Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1893-10-28

write, tartfnes. letters. patriotic ar
ticles breathing waFlike fire, every fun
stop seeming like 4 she'll France beat
en-, France invaded: Al, but there
i was nothing In this world 50 unlikely,
10 near the impossible: and yet, while
be wrote. French arms were flung
down French soldiers were hylDg-
wild rabble- from before the face Of
the foe: and the invaders foyr was on
the soil. trampiag onw lrd steadily. Il
.auric. invindb.e. like Some mighty
force Of Nature. slow. cumulative. pitt
less. But say thar be 'olliDS Of
France hai fed; say that Acni-I,> him
tclf had flung down his word and
shield. md taken to his heels; whose
{ was the fault Why, naturally. it was
the government that was 10 Blame.
shrieked the Red Flag Down with the
Minister'S Let Us have new Ministers,
and our arms VIII be victorious. Mac
Mahnn aud Bazaine win unite thcir
forces. and the tide Of victory will roll
backward across those advancing herds
Of Huns and Pandours, and sweep the
slvaee- back TO their native pirc-woods
their desert wastes beside the Danube.
There was a sudden shuttle Of cards
in the political game. Gramont and
Olivier retired, driven out by vote
of ccnsure, and General M0ntaubln,
COmtc de PdlikaO. took the helm.
"A military Mercadet with a touch
Of Robert 4lacairp." said the Rcd Flag
What good could be expected from
such cunaillc|
The month Of August wore on-a
month Of anxiety, of wavcring hopes,
~ strengthening fears History records
no bloodier battles than Rezonville and
Grayclottc, fought in the middle Of that
anxious month; and although Bazaine
claimed the first as a victory, he was
, still steadily retreamg; every day
/ brought him nelrer Metz; where he
finally retired, abandoning his com
mmicatiOns with MacNIahon and the
rest Of France.
Then came the rumor that Metz was
blockaded; Bazaine and his hundrel
and eighty thousand men were bound
with bonds Of iron, US. eSs helpless.
MacAlahon was encdmpad nj ChalonS,
re-ceating his army, AMI nither resi-
mcnt after regiment Of undiSciplined
youth was sent TO him; ana Gndisciplin-
cd youth made the country round ring
with the noise Of its foIlieS. made
France blush for her sons. And still
the flood Of inyasiDus rolled On, steadily
as the rising tide; a week, a fortnight
mt most, and the Crown Prince with his
victorious army would dcbouch upon
the plain Of Gcucviniers And now in
earnest this time, seeing the enemy 50
near, Paris awakened 20 thg possibility
of a siege; but even yet fear was not
80 serious rs 50 stimulate the city TO
prompt and earnest action The people
waited cXpeot9nt hopeful still; somr-
thing would happen, something unforc-
secn-a miracle. perhaps.
Something unforeseen did happen; but
The unforeseen wore the shape Of
shame, defeat, humiliation empire
ovcrthrown Ia one bloody day; Emper-
or state prisoner, Empress fugitive.
army prisoners of war.
! First came the tidings that Mac
Mahon, instead Of trying to block the
passage of the Germans, instead Of
falling upon the capital to fight one Of
the worlds decisive battles under the
, walls Of Paris, was moving northward,
obviously intent upon joining and re-
leasing BaZaine.
What might not be hoped from Il
coalition between two such generals
one who had risen with every defeat
/ the other rs famous for indomitable
energy as for military skill? What
might not be hoped for from Bazaine's
hundred and eighty thousand men, the
flower of the French army?
For two days, the first balmy days
of Scptcmber,a restless, feyerish, over
excited populace lived upon the bOule-
wards and in the streets; questions,
statements, counter-statcmGnts flew
from lip to lip, while false reports and
monStrous eNaggeratious We're in the
very air men brcathed Then, on a
Saturday night, came the news of q
great calamity; Il terrible battle had
been fought was still be fought,
with tucmauug fortunes, II the en-
virons Of Sedan BUT the ultimate re
Sult3 For this Paris waited with in
eXprcssihle agitation The newsveud-
ors kiosques were besicged by tumulm-
Gus crowds; hands were stretched forth
wemulouS with excitement, clutching
ut the papers; men stood upon the
boulevard benches, reading the news
aloud, above a sea of Of heads
Nothing was certain In the news thus
dcyoured, nothing precise. The crowd,
deprived Of official Information, was
consumed by a nervous irritabihty, a
fever OF hopes and fears Men were
impatient, captions, quarrelSome. At
the first word Of doubt they were ready
TO treat each other MS PruSsanS or
traitors; for d mere nothing they would
have challenged each other 20 mortal
combat Voices were sharp, strangers
glaed at one another with angry eyes,
Lamps began to simmer in the sum
mer twilight, cafes and vine shops