The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1893-12-17
After the Battle
at Inflated Sedan.
BIT ARCHIBALD FORBES.
Or he SUNDAY port-C5ryrlglateli.

For the Sunday Post-C7pyris,te1
The twelve hours long battle v-ss end
ed. The German ring q fire and iron had
beer closed and rivete3 around TIRE hap
Iess French army. the shattered relics
OF which now hu5alea and covered
around the obsolete aegeases u Sedan
General Relic had RIDDEN o2t fforn the
city 10 the hilltop or whch stool King
William and his stat. bearing - TIE
German Tnprsren BE iacoiae ifiteT -
which Napoleon terdere1 the surrender
OF his sword 70 the eoua0erer. and had
czrried BACK into sedan tfe king 9 ACCEPT
Gnce and ais request that the emperor
should appoint an oriceT with powers
70 ueat Tor fhe caEitsiiz ZION O The French
ervuy. The sgu was setting as Eiilsfn
ard as euroursE% quilted the hiitpp
aboEe rre1gsA ard drove away 20 his
rnarterE 81 Nenaresse amid the erthus-
tsssa1 cheering % bis victorious soldier
IuEide S@sl4n srlli turmoil and as-archy
he'd EuzN Tine French chiefs banded
saDntz and rspEoaches il the very pyes-
snce e rhsir fallen master. General
NlmGleu had resigned the command in q
sranEn1ft ~ shame ana anger, ana only
HlthaEew nis res lguai1un and consented
to b the pieupotsutiary 10 treat FOR terms
- the earnest and almost piteous en-
treaty II The enperYf.
AF IL feii dusk strange uncsny Il
,enee and stiffness succeeded the ihun-
dercuF noise ard turmoil 81 the day
hung low about the upiands % Fl0ing
and ilig. ard around the sOmber forth
1catloaH Of Sedan. The whole horizon
was furid with the reflection os Ere All
along the valley % Mouse were the
bivou8cs 81 The German host Two
hundred thouSa nd Teutonic soldiers lay
IN a vide circle around their beaten and
shattered foe On hill and IN valley
Riowed ~ the darkness the flames Of
burning VILLAGES TIE glare here ard there
reaerting iiself on the face of the
piaeid Aeuse WHAT were the Germans
doing on this their night OF consum-
mated triumph Celebrating their victory
Dy wassah aDd riot7 No. There rose
from every camp one unanimous chorus
or song but not the song Of ribaldrY. The
chant that FLIED The night air was Luth-
cf's hymn. the glorious Nun Dnnket ALE
Goti' the Old Hnndreth OF Germany. TO
listen 70 this great martial orchestra sing.
ing this noble hymn on he Held Of hard
won vietorS vas 10 understDpd In some
measure under what Inspiration that VIC
tory had been gained,
Late that same evening there was
the little hotel IN the square Of Dom
chers The house, hours earlier, had
bur there was plenty q vine ana cham
payne flowed freely Near midnight Biz
Inarek, uniformed and booted TO the thigh,
srrode into galle manager, hungry
and demanded supper He made formal
statement 10 the assembled ofneers 10
the effect that the French emperor had
sent 10 the king the surrender OF his
sword, and he read IN loud voice n copy
81 Napoeonis letter Adding no COM
mcnts. he led off hearty cheer and then
gave the. toasta OF '1rhe King" and
'srhe Fatherland" But his supper tar
ried. An officer went into the kitchen
10 ASCERTAIN what was being prepared
for the chancellor. Alas, the unhappy
hostess with many mon deus protested
that they might eat her u they chose,
but chat the only food in the place was
was half a dozen long kept eggs, From
ham among our stores we contributed
Fundry slices, and they with the dubious
eggs were prepared for Bismarcks sup
per. But even 50 great u man az ne
zation OF the adaee that there Il many
a slip between the cup and the lip. Be-
tUen the Kitchen ana dining room the
dish was cut out and carried or by a
nrlvateerlng Uhlan officer, and Il was
not until after much perqulsltion through
tie town That beefsteak was found
on which BiFmarck At last supped. wash
ing II down with bottle OF bonehery
Champagne.
70 treat for the capitalization Of the
French army. That was a strange con-
ference which was held In the still
watcheg OF the night In the salon OF
Dqnchefy house. Ihe greetings were
presented 20 Moltlse Generals Fanre and
cnstensu Moltke. with q brusque
wave of the hand introduced Count BIS
marck ana Genersi Blnmenthal and
then seats were taken. On one side Of
Germans, Moltle n the center, with Bis
msrck on his left and Diumenthal on his
Tight on the onpogite side was Wimp-
nen, ~ alone behind MIN. somewhat In
HnaA0W. faure Castlenau and a few
other French officers MoItka sat silent