The Breckenridge news., 1906-04-11
ROM NOTESAND OBSERVATIONS
Compiled byWmRMackrill.

and heads in commotion. Tho civil
i2ns, who were in a wild state. of ex-
element cheered the troops, "Vive les
return Shouted "A Beriini and ''vive
la Francep
At a corner~I met Captain Maui
bourg, struggling through the crowd,
my way. to the War Office" he said.
MY regiment Is being mobilized, and
l am called for conference. Come
ingenious. You may be of assistance
-, IT was q, memorable meeting-one
that I shall never forget. Grave Sem
President, with his Ministers, discussed
the many questions before them until
weli We nigh morning; For time wait
sammoaed IN ae "nrSGm captain ManSoSyrg Mn5y ans
nounccd me as Monsieur Adams, of
the United states, a graduate of West
irHoin1, iHa oriH rhe greaatGsti militafg sehooi OF
have suggestions of value. / had
spent my time. while waiting, in the
study. of large war map OF France
the German forces were approaching
from points south of the Vosges Noun
tains, with. a Wow, perhaps, to cutting
on a portion, of eastern France and
ultimately making it German territory.
French troops were being hurried to
the frontier, assembling at Luneville,
at Chaumont. and at Belfort. 1t ap-
reared necessary to check the invasion
'Tf 1 mistake not" said, "the Ger
man approach of 1870 was similar
SO STs Of fs ITS sSppeS G gSm 6@ 6s IS 0qh Il kes hs
that they would a second time adopt
this plan? What evidence have you
east of PARISH"
agents.. replied the President. I'VE
are advised that the whole force OF
tion."
"They may be right" I rejoined.
But would 1t not be well to see what
is going on to the north? What would
happen If, for instance, the Germans
struck across the south of Belgium,
and cut on communication between
Paris and the Channel? Is that move
There was. was no reply, at t first, m They
began General Brugere, famous as a
President, it is not impossiSie We
must reconnoitre in that direction.
However, It is several hundred miles
to the Belgian frontier"
at once" replied. can you not i'm
press all the automobiles in Paris.
ber of veterans to the northeast lrUn-
tier; a war ballon might be sent i'm
r1ediately to reconnoitre. / should be
Fl1u 10 OlIeT my beTNiceS III tnlS COH-
nection."
Very bold talk for an American in
the presence of generals grown gray
in military service. / had only passed
through West Point. Because OF a
partial color-blindness 1 had never
been admitted to the service; yet l
had studied war for several years. and
had learned that II is never safe to
trust to mere reports of agents.
For an hour more the plan was ols-
cussed, and finally adopted. And thus,
almost unwittingly, 1 became involved
in a series of the most stirring incl
dents-the war balloon reconnaissance,
my marvellous escape, the terrlnc
lighting at Monte Pelier, the spectacle
of the greatest naval battle in history,
and personal encounters in defense or
the sweetest woman in the world
ali these will live in memory to the
end of my days.
When the French Government de-
cides that 1t wants anything belonging
to its citizens, there Is no red tape
to be unwound. From the moment
that the plan was adopted, orders flew
thick and fast, by telegraph. by tele-
phone, by word of mouth. Within ten
hours upwards OF FIVE thousand auto
mobiles were assembled on the out.
skirts of Paris. The response OF
citizens and of automobile companies