The Caldwell watchman. (Columbia, La.) 1885-1946, 1915-03-26

n many respects the Austrian Ty-
rol Is the most picturesque corner
OF Europe, says Thomas O'Hagan
IN the Detroit Free Press. 1t has,
too, beauty all its own. Its chief
city, Innsbruck, which was known by
the name Of Innspons in the days of
Caesar, has most charming situa.
ton. The snow-capped Bavarian Alps
stand as sentinels at it's very gates.
This gives it royal setting. They are
Gods watch towers-royal watch tow.
ers on the earth.
To many travellers Austria makes
greater appeal than Germany. In the
first place. there is more variety and
individuality in it's people. Then the
proud Hapsburg line reaches so far
back and lights up the pages of his.
tory with so much splendor and vi
ctssttude Of fortune, that you turn
from the new realms of the earth to
the history-dowered castles Of Aus.
tria which was great when Guelph and
Ghibelline contended on the streets of
fair Florence.
There is probably not a prouder
people in Europe than the Austrians
But, Of course, in the Austrian empire
are many races-many tongues. The
Hungarian, the Bohemian, the Croa.
tian, the Dalmatian, the Pole, the Ga.
lician, the Tyrolean-all these differ
one from the other. In the Tyrolean
the Teuton and the Latin meet, and it
Is an excellent blending. When you
take, for instance. the Teuton of the
north of Germany, his character and
temperament are too hard and cold
and material to attract Indeed, you
cannot find in the Teuton of the north
that warmth and radiation which
mark the men and women Of the Tyro-
lean valley. The climate, too, in the
Tyrol seems to be a blending Of Italy
and Norway without the extreme ten
denotes Of either The strength of the
north and the tenderness of the south
meet at Innsbruck and unite in a
pleasing harmony.
Known to Ancients as Rhaetia.
The Tyrol as an ancient realm
reaches very far in history. Together
with a portion of eastern Switzerland
the Tyrol was known to Greek and
Roman writer's as Rhaetia. Horace
sings of "The Alpine Rhaetia long
unmatched In fight" The Romans,
who were most practical people, built
a road through the Tyrol as thor
oughfare between Italy and Germany.
Perhaps the most dramatic episode
or chapter in the history Of the Tyrol
is that which centers around the name
Of Andreas Ho;er. This chapter Of
Tyrolean history is known as the Pa.
triotic war Of 1909. Andreas Hofer is
to the Tyrolese what William Tell is
to the Swiss and Bruce and Wallace to
every Scotchman.
1t is the time of the great Napoleon,
when his conquering sword CLEANS in
triumph on every battlefield in Europe,
In 1906 the Austrians were defeated
at Ulm and French army under Mar
shall Ney occupied Innsbruck. Then
came the battle Of Austerlitz, which
shattered the power Of Austria and the
treaty Of Pressburg, by which gTyrol
and Vovarlberg were given up to Ba-
varia. In 1906 the Bavarians took for
NAL possession OF this new territory.
The Tyrol people rose against their
new masters, and the figure that
stands out in b2ld relief in this ma
tional rising is Andreas Hofer, an inn.
keeper of Sandyland, in the Passer
valley. He forthwith went to Vienna,
interviewed the Archduke John, and
returned to his home invested with
full power as commander in chief of
the national forces. This was In the
beginning Of April, 1909, and so we'll
did Hofer lead his countrymen who
flocked to his standard that before the
end of April the Tyrol was again
free-except the fortress Of Kufstein,
still occupied by the Bavarians.
But at this moment Austria gave
the command of the troops to Chas-
teller, who, in a few days, lost all that
Hofer and his peasant army had won.
On July 6, 1909, Austria, vanquished
at Wagram. was forced to sign the
armistice Of Znaim. and in this con-
vention the Tyrol was ignored.
Andreas Hofer. however, refused to
abide by this convention. and. hidden
away in an impenetrable gorge, he
sent from valley to valley his call to
arms. A price was placed on the
bead of the rebel. and as is always