Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1914-10-21
HISTORY REPEATS
ITSELF AGAIN IN
PER0NNE' S FALL
Peaceful l-iltttt+Ia- Belgian. Village
First Captured by Charles
the Bold in 1855 Success
full in Resistance Once,
l,ssOcIated rre.. Correspondence

repeated itself at Poronne for the
fifth or sixth time. with the occupa-
ton of the town by Emperor VIII
Jams forces. II is pretty. peaceful.
sleepy town, In the valley OF the Disc
with no more apparent prctention
than that of attending to it, own lit
tie business. and IL is all the more
"a wonder that it has cut such fig
ure in history since il has succumhed
to nearly every attack
There can scarcely be any other
reason than that its situation makes
II "a sort of stumbling block In the
way Of forces bound for Amiens FROM
the north
King Charles the Simple first gave
Peronne right to Immortality 10y dy-
ing Of hunger while prisoner there
in 929.
Charles the Bold began its series
of captures 10y taking it In 1895 and
added to its renown 10y imprisonng
Louis ~ there two days The lat
ter rcVengcd himself on Both Charles
the Bold and the town by capturing
It in li77 The Duke OF Nassau Is
the only one who ever failed in an
assault upon it,, he was beaten by
woman. Catherine of Polk. who right
fully has her statue in the public
square. The Duke Of WELLINGTON
captured it in his turn in 1915 and
the Germans starved the little gar
rison out in the closing days of the
war of 1870. but were Obliged to al
low it to march out with the h0nors
OF war.
During nine days bombardment 50
of its 700 houses were demolished
and 600 were rendered uninhabita-
bic In this case the German COM
mander consented not to levy war
fine on the town and dispensed the
inhabitants from all acquisitions,
which was all the same to them 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 hut the general staff and the
Inhabitants OF the region knew that
the town had been taken until It's
rcoccupauon by French troops was
announced.
The circumstances of the entry Of
the Germans are characteristic Of the
present campaign After an unequal
struggle between small detachment
Of Alpine chasseurs and infantry on
the French side and a strong contin-
gent of cavalry. the Germans entered
the town August ~ just as the sub
project left at the other side in an
automobile carrying off the receipts
of the postofficc and the tax de-
partment. amounting To a million and
IA half francs gold and several mill
ions in bonds payable to bearer
The MAYOR and his substitute We're
both absent Finding no one at the
Hotel de Vile. Colonel Gotbcrg, the
German governor sent for Monsiuer
Line. a city counsellor. and informed
him that it would be necessary Tor
him to get together commission or
a dozen important citizens who should
answer with their lives for the be-
nevolent behavior of the citizens to-
ward the German troops, and that
the commission must present itself to
the governor within an hour or Mon
sleur Line would be shot
From this committee the governor
demanded $1,000 francs which must
be forthcoming the following morn
ing. owe certainly shall not pay it,
replied Monsieur Line, because all
the money of the city and the receipts
of the fiscal department haye been
transported to Rouen, and al OF the
rich citizens are at the seashorc all
we can do is to supply your troops
with what they need while here
Il must have money persisted the
governor. I'VE have no money
you must pay me 5000 francs IN
gold this very evening said the GOV
ernor. and YOU shall furnish 4Vo'-
600 francs worth Of supplies further
more II you've lied to me III KNOW
it and III have your hide and that
Of the cure
The following morning declaring
that the acquisitions were not neihS
filled with the necessary prompu'uae'
the governor inflicted a further pun
ishmcnt on the town in the iorm OF
a permission to the troops OF Two
hours pillage of houses whose inhap-
itants were out They were told TO
commence with the subpreiect'lre to
punish the subprefect for having
gone away with all the ready money
Everything movable was taken, even
TO the bedding, carted to the sta
ton and taken away by tram the
same evening.
After the furniture had been re-
moved the soldiers descended to the
cellars and then started an orgie that
ended In the burning of dozen Of
the more important buildings in the
center of the town
The citizens committee protested
strongly against these depredations
and convinced the governor that IT
was not the most likely means of Sc
curing the willing cooperation of those
who were able ;a contribute to the
supplying of the troops. From that
lime 10 the flight of the Germans be-
fore the advancing French the town
was ouiet. but the inhabitants say they
would far rather prefer that Peronne