The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1899-11-18
A NAPOLEON|C BULLETIN
how 1t Was Worded to Tell the
Truth and Satisfy the French
People.
copvrsoht. 1899. BY Erpsa Waraman.

.4@rFs-
"yvhat time is it, captain?" asked the
secretary OF the imperial cabinet, NJ.
Mounier.
Half past II. In IN hour at the very
latest we should have finished" answer
ed Castellane, rubbing his hands. "This
cold is dreadful. Through every crevice
the frost enters"
'sTwo sentinels have frozen to death
already" said the third man in the room.
Castellane put down the pen and threw
two big logs into the immense stove. a
third he dropped to listen at the wooden
wall. who is making that noise next
door," he asked.
1.-THE king of Naples. who has moved
his headquarters there" replied M. de
Narbonne. "He is raving because the
emperor wouldn't take him along to
Paris"
Castellane once more dipped the quill
into the ink. "Narbonne, approved has
your approval, has it notY The cour-
tier merely groaned. I haven't the
heart to object. Do what you please,
write what you please, invent what you
please. | don't want to see the draft at
all. Give me the thing when it is ready
and will pass it. Oh, my head! l have
the fever, l do believe"
Napoleon had left the army at Smor-
goni at 10 p. M, ar hour before this con-
versation. Recognizing that the army
was lost, he had determined to hasten to
France to procure another. In his big
sled were Dairy. Lauriston and a few
minor lights whom he needed absolutely.
Berthier cried because the emperor
went without him. Murat swore and
raved. Nevertheless, they were left be-
hind.
Toward midnight a second sleigh, load
ed with necessarics of life and fodder,
was to follow under the protection Of a
mounted guard. Napoleon had had no
time even to finish the bulletin-buhetin
No. 29-the last to the French army in
Russia. When going away, he almost
threw the paper into the face of the chief
OF cabinet. ..Finish it, quick Let the
courier bring it to Wilma for my sigma
ture."
Mounier began again. mo, nc, 1t won't
do. We can't say that the emperor APP
proves Of the condition of the army.
Reflect, we have been losing 1000 men
daily during the past week by frost
alone"
But" pleaded Castellane, sthe word
is needed to sustain the fiction that the
emperor still is with us. Neither the
army nor Europe must know that be has
gone ahead"
"Of course that is the principal thing,
but approves is too strong. Better
leave out the whole sentence and substi-
tute The enemy has suffered great loss
es.'"
Immense l~ossesl" cried NJ. de Mar
bonnie.
"Immense losses by the cold and by
our bullets. The pursuit On the part OF
the Cossacks is weak"
Here Castellane took out his watch.
'sIt's past IL. Am | right, gentlemenr'
81 believe So"
"And it's the 9Th of December
"Well, yes"
'sThen you viii havesto excuse me for
an hour, The captain fastened his fur
pelisse about his throat and ran out de-
spite the others protest.
The village of Smorgoni was a small
place, and the postofice, where the
French had established headquarters,
was its only building deserving the name,
There were a lot Of fusel dispensaries,
but their proprictors had fled, as nobody,
either native or foreigner, paid fof things
and as the French were known to destroy
what they could not eat or drink or carry
off.
Castellane was going to the near sta
bles to find a gentleman with whom he
had an affair of honor. "Parbleu!' he
murmured as he waded through the
snow. zone has to get up early in this
COMPOUNDED Russia to find his man alive.
Delay might mean that Jack Frost car
ries him off without econds or witness
es,"
AS he said this he stumbled over some
thing. and when he turned out to the
right there was another impeachment in
the roadAtwo bodies, frozen stiff, giant
Westphalian chasseurs. who once had be-
longed to his own brigade.
In the center of the yard burned a big
Ere. A group of eight ~grenadiers sat
around it. Castellane, looking closer,
saw that only three of them were alive.
The faces of the rest had the appearance
Of yellow marble. They had been dead
for hour probably, without their COM
rades noticing it. They were too busy
keeping life in their own bodies.
Zen PAGES farther the carcass Of a
horse was lying. One of Casteilane's
friends. u colonel in the b~odyguards, and
: n,iyate Of cuirassisrs were trying to
saw off Il piece Of it. When the captain
entered the stable masters quarters, he
ran against two generals. a chamberlain
and an Italian duke, who were lighting
savagely over the leg of q dog which
they had roasted between them They