The true Democrat. [volume] (Bayou Sara [La.]) 1892-1928, 1898-12-31

NoG render Alsace and
lsM\ Lorraine to Ger
FL many, a good many
EJ7 people Of those pro-
vinces came to Eng
land rather tn a n
ar allegiance to the Emperor VIII
Among them was an old soldier,
IA told me the following story in
bken English that I will not attempt |
hanscribe.
"You are Mistaken" said he, with
ne vexation. 81 am not a German.
cause [ speak German, that does
lsmake German my heart. 1t is all
bench. I'm an Alsatian. We Alsa-
me are more French than the French
lenselves, because from France we
be- had brotherhood and equality and
ssdom.
an the great war I was in the
anch army. Did I fight in many
stles? No, did not fight at all.
hi for all that was in six battles
] ler fire, and sometimes in worse
Enger than the men who fought. In
De balloon corps Twas twice wounded.
''You think that was strange? You
tnk there was no danger in the re-
anaissance with balloons, eh? But
you saw how fast the Germans
alled our balloons as soon as they
Dpped in the air.
"StOpped-how stopped? Why,
9Opped at he..end Of the rope. You
Dn't suppose war balloons go loose,
p you?
"WeIt, if you saw how the Germans
red at them, and how they brought
heir long-rauge guns to bear on the
POUND where the end Of the balloon
UpeEas, thenyou would kno@Bhether
here was danger for the men Of the
Falloon corps.
II do not speak Of the officers that
Tens up in our balloons to view the
Enemy's lines. Any one may under
band the risks they ran, when rife
bslisaud shells were screaming to
pierce the balloon and bring its car
sstnbling down. No, I speak more OF
|ihs risks we privates had from the
German fire on. our standing ground.
"G6Rld they see us2N No; bnt they
could see the balloon, 1hgy rs moi
fools, the Germans. Wren they couId
see the balloon, they could qricki5
calculate about where itsropes touched
the ground. Oh, that terrible Ger.
man artillery! Skrei-i7i-il I think ]
1aear the shells shrieklng again. Otter
We had to stay in one place for al
hour, two, three hours. losing more
sy death and wounds than the same
number Of soldiers on outpost duty
but the most terrible of all was wha
Happened to me at the end.
ut was toward the latter part O
august, ten days after the traitor
bazsine, had cooped us up in the for
atcation Of Metz. The order came
nom my squad to so out far, far toward
ne German lines, sendup our balloon
md get q look at what the enemy wer
doing.
For ten minutes after we had sen
the balloon, there was no firing q
There it foated q thousand fee
agh' 1t was pressed toward the Ger
nan lines by the breeze, whicl
seemed stronger above.
I stood near the cylinder, or drum
nom which we had let out nearly a,
ae rope that held the balloon froI
1'lng and blowing away. This rop
AAnted toward the Germans as
Ssnt up.
Aau nold OF TINS rope; my wv
a'adS were above my head grasping th
ape. Twas resting like this, when all {
sudden the German artillery opene
10.
"They.Aad not calculated the ba
IONS position very PERFECTLY, br
eey got ours we'll. First, five shell
SF over the woods at the balloon
saese were all timed to burst, as the
~ almost'together. But none..of the
taSments hit the balloon; they he
petst too far, behind and below it.
While I was watching these e
P0slons, far bigger shell came cur
Y over the wood, as if flung from
soFtar' It fairly struck the windla
yum on which the rope was woun
INST the same moment, and seemed
Slor wound every member sof ii
aaad l except me.
Though 1 was not hit, / was h.
saaAed by the conclusion, and
sS0fSe l should have been thrown
. ground if I had not held on by Il
wye l did not know I was holdh
A. Il you understand. I was too ma,
~. ea to know what had happened
ii ~ > was doing. knew 1 was ally
y wat was about all, And l clu!