The times., 1899-09-17
A WATCH WITH A History.
1t Was ''Confiseated'' by One of Na-
poleon's Soldiers


capement timepieee owned by Gustav W.
Weippiert, an editor and writer, who in
herited the rare heirloom as one of the
most precious family kespsakes. While the
collector of peculiar watch movements
might be willing to pay q fair price for
this unique chronometer. its chief interest
IS In its romantic history. Many odd tales
nave been told of lost watches, but this
certainly deserves to lead the lists because
OF It's remarkable reappearance Although
the history of the timepiece places no little
tax upon the credulity OF the average mat
ter-o -of-fact person, the narrative here CIV
en- has been carefully authenticated and
| its correctness established.
About the middle of the last century this
watch became the property of Frau Weip-
plert, the grandmother OF its present
owner. 1t was regarded as one of the best
watches of its time, and its ownership was
matter of no little distinction in the high
social circle to which the good woman be-
Iohged- Certain peculiarties in its con-
struction marked 1t as decided advance
over the tfmepieces of that period
Inc beginning of the present century
found the owner of the valuable ehrouon1
eter living in the outskirts OF Stuttgart
Inc moments and hours ticked off by the
curious watch were decidedly peaceful and
comfortable ones until Napoleon began the
brilliant campaign which ended with the
woman stood in daily terror Of the French
fortunately, however, she had not long TO
wait alter the invading army of Napoleon
set loot upon Austrian soil before her fate
was settled
me battle of Ulm was fought on October
~, 1870, and almost Immediately the virfo-
fious french soldiers We're seen approach
ing Stuttgart In those days the rights of
private property were not respected in The
least by contending armies. and the prin-
| ciple that to the victor belongs the spoils''
was followed. The women and children
VINO 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
II 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 the possessor TO have been
secreted had she been aware of the ap-
proach of the army; but the coming of the
/ latter was without warning and the watch
Ieil into the hands OF a young French SOL
/ dier who was in the party ransacking the
house.
Although the loss of the treasure SEEM
ed OF little consequence to its owner at the
time. and she was thankful to be spared
greater Affections at the hands of the vic
torious invaders, years found her unreeon
ciled to the loss OF the beautiful timepiece
which had been the object of no little pride
and the centre of many pleasant associa-
tions. The thought that she might by
any possibility ever see the watch again
did not once occur to her.
In 1880, quarter century after the SOL
dier had made the trinket one of the spofIs
of war, Frau Weippiert was visited bv an
Old friend who had just come from Bor-
deaux. Drawing from his pocket the
watch which had once been the property
OF his friend, he held ii up for inspection
and admiration and gave an account of how
ne mad picked 1t up at pawnshop in the
city from which he had just come II was
bought for 10 francs. and wholly as an OBJ
Ject OF curiosity. The old timepieee was
at once identified by its former owner. and
the friend who had rescued it from its long
hiding took pleasure in presenting it 10 the
woman for whom it had so many asso-
Citations.
Upon Frau Weippiert's death it passed
into the hands of her son. who was in three
NapoIsonic wars and among the few SOL
diers of Bonaparte who survived the terri
BILE rigors of the Russian campaign and
who, after the burning of Moscow. retraced
the way back to Germany. His service un-
der the first Napoleon was, of course, COM
pulsory and of a most unwilling nature
HIS heart, however, was in the fighting
which he did against the French. Although
he was awarded gold medal for distin-
guished bravery he never priced ii more
highly than he did the old watch which had
been taken from his mother by a French
soldier and brought to light after twenty
five years of wanderings His son became
the next possessor of the interesting heir
loom, and only few days ago it was given
TO G. w. Weippiert, of this city. 1t is not
unlikely that he may conclude TO present il
to a museum, to which it would be an ap-
propriate and valued accession.
The watch has more than six hundred
parts the greater number of these being in
the delicate chain attached to the barrel
in which is coiled the handspring. Many of
the watches of today do not contain more
than seventy-fve or eighty parts: G. II.
Hazlitt, one of the leading American au-
thorities on watch movements, examined
the Weippiert treasure and pronounced it
a most interesting example of its kind
This watch is fine specimen OF the
early fuZee movement and was probably
made about 1850. 1t has Tie Verge escape
ment. which was abandoned at the begin
ming of the present century. Although en-
graved Lorentz Engelbrecnt at Wein,' it
is of French workmanship. This is certain
from the fact that at the regulator " mas
the letters "A and r. meaning advance
and retard' Only French watches OF those
made at that period are thus marked. Very
likely IL was made IN switzerland, winch
at that time had many French watchma-
kers.
1.-The fuzee of chair movement is in use
to day among British. watchmakers. but has
never been manufactured by the watcn-
makers of this country, who have always
held to the going barrel In other words
tic American contends that a watch oper-
ared by the agency of cogs in the revolv-
ing barrel in which is coiled the main
spring runs as uniformly, under the regr-
lating restriction of the balance, as the
old chain device which gives the main
spring a lesser leverage when it is the
more tightly coiled-the leverage increas-
ing as the power of the spring diminishes.
Before the middle of the eighteenth cen
tury catgut was used in place of chain
in the fuzee movement"
The back of this watch is nearly fiat. but
its face is of the semi"bull' 's-eye'- kind
The Annual Evarts story.
(From the Philadelphia Post)
President Hadley, of Yale and his pred
ecessor, DR.. Timothy Dwight, differ largely
in personality The new executive is
highly nervous man-actiye, restless. and