The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-06-07
The Flight of Louise

Leaving the palace, where in few days Napoleon would take up his residence, she sped in her carriage along the Unter den Linden, without a cheering godspeed from the throngs, and out of the Brandenburg Gate, which dozen years before she had entered in triumph 1s bride Cross- ing the Oder and seeking safety in the fortress city of Stettin, she was to find no security even behind it's walls She found it's S1-year-old commandant uualsing with alarm, and there she heard that even the King, whom she had not seen since they parted on the eve of the overwhelming defeat at Jena. was ready to give up. For Gods sake'' she im- plored him by messenger, mo shameful peace! Hoping to brsre the will of her epineless husband, she hurried away to join him at Custrin; and in a few days Stettin, with it's 5000 soldiers and great stores of supplies. opened it's gate at the command of young French Hussar.
 An epidemic of surrender had spread over the land. A paralysis had smitten all resolution throughout the country and contagion of fear had seized upon It's leaders, a cowardly aristocracy, who were surrendering everything at the sight of a Frenchman
 guard of 300 French had marched away from Erfurt with 000O prisoners Prince Hohenlohe was prisoner; 12,- 900 Prussians at Prenzian laid down tHciT dTIHS DeIOTe a mere hdn01ul or Napoleon's troops; Magdeburg, with 24,- 900 men. ran up the white flag before the invader could mount a gun in front of It.; Berlin had only bus,ed itself with arranging a courteous welcome for the enemy; five great military strongholds struck their colors within the fortnight after the battle of Jena
 The presence of the resolute Queen at Custrin overbalanced the majority in the Kings council. which had been advising his acceptance of Napoleon's demands. The King was persuaded to rely on the assistance of the Czar Tlex- ander for had not Alexander pledged his friendship over the tomb of Fred erick the Great only a year before? Na- poleon grimly retorted to Frederick Williams refusal of peace: You have taken the box and thrown the dice. The dice shall decide"
 The King and Queen must now move on to the Vistula. the next river barrier against the advancing hosts of the con queror, for soon Custrin, with it's 13,000 troops and 90 guns, was to yield to a regiment of French An army of 150, ,001 Prussians had melted away in four weeks. and only 5000 were left to up- hold the standards of the kingdom.
 Napoleon at Berlin
 And while the King and Queen were
 
 occupied one, small room in miserable wooden house, Napoleon was comfort ably at home in their great palace. Dating his orders from The Imeprial Camp at Berlin,' he issued to a sub feet world his celebrated Berlin De- cree" forbidding all Europe to trade with England, use her products. cor respond with her people or even send by post any letter written in English.
 It was not long until Frederick Will Ham and Louise in their never ending flight from the advancing French, had to put the vitula behind them and. crossing into East Prussia, made their toilsome way in the mud to Osterode. more than 300 miles from Berlin and nearly 500 from Jena. But the farther they went the greatest grew Napoleon's demands
 The war at the outset had filled him with genuine Indignation. However much or little he may have deserved it, he had not desired 1t, and his rage overhowed all bounds when the King declined to make peace with him at Berlin and he saw the Prussian court inviting these Tartar barbarians," as he called the Russians. to take part in an affair between civilized nations of the , west. Drdpping the comparatively mod Hinsisted on the Hohcnzollern monarchy giving up everything from the vistula fko the EAbe, territory 300 miles wide Yfrom east to west and including Ber- lin itself
 Mont of the Kings advisers distrust- ing the good faith of Russia, urged him to agree even to that hpavy sacrihce; but once more Louise's linhuence out weighed their counsels. ".fhe Queen has nsvsr eeos sstsd sontrary her ipstiact