The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1915-12-20

As clever y piece. OF war fiction as
one seldom finds appears in Mcclure .
Magazine for January, description OF
the capture of Richmond by Field
Marshall Won Mackensen and Its
burning on January 81. 1922, the
holding Of Governor Richard Evelyn
Byrd and Mayor Jacob umlauf as
hostages, and the final determination
OF the invaders by 10000 Virginia
mountaineers bent on avenging a
wrong TO Virginia woman
The story is from the pen OF Cleve-
land Moffett, and is supposed to he
written by the war correspondent of
the London Times, who meets Mrs.
Norman v. Randolph. to whom he
gives an incorrect initial, and other
Richmond ladies.
Mr. Monctt's Story.
Here Is Mr.. Moffett's readable story:
we TOOK flne suite at the Hotel
JEFFERSON, where we found German
officers In brilliant uniforms strolling
about the great rotunda or refreshing
themselves with pipes and beer in the
palm room near the white marble
statue of Thomas Jefferson.
During the afternoon | drove about
this peaceful old city with It's gardens
ana charming homes and was allowed
10 approach the threatening siege
guns which the Germans had set up
on the. broad esplanada OF Monu-
ment Avenue, between the equestrian
statue of Robert Z. Lee and the tall
white shaft that bears the heroic
figure OF Jefferson Davis. These guns.
was told. were trained upon the
Gothic tower of the City Hall and
upon the cherished gray pile of the
capitol, with its massive columns and
Its shaded park, where gray squirrels
play about the famous statue of
George Washington.
Il heard thrilling stories of the
lighting that had taken place here
when Field Marshal Won Mackensen
marched his army into Richmond.
Alas for this proud Southern city,
WHAT could she hope to do against
$4,000 German soldiers? For the
sake of her women and children. she
decided to do nothing officially; but
the Richmond Blues had their own
IDEAS and crowd of Irish patriots
from Murphy's Hotel had theirs
When the German army, with bands
playing and eagles flying. came tramp
ing down Broad Street they were
halted presently by four companies
of eighty men each in blue uniforms
and white piumed hats and drawn
UP in front Of the statues OF stone
"at oStrsoH anu f1enFN ttay, ready
TO die here on this pleasant autumn
morning rather than have this most
sacred spot in the South desecratcd
by an invader. And die here they
did or fell wounded. the whole body
of Richmond Blues under Colonel
w. j. Kemp. while their band played
Dixie and the old Confederate flags
waived over them
Fight In Church Yard.
AS for the Irishmen, it seems that
they marched in a wild and cursing
mob to the church yard of old st.
Johns, where Patrick Henry hurled
his famous defiance at the British.
and in the same spirit-'Give me lib
until they could fight no longer
AS We drove through East Frank
lin Street ! was startled to see a Ger
man flag flying over the honored
home OF Robert f. Lee and Ger
man sentry standing before the door.
I was told that prominent citizens OF
RE hmond were held here as hostages,
among these being Governor Richard
Evelyn Byrd. John X. Branch, Oliver
J. Sands, William II, White, Bishop
II. A. Gibson, Bishop O'Connell. Sam
uei Cohen and Mayor Jacob Tmlauf
who. in spite of his German descent.
had proved himself loyal Amerl-
can.
Il finished the afternoon at Red
Cross bazaar held in the large audi
torium on Cary Street. under the
patronage of Mrs Norman b. Ran