The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1898-12-20
NINE. JAMIE.

Jamie, the soldiers called her-Was for
many years oantiniere in regiment Of
the line, and in this capacity she was q
sort of good angel to the troops. Officers
and soldiers alike all respected her.
She married when about 80 years of
age the quartermaster general of the
regiment. His time was nearly up, but
he remained with the colors in order to
help his wife keep the canteen.
After year of married life a son
was born, and Nine. Jambe and her
husband agreed that as soon as he
should attain the proper age he, too
should be a soldier At the age of 16 he
passed into the ranks, and, being smart
and intelligent, he seemed to have a
bright future before him.
But the husband and father died sud.
denly in 1869 1t was a terrible shock
to poor Nine. Jambe, and she would
hardly have survived it were it not for
the thought of her son and the hope
that he would be comfort to her in
her declining years. Sorrow aged her
more than her rough life had done, and
she left the service and settled in lit
tie cottage left her by her parents in
the village of Clusy, near Pontarliers.
A year later war broke out, and this
was another sorrow for her to bear.
She was patriot was Nine Jambe,
but she was mother also
During that terrible winter of 1901
she hardly slept for three consecutive
hours in the "a. Always on the alert
for news, she chafed sorely at the snow.
which almost cut off her little village
from the outer world and made com.
munication matter of great difficulty.
Suddenly, toward the end of January,
the rumor spread that the army of the
east was approaching, having failed to
relieve Belfort. For nearly week Mere
Jambe kept strict watch day and
night, scanning eagerly the road by
which she hoped to see the French ar
rive.
They were signaled at last, but the
Germans were signaled, too, from the
opposite direction, and it seemed evi-
dent that the armies would encounter
one another in the immediate neighbor-
hood
And now will let Nine. Jambe take
up the story, for what follows / had
from her own lips few months after
the events described took place:
Zone morning at dawn l heard
noise at the door of the cottage and
then the sound of breaking glass. rose
hastily and ran down to the entrance.
| gave a cry; my boy was there, and
behind him stood three of his comrades,
but in what state-haggard, hollow
checked, their uniforms in rags, their
boots almost in pieces, blue and shiver-
ing with cold
Mother, you must hide us, he said
The general has intrusted me with a
message to the commandment of the fort,
but the Prussians have seen us and are
IN pursuit. They must not find US.
Give me your order, cried I
will take it while you hide here. No
one will suspect a woman
had no time to finish We heard a
discharge of musketry, and a neighbor
rushed in crying:
The Prussiansl The Prussians are
hereI'
pushed my son and his friends in
to storeroom at the farther end of
which, under some hay, was the door
leading into the cellar, where l kept
my little stock of wine and cider.
The Prussians entered in through
the open door. saw others in the road.
There must have been about 100 of
them altogether. A young officer was in
command.
He came up to me and said brutal
ly:
Is 1t you who are Nine Jambe?'
Yes, am she, answered him.
Your son has just entered this
house.
My sonl He is far away from here,
always supposing that he is still alive
He is here; | am sure of it Come,
now, where is he?
90 You must seek him, then.
He made a sign, and l was sur
rounded and prevented from moving my
position. The soldiers ransacked the |
house, l asking myself meanwhile who
could be the coward who had betrayed |
my son.
AT last the brutes found him-him
and his friends, and | saw them dragged |
out covered with the hay in which they |
had attempted to conceal themselves |
And my son How brave and handsome |
he looked, with his flashing eyes Yesl
He was my own flesh and blood, and | |
felt proud Of him. They were rigorous
ly searched for the message they were |
to bear, but as it was verbal |
one they could find nothing.
1.-THE officer stamped about the little |
room, mad with rage CHANGING at the
prisoners, he cried:
Is your son among them2
" He is not and if he were would
not confess it.
He drew his sword on me, and then !
we were all dragged out into the road
way, the officer shouting:
Where is the man who gave us the }
information?
One of his companions has just I
killed him, a Prussian sergeant replied,
pointing to a corpse, which l had not
seen, hidden as it was behind bush.
THE traitor was a franc tireur, who
TO save his own life, had given up my
son to the enemy His punishment had
not been long delayed.
The murderer will be shotp cried
the officer. Then, looking fiercely at a
group of villagers who were covering
under his mems bayonets, he continued:
Some one among you knows the
man Jambe; point him out to me or
will order my men to fire on your
"Ah, they were brave, my neighbors
They made no reply.
Then we will soon find out. He
gave an order in low voice. His men
pinGed me with my back against wall
and placed rifles in the hands Of my
son and his comrades.
''And the officer said:
'On the word of command you will
fire and kill that woman If you dis
obey it will be your turn next.
"a cry of horror ran through the
crowd, followed by dead silence. l.
we'll, offered my soul to the bon Dleu,
telling myself that l must try to show
how a Frenchwoman could die if need
be, and / waited, watching my son.
But he did not seem to see me. His
eyes were turned to his comrades. They
seemed to be making signs to one anoth-
Or.