Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1914-11-27
Boss" of scissors Greatest
Heroine Of War.
Nine. Jeanne Watteau Mackerez, In
Absence Of Civil Authority, Meets
cermans and convlnces Them
City Cannot Pay Indemnity.
BY WILLIAM PHILIP slMMs.

Omitted Press Stan Correspondent
Paris.-In Soissons. while shells
from opposing French and German
batteries criss-crossed over the roof
tops. whistling singularly like the air
brakes Of train, got an interview
with Nine. Jeanne Vatican Macherez.
the greatest heroine Of the war.
Nine. Macheres ID president of the
Danes Francaises. an organization
something like our own Colonial
Danes. It was she who. in the alb
sence of all civil authority in Scissors.
went out to meet the Germans and
outdid them In On attempt to levy .
tribute on the city. When others left
the stricken place on the eve Of Ger
man occupation she took charge: she
took over the civil business of the
city: she ran the hospitals; she su-
perintended the city's sanitation. the
city's safety, the city's street clean
ing and everything.
The circumstances of my interview
with her were Of the strangest A
military aviator whom We had seen
flying over the city before, lodging
helipd patches Of clouds at an alti-
fude of some 1000 feet to escape .
rain of shells hurled by German bat
teries planted In rock quarries north
Of the city. had reported large force
of Germans marching against Sois-
sons at distance of not more than
mile. The French had gone to meet
them. AZ we talked the rapid-hre
guns were making noise something
like q threshing machine In the dis
taHce, and an intermittent cackle OF
rifles could be heard less than mile
on.
We stood in the street In front Of
the city hall. Fifty feet away. In .
tiny public park which had but re-
Gently smiled with bright flowers. half
q dozen men were burying the car
casses of seven horses killed an hour
before by q German shell.
III the Germans get back into the
city this time" I asked. ARE you 60
ing to stay?"
81 shall be all the more needed II
they come back" Nine. Macheres re-
piled simply.
when they came the first time how
did they behave?"
They wanted an indemnity from
us. but / induced their commander to
accompany me about the city to prove
to him that he was asking too much.
I convinced him that we could give no
more than we had"
This was Mime. Macheres's modest
way Of putting It. Before seeing her
had been told how by infinite tact
she had resisted the demand for tons
Of foodstuffs, tobacco and great guam
titles Of wines, ard had finally secured
better terms from the Germans. She
had bargained like veteran. ten
aciously and at great length. and
when at last the Germans were driv-
en- back they held her in profound re-
spect.
In all I talked with the woman
''boss" Of Scissors some fifteen mip-
utes. They tell me that this was the
longest time she bad stood in one spot
since the shellin& Of Soissons had be-
gun. At that sh4 was constantly CIV
ing orders and directions, stopping
strangers and otherwise carrying on
her duties just q though the street
were her once.
"And who's going to win!" asked
q she started away.
I'VE are, of course" she said with
conviction. The hearts Of the WON
en- Of France are in the fight no less
than ere the hearts Of the men, Then.
too. ~ have The Euglish With - here