Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-08-13

: A cavalry cadet came galloping up. "Col-
onel, a strong body of the enemy's horse
Is advancing down the hill toward the
bridge
To give color to this statement sputter-
ing of rifle fire broke out and momentarily
grew in volume.
In fifteen minutes Longuyon was cleared
or uhlans and Bavarians, three bridges
were destroyed two railway viaducts blown
batch of dynamite cartridges with de-
tonating fuses in a long tunnel that pierced
the hills leading to the frontier.
To the Germans confusion and chaos
seemed to reign unchecked.
Those who kept their senses and were in
touch with the fighting could not fail to
notice that vast body of horse, needless
of the conflict. poured headlong through
the village in the direction of Diedenhofen.
Meanwhile the defenders of the post were
actively hunted in every direction.
A troop train, with several officers and
half a battalion of Hanoverians on board
dashed off toward Spincourt, the nearest
point by rail to Damvillers and the main
| hne OF German communication, but it
plunged into ravine at point where
fierre Laronde and his little band had
| thoughtfully removed a rail-
BY midnight an entire division had been
| put IN motion by Gen. kreuznach and was
has1ening northward with the utmost speed,
| as not word of reply could the staff get
70 the singular and startling message from
LonSuyon which mace to hand at $40 D m
They encountered stragglers from the
.S4.Su Atiih, WHO announced that q
french column--a division, an army corps
or 100000 men-had occupied Longuvon
and was in full pursuit Thereupon the
commander OF the relief thought it his duty
10 hait until daylight. He did So marched
! cautiously to Longuyon and found only the
evidences OF the preceding nights disaster
Al 10 clock duh explosion followed BY
violent earth tremor meant that two
months, hard work would scarce s1IfTice ia
make the railway tunnel servicea HE again
anu ilerre Laronde and his comrades
,iiouSht II nigh time to catch some rider
body. 'i'ei 'he mann
lie Breton's method of advance was adj
lliIrdpie. whenever a bridge had to be do
5irUSa eu or d section of the parallel railway
utisHrahtled small party halted and began
t titeit preparations. while the remainder of
I'VE force pressed on through the darJxness
W men an mad passed the dynamite did its
~ork, and the wreckers rode off To baconna
the rear guard in their turn
sixteen miles from LOng1lyon the ba,d or
Tue expedition reached Acknowledgement
IIe erstwhie French frontier custom house
ava Sniau infantry guard was cut I'D,
cru cru TWO customs officers. captured in the
hrst surprise of the invasion. set at lfbertv
anu toid TO escape as best they might
f1ah an hour more ard the sound of fir
~, liz III trphI, instantaneously drowned in
VIA outburSt of cheering proclaimed The
iact 10 villagers startled from their sIean
Hlae ior the nrst time in a generation al,
armed force of Frenchmen had SET foot
VIZ sun VI Lorraine.
This was Fontoy, or Fentscb as tho c,or
mans nave 1t, and here LIE Breton received
side 'eu ny eieher
hend ;eaulng troopers cantered round
pend INTO the village street and found
themselves IN swarm of soldiers. infantry
anu artillery. being the nucleus of a divi
s s now hastily forming In order to rein
t toice lhe main body on the Meuse. The
nasty resolve of the Kaiser Wilhelm 70
penetrate into France at all cost was in
process OF realiza ton at that moment
.IeF the nrst gasp Of amazement the
s s leutons recovered themselves and a
hslce ARRAY at once began, growing in
stantly in volume as combatants fro,n
"1It sldes packed into the narrow street
iieIe' OF course, the well-driled fnfantrv
~ 'IsaN e tne advantage In another minute vol
hFlns would have determined the JnaIee
When LIE Breton, who rode ever close 70 A.
advance guard, arrived 10
a single glance revealed the situation to
LIN ne saw that his leading squadron
must be sacrificed if he would save tho
rest Squirting his horse into a furious oaI-
Brigade 'ne ISL
Reaching cross road he halted the ID
ana planted four machine guns here. stimuli
taneously retiring the LIST Brigade south
wards 10 the right
The remainder followed but tba move
ment mad barely started when the rem
nant of the advance guard fell hack Close
ly pursued by some. mounted German pm
behind pressing oh
But lie Breton's turn had come. The
great adve ntage of the machine gun is thar
its fire is destructive by night as nv daIy
defined " NieoiiS
In this case all that was needed was 70
aiSn the guns along a comparatively level
road and blaze away, the four pourinp an
absolute torrent of lead into the mixed
German force A-Aou
Nothing could live against It, The DUR
suers. unable to retreat with sufficient ra
pld1ty. owing to the crowding and confu
SION behind. suffered frightfully Hundreds
OF men fell ir that slaughter house and
those VINO sought to escape into the fields
We're ruthlcssly cut down by French cav
airy. posted there to prevent at all hazards
nank attack on the new line of advance
1t must be remembered that the German
oIlcers were wholly ignorant of the true
position ana consequently unable to make
better dispositions for assaulting this mar
vicious foe who had sprung from nowhere.
ana ne disappeared as promptly as he had
arrived paving murderous tokens of his
visit In the human shambles just beyond
the village, while a series of explosions in
the distance told the listeners that wher-
ever the road crossed a stream the bridge
was destroyed.
Two miles from Fontoy LIE Breton or
dered much-ne eded halt
1t was now l o'clock. There was no i'm
mediate fear of pursuit efficiently organ
go AOoiStdiCer liiOuSn Tie German stan 1t
Darnyillters and Trionyille, Metz and Mars
la Tour were frenzied with annoyance at
their inability to discover exactly what was
going on
Orderlies raced about on horseback. field
telegraphs clicked necessarily, even the en-
peror at FreSnes was walked out of a sound
sleep-but in vain. The incompatible Ger
man system of intelligence, which would
have discovered stray horse at any point
over their fifty miles of front was power
less TO locate lie Breton and his little host
for the simple reason that he was now
many miles in the rear of the main body
and had already much disarrauged the
whole of the northerly communica tons.
Until daybreak he was comparatively
safe. Horses Were pieketed, some food has
lily eaten and the whole force composed it
self for four hours sleep
Beyond ascertaining that his total losses
so Tar amounted to sixty-seven men and
three officers killed and wounded, with some
hundred-odd horses lost, he had no fresh
anxfeties 10 deal with. His route was cut
and dried and every detail settled in con-
sGltation with his officers. Events must be
dealt with as they arrived. They could not
be anticipated.
SO far" growled lie Breton as he COM
posed himself 10 rest with his saddle flap
Tor pillow, II don't think Vansittart him
seif could have done BETTER
The first beams of light fo,rpd tJ,a l;tt,a