen. Social
lists themselves say that the movement was
not planned by the revolutionists, and
that the only really prominent revolu-
zionist in it was Col. Rurstow.
The exact plan of campaign devised by
the Swiss leaders has not been diVulged,
and as Rurstow is dead now it is not
likely that it will ever be known. The
first thing to be done vas to push across
the frontier and everything was ready
for the start, when suddenly the news
came that the French army under Gen.
Bourbakl had been defeated by the Ger
man troops under Gen Won Werder. This
defeat crushed all Rurstow s hopes Had
Bourbaki succeeded the Swiss troops
could have helped him to win more vic
tories; but Rurstow now saw clearly that
it would be sheer madness to lift
q hand for France. Accordingly
the volunteers were disbanded
at the very time that Bourbaki's troops
we're retreatIng across the frontier into
SwitzerIand-there to be disarmed by
Swiss soldiers on the ground that the law
of nations did not permit them to wage
war in the territory of a neutral power.
SWITZERLAND IS MEANS OF DEFENCE.
In this way the plot failed, and so Sc
cretlv had it been managed that only a
few men know how really great it was.
Rurstow knew most about it, and he died
q few years after the war. OF living
men no one knows more about it than
Carl Buerkii, member of the Cantonal
council in Zurich The man who gave
me the information is prominent social
ist who lived in Switzerland some years
ago and heard all the details of the plot
from Buerkli himself.
According to this socialist the import |
,ance of the plot lies IN the fact that Co.,
600 volunteers were found willing to fight |
for a cause which was, strictly speaking, |
not their own, and in which the chances |
of defeat were much greater than those |
of success eeTo-day - he continued,
Switzerland could raise $50 900 men, |
lHell armed, we'll drilled and prepared to |
die for their country. If Bismarck IS |
troops dare to cross the frontier Germany |
will be taught the same lessons |
that the Beers taught England |
in South Africa. Every foot of |
ground will be disputed, and the Swiss |
marksmen viii not waste their bullets. |
at the first sign of invasion. too. France