The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1890-02-15
THE POLES ANGELUS.

you dSk WHY IL IL tHdt tne S"u"'
of the Angelus.bell echoing through
the silence of evening affects me so
strongly. There is story connected
witt the mater. Listen, and l will
tell it TO you"
So saying Monsieur Bazllewith
lighted a cigar and then, seeing that
his audience was all attention, he
continued:
II must go back to the days of my
youth. 1 had just left the military
school, and was very proud OF the
sword carried, and anxious for an
opportunity of giving it its baptism
of blood. had not long to wait, for
trouble broke out in Varsovia, and
my regiment, with many others, re-
= reived orders. to set out for Poland,
where campaign seemed imminent.
The Poles, both mobiles and peasants,
had grown tired of the restraints inn
posed upon them, and had determin.
ed to make desperate eff 'rt to free
themselves from the yoke which was
weighing them down, and then be-
gan that heroic and bloody contest
Russia's eternal shame.
"We had the advantage of num-
bers, but our adversaries. who were
fortified by their strong faith and ar
dent patriotism, knew the country
thoroughly, and they waged war on
us without truce or mercy. Their
commander in .chief divided his
troops into flying columns, which
over-ran the country. just as the Re-
publican troops did in France at the
time of the first revolution,
II arrived, one evening, in COM
mand o. a detachment at a village
called Kurwo, where l expected to
surprise band of Polish patriots.
They had been warned of our ap
prOach, and had taken flight; and ]
discovered that they had agreed with
the villagers 10 return during the
night and massacre us in our sleep.
"Fortunpately for ms, a miserable
fellow told us, in exchange for a few
roubIps, that it had been arranged
that the ringing Of the Angelus bell
should be the signal for the rebels to
return to the village for the purpose
oF OIopubtorinu ne
II waited several hours and then
went to the church, myself, intend
sng to give the signal which would
call the Poles from their hiding
place, but could not find the bell
rope. After long search l became
convinced that the rope had been
purpCsely cut off,
IL was furious, and ordering all
the people to gather on the village
green, l announced to them that if
within five minutes time some one
of them were not ready to climb the
beethoven and ring the AngeIus, the
village should be set on fire and every
one of them put to the sword.
1.-THE minutes passed slowly, and
the people stood silent with calm, re-
signed faces awaiting death sudden
" boy of fifteen approached me,
and said that he was ready to do my
bidding.
Here said I, take this rOuhle
and use it to drink the czar'S health.
Now go up. and ring loud and long,
"WithOut making any reply, the
hoy sprang like cat up to the bel
frey, perched aloft and seized the
bell.clapper in both hands.
"But Mi-ericordia 1t was not
the musical Angelus / heard it was
the tolling of the solemn funeral-bell.
The patriots would he on their guard, ,
and, warned by the bell, would not
come out and fall into the trap had
prepared for them.
"Breathless and blind with rage. l
snatched a gun from one of my men.
pointed at the child in the belfry and
took aim. But suddenly. it seemed
as if mist passed from before my
eyes; quick as flash Of lighting l
realized the sublimity of the fifteer-
year old hero's action, and without
firing, lowered my arm.
"Twenty years passed away, and
then began that terrible struggle he.
tween Russia and Turkey which was
as disastrous for the one as for the
other of the two powers. ana which
terminated. with the memorable tax.
ing of Plevna.
my chivalrous adventure In Po-
land had interfered with my ad.
yancement so materially that / was
only a captain, and eagerly seized
every opportunity of distinguishing
myself, in hopes of making up for