Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1893-08-03
TEE POLES A. 1I1s.
From RomaHce.

of the Angeius-beii &c ng through
the silence Of evenin Fects me so
strongly. There il rs connect
ed with the matter. sten, and
viii tellit to yon.'
So saying. Monsi = Eazilew;th
lighted ! Il &c =. seeing that
he andience vas I'll attsntion, he
Il must go back TO the days OF
my youth. | had just left the mil
itary school, and was very proud OF
the sword l carried. and anxious
for an opportunity of giving it its
baptism of blood. Ihad not long
to wait, for trouble broke out in
Varsovia, and my regiment, with
many others, received orders to set
out for Poland, where a campaign
seemed imminent. The Poles, both
mobiles and peasants, had grown
tired of the restraints imposed upon
them, and had determined to make
a desperate effort to free themselves
from the yoke which was weighing
them down, and then began that
heroic and bloody contest-Russia' 8
eternal shame.
We bad the advantage of num-
bers, but our adverscries, who were
fortified by their strong faith and
ardent patriotism, knew the country
thoroughly and they waged war on
us without truce or mercy. Their
commander-in-chief divided his
troops in flying columns which over
ran the country, just as the Repub-
lican troops did in France at the
time of the first revolution. :
Il arrived, one evening, in COM
mand of detachment, at village
called Kurwo, where ! expected to
surprise band of Polish patriots.
They had been warned of our APP
proaced, however, and had taken
fight, and l discovered that they
had agreed with the villagers to re-
turn during the night and massacre
us in our sleep.
Fortunately for us a miserable
fellow told us, in exchange for a
few roubles, that it had been ar
ranged that the ringing of the
Angelus-bell should be the signal
for the rebels to return to the vii.
lage for the purpose of slaughtering
us.
Il waited several hours and then
went to the church myself, intend
ing to give the signal which would
call the Poles from their hiding
place, but l could not find the bell
rope. After a long search, l became
convinced that the rope had been
purposely cut off.
Il was furious, and ordering all
the people to gather on the village.
green, l announced to them that, il
within five minutes time some one
of them were not ready to climb the
bell-tower and ring the Angelus,
the village should be set on fire and
every one of them put to the sword.
The minutes passed slowly, aud
the people stood silent, with calm,
resigned faces awaiting death; sud
denly boy of fifteen approached
me, and said that he was ready to
do my bidding.
Here said I, take this rorblc
and use it to drink the cars health.
Now 60 up, and ring loud and long
Without making any reply, the
boy sprang like a cat mp to the bel
fry, perched aloft and seized the
bell-clapper in both hands.
But Misericordia! IL was not
the musical Angelus | heard; it was
the tolling of the solemn funeral
bell! The patriots would be on
their guard, and, warned by the
bell, would not come out and fall
into the trap l had prepared for
them!
'Breathless and blind with rage,
| snatched a gun from one of my
men, pointed it at the child in the
beliry and took aim. But sudden
ly, it seemed as il mist passed
from before my eyes; quick as a
fash of lightning. | realized the
sublimity of the fifteen-yeaT-old
hero's action, and without firing
lowered my arm.
Twenty years passed away, and
then began that terrible struggle
between Russia and Turkey which
was as disastrous for The one as fol
the other of the two powers, and
which terminated with the memor