The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1910-06-15
The Man Of Many
Deaths
By HENRI DE FORCE
Thus spoke the old captain:

9tSflA CD, SSutlemeu ~ UeIOrO GOQ
swear ton the twenty-eighth of Feb
ruary, 1871, of Saturday, the last
day Of the siege OF Paris. 1 stood for
the fourth and last time, face to face
with Prussian officer whom had
thrice seen die, under entirely differ
ent conditions
We made no EFFORT to conceal our
doubt Of this story.
Here you have the story. We were
In camp at Fort Mont valerien; Gen.
Noel was in command, and no day
passed without q skirmish with the
enemy. A few days before the encoun.
ter at Bourget, while reconnoitering
toward Longboyau, we heard in the 4
woods the tramping Of horse, and the
rhythmic sound Of cavalry on the
march. At sign to my men, we
dropped Nat In the shrubbery on the
Buell. road, and waited.
Presently. the enemy emerged from
the wood. moving quietly, two abreast.
At the side rode an officer, tall,
swell-grown fellow with blonde mus
tache, and a handsome, proud face.
] was considered good shot in the
regiment, and my men whispered:
Now Is your chance. sergeant!
81 closed my eyes Involuntary and
;flred. When dared to look, / saw
men and horses rising and falling in
confusion, and many soldiers crashing
through the woods at gallop. The
5ofacer lay on the ground at full length.
How immensely tall q dead man looks!
sIagazed at him long and attentively.
not without q shudder, and 1 felt that
never in all my life could /, forget
that face.
a few days later was on furlough
In Paris, and l used the opportunity
TO ask after one Of my friends, Lieut..
Legras. who had been wounded OF
Bondy, and who was in the hospital at
Waldo Grace. During our chat, no.
ticed at q cot near US the vague whis-
spering and meaning glances which tell
Of expected death. The doctor came.
bent for moment over thes occupant
OF the cot, and signed to the two Sis
ters Of Charity in attendance, who
dropped on their knees in prayer.
Legras whispered in my ear: "a
Prussian oflcer who is going to hand
over his sword; he has been two days
dying. Hooked toward the bed; at
the same instant the sufferer raised
himself partly up in q struggle for
breath land as he fell back dead. L
began to tremble like leaf, and. the
ashen pallor of my face startled Lee
gras.
~ 1t was the corn-blond German hero
whom I had shot down on the Buell.
road, who lay dead In the hospital cot
THE answer to my inquiry was to
the effect that the dead man was q
iPrussian captain who had been picked
up gravely wounded on the field near
Bondy. two days previously therefore
1t could not be the same officer who q
week before had fallen. pierced by my
bullet. 81
DAY and night my excited brain
sought In vain an explanation Of this
mystery, till the battle of Montretout
turned my thoughts into a new chan
mel.
I'VE were pushing toward the Cha.
teau Of Buzanval when / picked out
with my feld-glass a group Of Prus-
sian staff-ofacers among which two
figures stood out boldly, probably the
I leaders. of the sortie. Suddenly on our
left flank was revealed three squad
rons of the enemy dashing pele-mele
upon us In a mad gallop. At the head
of the enemy's attack was the indy
ing dead officer of Longboyau and
-de-Grace. Straight as a dart he
bore down upon me, swinging aloft his
cleaning sabers I fired upon him, and
the next moment found myself rolling
under my assailant's riderless horse.
/ AS soon as could regain my feet, L
sprang upon the, body Of the fallen
Prussian which lay near me, and (I
confess freely what was perhaps an
act of fiendish revenge) / plunged my
bayonet deeply three times in the life.
less breast of the man who had be-.
come hideous nightmare.
He was surely dead now, was he
not? {
Then came the days for the sign.
ing Of our truce.
Il was on the outworks when the
parliamentary signal was blown. A
Prussian officer approached me, fol.
lowed by corporal. AS the tall state.
" figure drew nearer, 1t seemed as
II every drop of blood in my body was
turning to ice. The blue CLEAN Of the
eye, the gold-blond color Of the long
mustache. the whole expression Of the
face, at once forceful and dreamy
He 1t was again, my haunting vision,
my three-times fallen Germanic hero
the same whom only eight days be.
fore. my bayonet had pierced through
and through
"Motionless. silent, watched him,
overwhelmed with the conviction that
the Prussians could not die, as we
debut that they rose from the dead
after each conflict. to fight us anew.
Noticing my gaze flxed upon him.
the Prussian said in gentle voice:
1t is q mercy, Sir, that this cruel
conflict has come to an end. Your re-