Evening star., 1914-10-01
FRENCH SAID TO HAVE TAKEN
BLOODY REVENGE FOR SEDAN
Stories of Tragedy and Heroism From Along
the Great Battle Line in
Northern France.

LONDON, October 1.-During the
strategical retreat Of the allies south
ward from the Belgian frontier. the
French troops sxacted from the Ger
mans bloody revenge for the F'rencn
defeat at Sedan forty-four years be-
fore.
On this same battlefield. according to
the Paris correspondent Of the Daily
Mail. the Germans suffered one Of the
worst defeats of their present invasion.
They were led into a trap which c0s'
them thousands of men. he says. Inc
French could have held their positio"
indefinitely, but strategy required tnen'
to continue falling back with the re-
mainder Of the allies along the nhe'
Here Is the story of the second oattie
Of Sedan as told by the correspondents
All Bridges Were Mined.
.The French general ordered his
troops to fall back across the river ana
take up positions on the opposite
heights. The bridges were mineo' out
were left standing, in order to oecelve
the Germans into thinking IN 1na' The e
ruse succeeded. The Germans 40
vanced across the bridges In close ior-
nation. When several German reg
ments had crossed. the French Prev
up the bridges and the French ar..aeay =
started firing at a hundred German
columns, which retreated hastIy "
the river only to find the bridges gone
searchhghts Aid Slaughter.
1.-THE French regiments then ad-
yanced with quick-firers and the merci-
less Staying continued until DUSK
Many Germans threw down their arms
and attempted to swim the river anu
large numbers were drowned hen
niehtfau came the French brougnl up =
searchIights and continued the "oi N
"The artillery threw shells at the raee the
of a dozen rounds a minute INTO tn1
German ranks, and varied its tacncs ny
throwing incendiary shells into tne
fnrest Where part of the German force
had taken refuge. The burnlns Moous
lit m the whole front of hfteen Hlee
"In the morning an armistice OF two
hours was granted to allow the Ger
,nans TO hurry their dead. The FTsncn
had suffered the loss of only nahoiui'
Praise for French Valor.
The correspondent of the Daily Mail
at Amiens, under date OF Sunday IN
describing the heavy fighting arouiio
Peronne, which has been taken ana re-
taken at various times. says II Is I'M
moss. BILE to hear of the dogged courage
of the French troops without thrill OF
warm admiration.
"At IL o'clock one morning." he says,
the French advance was subjected 70
terrible concentrated fire. and II seethsu
impossible for the troops to hoid lheil
ground. The French artillery hao 10
abandon position after position.
AT o'clock the shells wbegg BEGAN the TO stan tan
Wss located. and the general in COM
mand urged to nara aqt vs NC sannot me sae re
treat and we have SIMPLY got to go on
He said the same thing when three mr. ee
farms close by were in flames. He salo
1t and meant it, and he saved the oay.
At 3 O'Clock he was there still, and his
men held their own. At O'CLOCK the
German fire slackened little and an
infantry attack was pushed forward.
THAT evening the French guns we're
occupying the positions which the Ger,
man guns had held all day. The general
had held on"