The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1915-10-27
TEUTON SOLDIERS
 CELEBRATE 45TH
 ANNIVERSARY OF METZ

Teuton soldiers in Lorraine will celebrate today the forty-fifth anni- versary of the equalization of Metz, 1 the EcF5wning German victory of the
 F'ranco-Prussian war. A surrender on such an enormous scale was almost without precedent in history. When l Marshal Bazaine hoisted the white
 flag over the great fortress on Oct. 27, 1870, he involved himself and his army in lasting disgrace. The French
 force in Metz included three marshal Is of France. Bazaine, Canrobert and Ie Roef; 66 generals about 5000 other officers, and 1T3. 600 mem The Ger mans also gained 400 pieces of arti1- 1ery, 100 n1itrai11euses, and 53 eagles 1 or standards. Before signing the, ar tic1es of capituiation, Bazaine issued a general order to his army saying that they were conquered by fam ine.p On the same day Prince Fred
 praising his soldiers for their brav-= ery,A,great obedience, ca1nness, cheer- fulness and devotion.'
 Metz had been French city and fortress since Oct. 24, 1648, when it. was ceded to France by the treaty of Westpha1ia. Its history dates from
 the paIray days of the Roman Empire, when it was known as Divpdunurn or Metl By the treaty ending tue Fran nco-Prussian war the city of Metz, together with a fifth of Lorraine, be- came the possession of the new Ger man empire. The Teutons have made it one of the strongest fortresses Of Europe, and since the beginning of the war the quaint old town has bristled with military activity. A large proportion of the French popu- lation left Metz after the German oc- eupation, and the Germans are now in
 majority. As military stronghold Metz ranks with Strassburg as one Of the two great buIwarks Of Germany's western frontier.
 Modern history affords no other in ! stance of so sweeping a equalization as that of MashaI Bazaine when he gave up Metz to Prince Frederick Charles. The news of the downfall of Metz aroused the French people to ungov- ernab1e rage, and Bazaine became the object of universal execration. It was believed that he had Intrigued with the enemy to restore the fallen Naz poIeonic empire, and he admitted that -aftr the disaster of Sedan he had felt no obligation to obey the gov- ernnent of national defense. Mili- tary critics, however, believe that the downfall of Metz was inevitable oW-7 ing to the inability to obtain food for the large army Whereas it might have been successfully defended by 10000 mem it could not hold out against the prevailing famine
 Bazaine had served his country with distinction in A1giers, Spain, the iCrimea, Italy and Mexico. In the latter country, where he commanded the forces of Maximi1ian he was known as The Butcher because of
 his ruthIessness in making war on the Mexican patriots On one occasion, ity1 is alleged, he ordered a large number of children to be shot because they had jeered at tn French soldiers.
 In Mexico Bazaine married a Mexi- can woman of patriotic family, and this caused his loyalty to be doubted. but he retained the favor of Napoleon III, who had made -niIn marshal of France after his entry into the City of Mexico. After the equalization of Metz, Bazaine was tried by court martial, and sentenced to death, but this was commuted to life imprison- ment. He escaped from the He Ste. Marguerite in 1874, and spent the re- mainder of his life in Spain. where he died in 1888.