Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1914-10-27
CITY
HAS HISTORY
M INVADE TOWN,
AND DEMAND MUCH
MONEY.
CAPTURED MANY TINES
First Captured in 14T by Chas.
the Bold; Is Unpretentious
Village

ANS, oCt. Go--f1lslOT. Has just &c
peated itself at Peronne Tor the fifth
or sixth time, with The occupation OF
| the own by Emperor Villains tore
es. 1t is a pretty, peaceful, sleepy
town. \ the VALLEY Of the Disc With
no more apparent p-eten-ion than
that OF attending to its W little bust
ness, and it is all the acre a wonder
that J. has cut such a figure in mis-
tory that it has ~succun.ted to nearly
I every attack.
There can scarcely be any other
reason than that its situation makes
II. a sort OF stumbling '"Ica in the
way OF forces DO, nd for Amie.is from
the II -th.
King Chaci". he Simple Is. c4v-
.erc"ac rist Ia almCC Z IT. by lying
II hunger while a prisoner there in
c29.
Charles the Bod began its series
OF captures by taking it in 1855 ana
added 10 its now by imprisoning
Louis N there two days. The latter
reyenged himself on both Charles the
Bold and the town by capturing it in
1477. The Duke OF Nassau is The
only one who ever failed in an assault
upon ii; he was beaten by a woman,
Catherine OF Polk. who r%ightfuily has
her statute in the public square. The
Duke OF Wellington captured it in his
turn in 1915 and the Germans starved
the little garrison out in the closing
days OF the war OF 1879, but were
obliged to allow it TO march out with
the honcrs of var
Many Houses Destroyed.
During nine days bombardment
e~ighty-two OF lis seven hundred
houses were demolished and six hun
6rad were rendered uninhabirable. In
this case the German commander O Il
scented o to levy q war fine on the
town and dispensed the inhabitants
from all acquisitions, which vas all
the same to hem since there was
nothing left in the place worth having.
This time, as has been the case
with most Of the military operations,
no one but the general staff and the
inhabitants OF the region knew that
the town had been taken until its re.
occupation by French troops was an
| nounced-
The circumstances OF The entry OF
the Germans are characteristic OF the
present campaign After an unequal
struggle between the small. detach.
ment OF Alpine classeurs and infan-
-ry on the French side and a s-ong
contingent OF cavalry, the Germans
entered the town August p, just as
the ~sub-prefect lett at me other side
/ in an automobile carving of the re-
ceipts OF the postofice and the tax
department, amounting 20 a million
( and a half francs gold and several
million in bonds paya5le to bearer.
The mayor and MS substitute we're
/ both absent. Finding no one at the
Hotel de- Vile, Colonel Gotberg, the
! German governor. sent for Monsieur
/ Line, & city ~cour>il:or, and informed
him that it would be necessary for
him TO get together a commission OF
q dozen important citizens who
| should answer with their lives for the
/ benevolent behavior of the citizens to-
ward the German troops, and thai the
( commission must present itself 70 the
governor within an hour or Monsieur
Line would be shot .
Didn't Have money.
From this committee the governor
( demanded a Tar contribution Of &c.,
| 900 francs which must be fo-1hcom-
ing the following morning. we Ger
tainly shall noc pay it" replied Non
/ sieur Line, "1sca-se all me money OF
the city and the receipts OF the fiscal
! department have been transported to
Rouen, and al OF ne rich citizens are
a. the seasaore; Ill we z do is 20
supply you- troops with whaE they
need while here"
y must have money persisted the
governor. w have no money per
sisted Monsieur Inc.
You must pay me 5000 francs in
gold this very evening" said the gov
ernor. and you shall furnish 10000.
francs worth OF supplies; furthermore
II you've lied to me I'll know 1t and
II haye your hide and tna- OF the
cure
The following morning, declaring
that the acquisitions were not being
fl ID with the necessary promptiEude
lie governor inflicted. . further pun
ishnent on the town in the form OF
rn5ssion TO the troops OF tTo hours
4 TI;sss of houses whose inha-itants
were out. They were told TO CON-
msnce with ths ss11-prefecture to pun
ish he slb-prefect for having gone
away with all the ready money. En-
erything movable YES taken, even tG
the bedding, carted to the station and
taken away b. train the same evening
Alter the furniture had been remoy
ed the soldiers descended TO the cei
lars and then started an orgie thai
ended in the burning of a dozen OF
the more importan. buildings in the
center of the to1H.
The citizens committee protested
strongly agains: these depredations
and convinced the governor that il
was NC. the most likely means OF sc
curing the willing cooperation o.
those who we're abe to contribute II
the supplying of the troops. From
that time to the fight Of the German:
before the advancing French the toWI
was quiet but the inhabitants say the,
would prefer that Peronne enjoy les:
~notOri0ey in history.