Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1891-09-12

On the 1st of March, 1871, the day of the
| entry of the German troops into Paris.
| rather a curious experience befell me.
| While yet within the German Gordon
in the Place de la Concorde, l observed
that was being logged | had no sooner
| passed out of the Gordon than / was
hemently assailed by an angry mob, who
insisted that | was a Prussian spy. A de-
tach ment of National Guards holding po-
lice post rescued me at the bayonet point
from the genial enthusiasts who were
dragging me along the street on my back,
| with the expressed intention of drowning
me in the basin of an adjacent fountain.
A good deal of my clothing had been
torn off me, but that was a trihe. Over
! hauling myself in the police station, /
| discovered that along with half of my
| greatcoat had disappeared my notebook,
which was in the pocket of the missing sec
ton of the garment This was a most SER
| ious misfortune.
| In those times had accustomed myself
to write out at full length in my notebook
| the description of scenes or events of which
| l was witness, detailing in form ready
| for the printing the accounts of incident
| after incident rs the incidents successfully
| evolved themselves. From the summit of
| the tower of LoDgchamps | had looked
down that morning on Kaiser Wilhelm's
great review of his army on the race
course and my description of that remark
| able scene, at least two columns long, was
in the lost notebook
One result of this concurrent writing out
| is that the writer's memory does not
charge itself with the recollection of what
has been committed to paper; and thus |
| had not only lost the actual copy" already
inditei and out of hand, but was destitute
| of the mower n renrO1ucp he lOSr pnarrpr
BEFORE THE MAGISTRATE
While WAS internally bewailing myself,
a citizen in fine glow of triumph rushed
| into the police station. "Noila!' he shout
ed, as he waved aloft my notebook in one
| hand and my coat tail in the other. Here
Is dan ming evidence that the prisoner is
| wicked spy! Here are the villains notes,
the lies he has been writing down concern
| ing our unhappy Parisl'' | could have en-
braced the excited ouvrier, frowsy as he
was; lie had done me an incalculabie bene-
fit in lis effort to seal my doom. His face
was a study when, in the gladness of my
heart, offered him a five franc piece. .
Presently, under an escort of National
Guards, l was marched through a couple
of streets to the bureau of a sitting magis-
trate. My companions We're a gentleman
| in n blouse, who was accused of having
| stolen an ink bottle; a characterization de
tected in selling couple of cigars to a
| Bavarian cavalryman, aud a woman whom
the Pa is mob had stripped and painted
divers colors because she had been caught
parleying with a Prussiau drummer.
The magistrate was 50 good as to deal
with me first. Fortunately was able to
produce to him my British passport and
my journalistic credentials. He called in
his sister, who had lived in England. TO as
| hi n ha i.i+ Of
those documents. She promptly pro
nouncei in their favor, and his worship
became Immediately gracious.
He told me | was free, and was good
enough to lend me an old coat in which TO
walk to my hotel, at the same time grace
fully begging me to excuse what he termed
tine little Inconvenience had experienced
on account of the not unnatural excite
ment OF the Paris populace."
SAVED BY WOMAN.
The magistrates good sister sent me to
a bedroom, where l washed off the most
fragrant stains of the recent unpleasant
ness. Outside the mob was still howling
fiercely. Time was very precious to me.
could not endure to wait Indefinitely, yet l
did not care 20 offer myself to the tender
mercies Of the gentlemen of the pavement.
The sister in this strait proved herself a
ministering angel
She said there was a door opening in a
quiet SIDE alley, and actually offered to es-
cort me to my hotel, which was close by.
As we walked | told the good soul did
not know how to thank her. Had it been
her rvant could have found no diff
Guilty in requiting the good office, but a
lady
ooh" she broke in. that is not so diff
cult. l will put my pride in my pocket.
My brother has a fair salary, but he has
not seen franc of it for six months. We
are gent efolk; we cannot join the crowd
outside the bakers shop, and, o mon Dieu!
we are actually starving" and the poor
woman burst into tears. Eve could not
take charity, D." she continued sobb.ng, but
l have heard of that kiad don anglais
which, they say, is now being distrib uted
freely; if only one could get little aid
from its bounty"
We had a subdepot in my hotel: | my
self was one of the accredited subalmon-
ers; some of the commissioners were living
with me. ! hurried the lady into a room
where there was no one to notice her emo
ton; then found John Furley and told
him the little story.
THE PEOPLE WHO SUFFERED
Furley is a man of energy. In five min
, utes big hamper had been packed full of
comestib es and porter had it on his
back, waiting for the lady's commands.
With the chivalry of fine gentleman Fur
ley respectfully announced to her that one
of his men was at her disposition. She
, came out into the passage, looked down at
the great basket, whose open mouth dis
closed inter ALA leg of mutton, couple
, of fowls, great honest loaf and sundry
vegetables. She gave great gasp and
thought she was going TO faint She was
anamic from sheer want, but she rallied
, tears helping her, and then she went
silently away, with her veil down over her
face and The stalwart porter tramping be
hind her.
1t was such people as those, with pride
and fixed salaries which were not paid
who suffered worst during the siege; and
they, too, It was who were the most diff
sult to relieve when the siege was over,
but without as yet any alienation of their
mil hu ha tnf h