The Breckenridge news., 1906-04-18

heroieally,. clearing out much OF the
me old tapestries and carpets, and
dawned the Count left us, going south
TO offer his services to the General
issimo-a somewhat childish proceca-
ing, thought, though l did not op-
pose him, as Aimee was thus left m
my care. l had conhded to him my
tender sentiments, and after blessing
fully and at the approach Of the en-
emy TO set out for Bethel, small town
to the northwest, where Aimee had
The Meuse in front OF the Chateau
Lagunay was perhaps a quarter of a
mile wide, running swiftly beneath
was no break foc a considerable dis
tance north and south; Some three
miles, down stream the river mar
2 massive stone bridge spanned the
deep waters. This point was selected
by the Germans for crossing. teav-
ing Aimee with a strong guard OF
armed servants, some of whom were
veterans OF the Franco-Prussian war,
I set out on horseback for Ramune,
looking like a French dandy In my
found the town in great confusion.
Many persons were loading up their
household goods and making ready for
departure; others had already fed. So
stealthily had the Germans approached
| that their advance at that point was
unknown half dozen hours before my
arrival
From a stone tower on a woooed
hill back of the town 1 looked across
INTO the valley beyond As far as the
the invaders. They had risen out OF
Prussia and Baden and SaXony, out Of
Wurtemburg and Brunswick, out OF
| Hesse and the Mecklenburgs; and mob
| ilizing rapidly had swarmed across the
| fro Tier OF Lorraine, that ancient bone
OF contention, and neutral Luxembourg.
q lnn Ia tor taV
upon French soil they swept down like
storm. Spies preceded them cutting
telegraph wires in all directions. The
the Meuse River had been covered in
| ten hours, the troops moving at a
swinging trOt And here they were at
the crossing without the least show
Meanwhile the French were advance
ing with characteristic dcliberation,
around the great military camp Of
Chalons some fifty miles to the south
| west. They had been apprised on the
| frontier OF several bodies OF Lancers
and Hussars. There had been no
further reports, (the wires were cut
about that time) and it appeared un-
OF the detachments sent out in auto
mobiles at the time Of my departure in
the illfated La Jaune, l could hear
later, when / returned to Paris for a
honeymoon with Aimee, that l learn
ed the facts. Our wireless message
had not carried. Martins sacrifice
was vain. The scouts in their ma
chimes reached the rendezvous, did a
little scouting on their own hook,
found nothing suspicious, and toured
leisurely back to Paris and Chalons,
where they reported that the story OF
a northern invasion was a canard.
Therefore the mobiliZing proceeded. all
eyes being centered on BuneVille, Bel
fort and Besancon, where the German
Crown Prince, with his Bavarian, army
manoeuvred at a safe distance, threat
enlng, retreating. building mock forti-
ications, and steadily pulling the Ger
man wool over the French eyes.
There was no defense possible for
Ramune, an old. provincial town with
weak fortihcations. Yet the small
| garrison, with true military spirit an
| nounced its presence by a volley of
cannon, which seemed to anger the
| Germans. A battery Of mortars was
| brought up to the river bank. Into
| the town were thrown a hundred or
! more sixteen-inch shells, which broke