The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1905-07-24
UNIQUE SIEGE.
Piucky Frenchman> Keeps 700 Sol
diers at Bay for Ten Days.
paris Cor. Chicago Tribune)

paris Cor. Chicago Tribune)
Since the Three Musketeers held their
bastion against a whole army France
has witnessed some novel sieges. but
never a sturdier defense than that made
recently kept 700 gendarmes and troops
at bay for, ten days.
Roy is a peppery tempered old fellow
of 20, but still remarkably spry on his
legs and tough as hickory. He had
beeen a soldier in his earlier days.
Later he had become a gamekeeper,
and was suspected of using that Of
flee to facilitate his own exploits as
a poacher- Anyhow, he was accused
of preying on the game he was paid
to protect and lost his situation in
consequence He swore to be revenged
on those VINO had caused him to be
deprived of his situation. At the first
chance he fired on one of the men who
had lodged information against him.
That brought the law down on him
and a warrant was issued for his ar
rest
Roy declared that, like the old guard,
he might die, but never would surren-
der. He retired TO his little cottage
and prepared it to withstand a siege.
Standing alone on slight eminence in
the village of Esseau, near Chatel-
leraut, it was well situated for de-
Tense.
Roy laid in a stock of ammunition
and provisions, pierced the four walls
with loopholeS and took pot shots at
all en1issaries of the law who APP
preached within range. The discreet
civilian authorities thereupon turned
over the job of capturing him TO the
military. No local police force in
America would ever acknowledge itself
incapable of dealing with one man I'M
der any circumstances, but they have
different notions in France of how the
dignity and supremacy of the law
should be maintained.
No fewer than 500 infantry and three
brlgades of gendarmes surrounded the
old fellows improvised fort. Such for
midable measures to subdue one man
would have excited ridicule in any
other country. but Gallo sense of hui
NOR is d queer thing.
Railway companies ran excursion
trains to the village to enable visitors
from afar to witness the imposing spec
tacle. At one time there were several
thousand of them present. When there
was no shooting going on they enter
tained themselves with open air dances
TO the music of fiddles and gramo-
phones
A French general of division-Genera
Badin, one of the Tonquin heroes-was
put in charge of the siege operations
He conducted them in accordance with
the latest and most approved methods
of scientific warfare, which is opposed
to all needless risk of life. A Gordon
OF troops was posted around the house
TO keep civilians from crossing the fire
for several days without anybody get
ting hurt. but it was quite as lively
as the average French duel.
1t was first intended to starve the ex-
soldier into surrender but it was con-
cluded after the lapse Of more than
hat
too long. As an experienced cam
paigner and fora ger Roy had laid his
plans to keep hunger at bay for an in
definite period. He made it apparent
to the besiegers that he was well pro-
visioned by the liberality with which
he scattered food from the windsws of
his fort among the birds and the fowls
in his yard. And the spectators be1sfl
TO murmur that they were not getting
their moneys worth
A council of war was held The idea
was seriously entertained of tscm bard
ing the cottage with artillery, but to
that the civil authorities objected I'M
less the military forces were prepared
to give guarantee that no other prop
erty would be injured. Then il was de-
cided to blow up the dwelling with
melenite- The railway companies de-
cl1ned to transport so dangerous an ex-
ploSive. They had a pecuniary inter
est in prolonging the show. Arrange
Inents were then made for Transporting
the boTabs by motor cars. They were
accompanied by detachment of sap
oers
On the tenth day after the beginning
of the military siege at 1 O'Clock in
the morning an intrepid lieutenant of
engineers, accompanied by two SER
geants and five sappers, protected by
steel breast plates, crawled up to the
cottage and laid something like 100
pounds of melenite against one of the
walls So stealthily did they do their
work that Roy did not hear them With
equal success a long fuse was laid to
the explosives.
Two hours later a general bugIe cali
sounded 1t was the signal for all SEN
tries to scOot out of danger A few
later, at a distance of several
hundred yards, the lieutenant ignited