Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1899-12-25
The Charge Of the Dead ]
a Grewsome Story Of War.
Copyright, 1899, by Er'ui1a WdrdmGn.
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.


Night fell, leaving the battle yet IN
decided and the Russian army in a
critical position. General Prince Rouk-
nine, who commanded the left wing,
feeling himself conquered by the enc
my, gave the order to charge to few
CoSSackS that were left him.
That order meant nothing less than
to dislodge 1000 Turks strongly estab-
lished in the village of Krakow with
batteries of artillery. 1t was necessary
that the Russians should drive them
from there if they did not wish to find
themselves surrounded and the for
ward march on Plevna halted.
The charge was difficult one. The
soldiers who occupied Krakow were all
members of the special guard of the
sultan, big devils of men six feet high,
who were astonished at nothing, afraid
of nothing and made it a point never to
leave an enemy on the ground without
tracing on his back with their daggers
the red crescent of Mohammed.
Prince Rouknine knew this, and when
he decided to send against them his
500 Cossacks, all that were left of his
famous regiment of Oural, he under
stood that he was sending them to their
death.
He caused their captain to be called,
handsome man, with blue eyes,
whose name was Serge Frithiof and
who was not more than % years old.
Colby he said to him: ''Sir, you will
have the honor to charge. You will
send your horses in full haste on the
of T. +ho
infantry is stationed. The entrance
will be made, and our army will be
saved. But you will fight in the pro-
portion of one against four, and it is
for the most of you certain death. If
Krakow is retaken and the passage is
free, you will ring the church bell If
no sound is heard, it will mean that the
Russian army must succumb because
not one of you is living"
The captain slowly lowered his saber
as he said. ''The bell will ring
The balls were raining around the
Cossacks, whose horses were erect on
their launches, with frothing mouths.
Captain Frithiof raised his arm. A
savage clamor resounded, and the SOM
galIop across the ravine of Krakow.
according to the captains order, they
Immediately had ceased their rough
cries, and ore could hear nothing but
the dull and formidable sound of the
|galloping horses.
The soldiers of the Turkish guard
saw this storm approaching and await
ed it with tense muscles. The shock
|was frightful. Each blow of a saber
cut off a head, each shot laid a man
low, and there were streams of blood
along the cutters. But the CossackS
|Were cut to pieces.
Feeling, nevertheless, that his troops
|were shaken, the Turkish general eyac- !
Fuated the village. Then, confident in !
his superior forces, he gave them a po- (
Eition a mile from the town, near an
abandoned farm. Krakow was taken, !
put the entrance was not yet made.
Captain Frithiof trembled with rage |
fThe army can be saved by YOU" had .
bald General Prince Rouknine.
i Cost what it may, this wild charge
Which had caused the enemy to retire .
must be continued. But how, since the I
k0uadron was reduced to a few cava- /
Hers?
H The captain assembled his Cossacks /
ID the grand square of Krakow and /
Mounted them.
Ell There were hardly 60. More than
90 corpses were stretched on the /
freets, side by side with the dead .
turks.
# The riderless horses went about in
belle troops. Few among them had
zen touched, for the balls, we'll di-
kcted, had hit the men full in the
hest.
Knight came on. The pink rays of the
ktdng sun softly Illuminated the hor-
1ble spectacle.
HCaptain Frithiof remained silent,
mber. Suddenly a thought crossed
s brain, a fantastic thought. He
hssed his hand across his brow, as if
wished to chase away some night
are. His eyes had a singular light in
VI em as he murmured, "We will con-
ue the charger
turning toward his men, he added:
fOu will go and pick up all the dead
ho fell in the village and catch all
H. horses that are loose. Then you
{l replace the dead men in the sad
Is and stGutly tie them on the horses
p the straps on the lances"
shiver ran through the ranks.
Do it," repeated the officer coldly.
he Cossacks obeyed. 1t was an
III matter to bring back the horses
hich were grouped together from
bic, and with a vigorous hand the
lng soldiers raised the bloody bodies