Albuquerque morning journal., 1915-05-07
Historic Resistance Of Cour-
biere to Siege Of Graudenz
EmuIated by German Off
GERS Of Today.
O'DONNELL BENNETT
TELLS OF TRADITION
Events Of Reign Of Frederick
the Great Which Center
Around Fortress Compared
With Modern Warfare,
py JAMES o'DoNNELL BENNETT.

Copyright; 1915: BY The Chicago Tribune.)
Graudenz, Germany. April l5.--At
the behest of some words on an old
tombstone four Prussian officers are
standing uncovered before the graves
of a man and q woman on bastion 3
of the Fortress Frederick the Great,
built at Graudenz.
The linden trees beside the graves
are beginning TO unfold their buds.
Soon the lilacs will be In bloom. In
summer roses make the place glor-
ious. The graves and the paths around
them are beautifully kept up and the
spot has more the appearance of a
pleasant garden retreat than of a sep
ulcher.
Two Of the officers are lining off in
resonant voices the inscription on one
of the grave stones. This is the story
ii tells.
Wilhelm Reinhard Won CourbiereI
rests here, the hero of 1907, with
whose name the name of Graudenz isl
inseparably connected in Prussian his
tory: the model of an honor loving.
determined, faithful Prussian officerI
for all time. May the new genera
tion think of him with reverence and
uncover the head at this grave. The
cid CourDiere. after the Prussian de-
feat of Jena and Auerstadt and after
the shame of Preuzlau, Magdeburg,
and Kustrin. stood firm as light
house OF granite in the Prussian faith
erands dark sea of despair. Cour
biere did not live TO see the wars of
liberation. but the brave spirit of his
Prussian faith again shone forth In
1873.
Five Sons AilPrussian OFFICERS.
The tablet over the grave of the
old Courbieres" wife, who lies by hisl
side records the fact that "of herl
happy marriage sprang nine children,
of whom the five sons served as off
GERS in the Prussian army
superb as was the resistance Of
fered by man of "a years to siege
that lasted 303 days. it really is by Il
nne-word epgram that the memory
of der alte Courbiere" has been kept
green in German hearts
Nine words it makes in French, the
language in which he uttered it, and
only seven in German, the language
in which It travels from lip to lip In
these eager anxious days. The origl-
nal words were:
II existe al mons encore un rof de
Graudenz.
The heroic story of Courbiere can
be told in half a dozen short quota
tions from terse conversations and re-
ports
On tho 18th of November 1906,
Frederick William III, left the for
tress of Graudenz, AT parting he
pressed the old soldiers hand and
said:
Farewell my dear Courbiere. 1 rely
upon it that you will in no case sur
render this fortress, and, should the
town stand in the way Of a vigorous
defense, then take the necessary mea-
sures. but only in an extremity
Courbiere replied:
Pledged Defense 10 Uttcrmost.
Majesty, as long as there is drop
of blood in my body, the fortress OF
Graudenz is not going to be surren-
dered."
And" say the old memoirs, 'the
man with the French name and the
faithful Prussian heart kept his I
word"
The coat of arms of the Courbleres
tears these words: de lHomme sois {
homme."
Offspring of man--be a man" The
play on the word 'Homme" in Cour-
biere's name, which in full was Will
helm Reinhard de fHomme Won Cour- !
biere, is obvious.
For eleven months of the year fol- !
lowing the kings visit Courbiere lived !
his family's motto to the last syllable, {
On February II, 1907. French, Sax s
ons and Poles under General Savary {
sat down before the fortress of Grau- {
denz. At that time Courbiere had
about 1890 men under his command ,
m the fortress. In the course of the {
siege he lost over 1900 men by death c