The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-11-08

| uroKen paw, ana L recalled the frightfu
| crime of Thirsty-killing his officer from
behind on the field of battle.
Suddenly he came from among the
ranks and advanced toward the general
yes, he himself, Thirsty, the assassin o.
the captain. In the fight he had lost hi:
cap, and his shaved head appeared ira
versed by a saber stroke from which {
stream of blood ran down his forehead
and on his cheek. Leaning with one hand
on his gun, he presented an Austrian
flag, tattered and with great red stains or
| it-a flag which he had taken. The gen
eral seemed to regard him with admira
tion and find him superb. Say, Bricourt,
said he, turning to one of his artillery
| officers. Look at that. What menp
'Then Thirsty said in his hoarse voice
That's true, my general. but you know
the First Zouaves. There are enough Of
them for more than one time
Il could embrace you for that phrase, =
cried the general You shall have the
cross, you know"
"And repeating always, WHAT men
what menr he said to his aide-de camp q
phrase which / could not understand my.
self-I am too ignorant. you know, but
court? It's like Plutarch.'
But at that moment my arm panied me
again, and fainting saw and heard moth
ing more.
you know the rest l have often told
you how they hacked off my arm and how
| was carried for two months in ambu-
lances, delirious with fever. In my sleep
less hours l asked myself what | should do
in regard to Thirsty. Denounce him?
Certainly that was my duty, but how;
What proofs had 1? Then / would say to
myself, He is ascoundrel, but hero. He
killed Capt. Gentle, but he captured an
Austrian flag And / could not decide.
At last, when / was convalescent, learned
that as a reward for his brave action
Thirsty had been transferred with his
grade to the Zouaves of the guard, and
had received a decoration. All, at first
that Disguised me with my own cross,
which our colonel had just attached to my
cloak at the hospital. However, Thirsty
merited his as well, after all; but his Lee
gion of Honor should have served as a
target for a firing squad of soldiers. Well,
all that was long time ago. l have never
seen the sergeant again. who is still in the
service, and | am in civil life. But just
now, seeing that tunic with its bullet hole
God knows how it came there, hanging
at that old clothes dealers, two steps from
the barracks where the assassin isl
thought of his UNPUBLISHED crime, and it
seemed to me that the captain cried for
justice"
l did my best TO calm Pere Vidal, who
had been much excited by his story. as
sured him that he had done everything for
the best, and the heroism of the sergeant
balanced his crime But some days later
on arriving at the office l found Pere
Vidal, who handed me journal so folded
that but one column was visible, and who
said gravely:
"What did tell you;'
/ took the journal and read as follows:
another Victim Of Intemperance.-Yes-
terday afternoon on the Boulevard de
Grenelle a sergeant of the Imperial you
ayes by the name of Mallet, who bore
among his comrades the sobriquet
Thirsty and who had been drinking
heavily with some companions in the neigh
boring drinking places, was seized with a
sudden alcoholic delirium while looking at
some old uniforms hanging in front Of an
old clothes merchants.
Becoming suddenly furious the ser
geant drew his saber bayonet and ran down
the street, 20 the great terror of the pass
ers by. 1t was only by the greatest efforts
that the two soldiers who accompanied
him were able to overcome the mailman,
who in his rage shrieked increasingly: 4
am not an assassin | took an Austrian
flag at Melegnanop
eve are told that in fact Mallet had
been decorated for that feat of arms, and
that it was only his inveterate drunken
ness which prevented him from becoming
an officer.
"A1allet has been taken to the military
hospital Of Gros-Caillon, from whence he
will presently be transferred to Clarendon,
for it is doubtful if the unfortunate man
will ever recover his reason"
As | returned the journal to Pere Vidal
he looked at me gravely and said:
Captain Gentle was Corsican. He is
avenged. New York Evening Post.