The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1899-08-20

brilliant campaign which ended with the
triumph OF AuSterlitZ. Then the loyal
woman stood in daily terror of the French.
Fortunately. however. she had not long to
wait after the invading army of Napoleon
set foot upon Austrian soil before her fate
was settled.
The battle of Ulm was fought October 10.
1906, and almost Immediately the victcrt-
Gus French soldiers were seen approaching
Stuttgart. In those days the rights OF pri-
vate property were not respected In the
least by contending armies. and the princi-
pie that ITO the victor belong the spoiis"
was followed. The women and children
who fell into the hands Of the enemy were
content to escape without suffering death
or personal violence and expected to save
nothing from their homes except by hiding
1t so as to escape the prying and rapacious
eyes OF the soldiers. No doubt the watch
would have been the first OF the personal
belongings Of its possessor to have been
secreted had she been aware of the APP
proach Of the army; but the coming OF the
latter was without warning, and the watch
fell into the hands OF a young French sol
der who was In the party ransacking the
house.
Although the loss Of the treasure seemed
Of little consequence to the owner at the
time. and she was thankful to be spared
greater affections at the hands or the VIC
torious invaders, years found her unrecon-
ciIed to the loss Of the beautiful timepiece
which had been the object OF no little pride
and the center OF many pleasant associa-
tons The thought that she might by any
possibility ever see the watch again oad
not once occur to her.
In 1880. a quarter century after the SOL
der had made the trinket one OF the spoils
OF war, Frau Weippiert was visited by an
old friend who had just come from Bor-
deaux Drawing from his pocket the very
watch which had once been the property Of
his friend. he held 10 up for her inspection
and admiration. and gave an account OF
how he had picked It up In an old pawn
shop in the city from which he had just
come. It was bought for Is francs. and
wholly as an object Of curiosity The old
timepiece was at once identified by Its for
mer owner and the friend who had res
cued II from Its long hiding place took
pleasure in presenting II to the woman
for whom 1t had 30 many associations.
Upon Frau weipperts death 1t passed
into the hands of her son, who was in the
three NapoIeonic wars and among the few
soldiers OF Bonaparte who survived the
terrible rIgors Of the Russian campaign,
and who. after the burning OF Moscow. re-
traced the way back 10 Germany. His serv-
ice under the first Napoleon was. OF course.
compulsory, and Of most unwilling ma
,ure. His heart, however was in the fight
ing which he did against the French Al
though ne was awarded gold medal for
distinguished bravery, he never priced 1t
more highly than he did the old watch
which had been taken from his mother by
a French soldier and brought 10 light after
twenty-five years OF wanderlnEs. His son
became the next poseessor OF the Interest,"
ing heirloom and only q few days ago II
was given 10 G. w weippiert, OF this city.
l. 1f..s5A
sent il TO museum, 10 which II would be
an approprIate and valued accession.
The watch has more than COO parts. the
greater number OF these being In the deli
cate chain attached To the barrel" In
which Is coiled the handspring. Many OF
the watches OF today do not contain more
than seventy-five or eighty parts. q. III.
pazli... one Of the leading American su-
.noritses on watch movements, examined
,aa NefQpiers treasure, and pronounced 1t
a mast interesting example OF It's kind.
This watch is n fine specimen of the
ear,x fuzee movement and was probably
r,sae about f1sa II has the Verge es-
raner,en.. which was abandoned at the
beginning ~ the present century. Al
though engraved 1.orentz Engelbrecht
a, Wien. /. r. Of French workmanship.
This rs certain from the fact that at the
regulator 4. has the letters a and r.
French watches os those made NJ tina.
perioa are thus marked. Very likely IL
was made in Switzerland. which nj that
time had many French watehmakers.
The fnzee or chain movement il in use
today among British watchmakerS. bat
has never been manufactured by the
waschmakars Of this country. who have
always held TO the going barrel In
other words. the American contends that
"A watch operated hy the agency Of EGGS
In the revolving barrel In which IL coiled
the handspring runs a. uniformly. under
the regulating restriction 81 the balance.
as the did chain device which gives the
rnair<prtnx lesser leverage when IL II
the more tightly eosie6-she leverage In
cr~sxsnx az the power 81 the spring III
rnsnfshes- Before shs middle ~ the
eighteenth century eatgut was 9sssd In
place Of a chain in the fssxee movement
The hack Of this watch In nearly Eat,
hgs It's face Is 81 the semi bulls eye
kind--ChtcASo Peo9