Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1893-10-24
THE ANGELUS.

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, received orders
to set out for Poland, where campaign
seemed imminent. The Poles, both mobiles
and peasants, had grown tired of the re-
straints imposed upon them and had de-
termined to make a desperate effort to free
themselves from the yoke which was weigh
ing them down, and then began that heroic
and bloody contest-Russia's eternal shame.
arrived enc evening in command of a
detachment at village called Kurwo,
where l expected to surprise band of Pol
ish patriots. They had been warned of our
approach, however, and had taken flight,
and discovered that they had agreed with
the villagers to return during the night
and massacre us in our sleep.
Fortunately for us a miserable fellow
told us in exchange for few rubles 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 Strengthening us.
I waited several hours and then went to
the church myself, intending 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.
was furious, and ordering all the peo-
pie to gather on the vii Iage greei an
nounced to them that if within f.e min
utes' time some one Of them were not ready
to climb the bell tower and ring the Ange-
lus the village should be set on fire and
every one of them put to the sword
The minutes passed slowly, and the peo-
pie stood silent, with calm, resigned faces,
awaiting death. Suddenly boy of Is ap-
preached me and said that he was ready to
do my bidding.
Here" said I, "take this ruble and use
it to drink the cars health. Now go up
and ring loud and long"
Without making any reply the boy sprang
like cat up to the belfry, perched aloft
and seized the bell clapper in both hands.
But Misericordia! 1t was not the music
al 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 had prepared for them!
Breathless and blind with rage, snatched
gun from one Of my men, pointed it 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 light
ming realized the sublimity of the 15-year-
old hero's action, and without firing low
cred my arm.
Twenty years passed away, and then be-
gan that terrible struggle between Russia
and Turkey which was as disastrous for
the one as for the other of the two powers,
and which terminated with the mem orable
taking of Plevna.
One day while accommodating ventured
too far from the outposts, and fell into an
ambuscade of Turks. In the twinkling of
all eye was seized, bound, gagged and
carried on a mans back into the enemy's
camp, and when the bandage was removed
from my eyes found myself surrounded
by about dozen men attired in strange
looking uniform, which seemed to be half
Turkish and half Russian.
One glance sufficed to assure me that
there had been an engagement on this spot
the night before. On the long grass were
stretched the corpses of the czar's soldiers,
and crouched beside them were Mussulmans
tearing off the clothing and quarreling and
swearing as they divided among themselves
the garments of the dead
My attention was soon diverted from this
horrible sight, for the men around me be-
gan to despoil me also of my clothes, and I
could hear them dividing in advance the
different articles of my apparel They had
already unfastened my coat. when sud-
denly caught the sound Of few words
spoken in the Russian language.
II am not surprised" cried, lat being
robbed by these Mohammedan ours, but
that a Russian should stoop to such con-
DUCT. ~
am not Russian; am Pole"
The speaker turned toward me, and
looked at him in surprise, as he continued
angrily:r
trymen bowed their necks to the yoke and
resigned themselves with hatred in their
hearts to the Russian rule I fled from my
home. What longed for most was to find
the means of meeting you Russians face to
face, and to avenge the death of my coun-
trymen and the humiliation Of my coun-
try,
While he spoke, I could not take my eyes
from his face, and it seemed, through the
mist Of memory, that l had seen that face
before.
'You are from the village of Kurwol" I
said suddenly.
"How do you know thatW he stammered,
changing color.
"Do you not remember the Angelus bells"
He looked at me fxedly, then seized my
hand, muttering:
"You were the commanding ofIicer'"
II was"
"You could have killed me, and owe my
life to your generosity. 1t must not be said
that Pole was guilty of ingratitude to-
ward an enemy, even though it were to
Russian"-
He said few words to the Turks, who
instantly moved away, and then, signing
me to follow him, he silently led me to one
Of our own outposts.
"You are free" he said, "aud we are
quits. pray heaven that we may meet in
the battle tomorrow, face to face"
And he turned on his heel and disappear
Cd In the thicket.
A Clever Reminder.
About the time Of the American revolu-
ton the French commander, De La Motto
Piquet, met, as lie left Quiberon bay, two
American vessels which saluted him. He