The Neihart herald. [volume] (Neihart, Mont.) 1890-1901, 1900-11-17

Some strange dec. arations have been
made by soldiers on the eve Of battle.
Rather curious was the VOW registered
by a French soldier who took part in
the Franco-German Val in 1SI0-71. A
very lear comrade OF his having been
killed In action. he swore an oath on
the eve of a certain battle that with
his W hands he would kill a dozen
Prussians, or, failing this, would per-
ish by his own hand. Sure enough, he
kept his word most faithfu!ly-for
when the time came he shot IL of the
enemy in succession, narrowly escap-
ing with his own life after the abb
normal feat. During the war between
north and south a Confederate officer
named Hudson vowed that If he came
uninjured out of the campaign he
would marry the first woman he met
on returning to his native town, pro-
viding that she was single and willing
to accept him. The gallant but &C.
centric officer was spared by shot and
shell to so great an extent that he
emerged unscathed from the war, but
the vow was never consummated, for
by a strange freak of fate the first
woman whom he encountered upon his
rturn was his own sister, so that nat
urally nothing come of the extraordi-
nary oath. In ancient days vows
upon the eve of battle were far more
common than is the case in modern
times. Before the battle of Greasy we
are informed that ne fewer than six
archers, serving under the English
banner, registered solemn oaths that,
in the event of the battle going against
them, they would thrust their own ar
rows down their threats rather than
be taken prisoners by the French SOL
diery. On the night before the world
famous battle of Alma a Cossack sol
der vowed that if he were fortunate
enough to be spared during the fight
he would consume 10 ga Inns of a.e at
one sitting, directly an opoo tunity
was afforded him Of so doing, The
oath, however, proved a tragic one for
the Cossack, as his companions, argu-
ing from the utterance of it that he
was possessed of considerable money,
fell upon him and stripped him of the
pouch containing all his worldly pos
sessions, and in the struggle to regain
his property he fell, stabbed to the
heart by a treacherous comrade. Mos.
readers of history will remember the
famous seven years war, in which
Frederick the Great, OF Pr S l., played
SO important a part. During the prog
ress of that memorable and prolonged
campaign a Bavarian co-poralrejoicing
in the name of Keller swore an oath
that he would not cut his finger nails
until the war was over. The worthy
corporal's oath would doubt ess have
been faithfully observed had not COS
SIP concerning it come to the ears of
his commanding officer, who sent for
the man, reprimanded him severe y
and ordered him to have his nails cut
in the ordinary course-in accordance
with the laws of decency. Perhaps,
however, one of the most curious vows
ever uttered on a battlefield was the
oath recorded by an Italian soldier
serving under the banner of G%aribaldi.
He swore that in the event of his is
suing from the campaign a sound man
he would at once abandon the army
and take priestly orders. He kept his
word, for on the close of the campaign
he assumed the clerical robe and died
some six years later in an order of
| sanctity-having fought in the cause
of religion AS ~valiantly as he had bat
tied in the cause of freedom.