New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1909-08-29

"a must be, quite another. NJ. Me5anei had
.s,nes gone otherwise. might have been
..r,ed 20 give US the French version. but since
:. was with the French headquarters in Sedan
!. was presumably prisoner OF war. and moth
,rr was TO be hoped for from him. MI Holt
white fresh from the field. thought there was
,v,ls or no chance. No one except MIR. White
,ss GOT through from either army. The Eng
rsh pspers OF Monday morning were blank
,vcspt for few rather ragged kilograms. Mr..
rohinson at THE Daily News" had nothing.
There was 4 lnI. am speaking OF war news
,-oper, for there was. Of course. the great
event OF Saturday in Paris. and there was no
certainty whence the next fash Of light or
,sbtning would come. Sedan had been fought
=, Thursday, and IL was now Monday after
noon.
While SAT in The Tribune Office in Pail Mall
h-ooding on these difficulties and almost de-
,naring OF further good fortune the door
opened and IN walked Mejanel. He had not
,elegraphed. lie had Gallo indifference 20
tine ana 20 the technique OF Journalism. He
shsd lust come as soon as he could. An angel
from heaven would have been less welcome
Were you in Sedan during the battle2"
Eyes. and outside with the army"
sHere you taken prisoner"
yes"
You were released?'
well I forget whether I was released or
whether escaped"
To escape meant that ne had taken his chance
of being shot by Prussian sentry and also OF
being rearrested and tried by court martial
should he fall again into Prussian hands. Re
based therefore. seemed the better word OF the
two
Have you written your account
NO. I had no means OF writing while
70 get 10 London"
As in Whites case, there was time enough.
Mejanel had an English side TO him-his mother
was Engsh-and that half OF him was imper-
;urbable Neither the danger he had passed
nor the task that lay before him, all inexperi-
enced as he was. shook his nerve He was quite
ready 10 sit down and write at once. As in
Whites case, I copied sheet by sheet. Me.aners
English was here and there at fault but WAS on
the whole, good. What was more important. his
memory precise; he knew how TO tell his
story clearly, and he gave picture OF the
hattle-horrors from within the beleaguered
town from within the French defence. which
he made the reader see he himself had seen
them He wrote on till he had filled four
calumns, rnodestly wondering he wrote
whether he was not too diruse; wondering that
4 should be thought worth cabling; wondering
whether his English was good enough and won
iering whether the military part OF il was not all
nOnsense. Reassured al these points. he
vrOte fluently and 3oyfully. at midnight laying
down his pen with the remark; "Enfn, Jai vide
non sac"
" Me3aneys dispatch appeared in The Trib-
ne complete on Tuesday morning. Neither Mr..
Weaver nor the Newfoundland lines We're out OF
roer this time. The Tribune had. therefore.
within less than three days OF the first coming
rae news OF the battle OF Sedan, given 70 the
AFRICAN public complete accounts-ten col
cs together-of the battle from the Prussian
t:s and from the French side-a unique per-
finance.
Nor was this all. The revolution in Paris and
tie declaration OF the republic, September 4.
were dealt with not less fully. and Of course, by
cable. During four days the number OF words
cxbled little over 10000. al a cost OF as
many dollars II We never rose again 10 quite
those heights IL was because never again was
there such quick sequence OF great events.
Bn for long time the daily average was high.
and not long after this THE Daily News" ser
vice became efficient, and as have said before.
1he Tribune IN the end profted by 81
Before. however. the fun advantage OF that
socrned came the surrender OF Metz. October a.
ana the remarkable narrative, including a visit
70 Metz, published simultaneously by The Daily
News" and The Tribune. II was supposed in
London that Mr.. Archibald Forbes was the
tuthor Of this narrative. and IL was reckoned
among his best performances. 'The Daily News"
never thought il worth while TO state the truth:
nor was II bound TO make any statement. The
real author Mr. Gustav Muller. corre-
tionoeRt in the employment OF The Tribune. As
the other cases have described. Mr. Gustav
Muller cane 10 London and wrote his account
the Tribune Office. II was cabled forthwith
Aeur nail
News" II was the first 10 be published in Lon
om and the first 20 be published in New York.
90 lar as London is concerned IL is enough 10
sg that The Times" on the following morning
o'psd IL from THE Daily News" crediting IL 20
ne Daily News" with deserved compliment,
ana saying:
We congratulate our contemporary on the
esy and enterprise OF it's correspondent"
sul, Mr. Robinson did not think IL needful 20
opain that IL was in fact a Tribune dispatch.
sao that il was Tribune correspondent who
mao Erung from ''The Times" this testimony.
The tale has a tragic end. For long time
thought il a tragedy OF death. ] sent Mr. Gustav
Nuher back 10 The field at once. with large sum
money. never heard from him again Inquiries
= every possible quarter brought no tidngs OF
4nl IL seemed plain that he had fallen in battle
| y mad been murdered and robbed by some OF the
senas that hang on the outskirts OF every army.
'0'ne years after told the whole story in ''Har-
~ Magazine" leaving the mystery unexplained
oAerwise than by conjecture. When. 10, IL ap-
'e'eo that Mr.. Gustav Muller had not fallen
= French bullet or a brigand's knife. but was
Ne IN New York and ready 10 submit 10 an
e'Alew II he were truly reported, he seemed
nlnk his conduct in no need OF defence He
- changed his mind and instead OF returning
'he field had gone home. Why he never wrote
" ne communicated IA any WAY with The