The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1917-06-21

month. Peronne is the center OF trl. I
angle, two sides formed by the River /
Somme and Somme marshes, and the !
third side dominated by the heights /
Of st. Quentin. The only defense on |
this side was II narrow ditch, three |
strong towers and fragment Of an |
cient wall. The Comte de Nassau, |
prince of Orange, marched upon the /
place with numerous batteries and at
tackled upon this side. The only de-
tenders were some gentlepeople belong. |
ing to the neighborhood and few sol
dlers, afterwards reinforced with n
| hundred hncers under the command of
the great General la Marck, Scigneur
de Fleuranges.
| Planting his batteries on the heights
of st. Quentin, Nassau proceeded TO
lombard the principal buildings of the
town for three days. Then, judging
that he had frightened The Inhabitants
enough. he sent herald to demand the
surrender of the city and to warn her
defenders that IL they did not yield in
twenty-four hours every man would be
put to the sword. Herald" replied
Fleuranges, "you will tell the Cpmte de
Nassau that he will find all ut his dis
posal when he is here. In the mean
time he will permit us to salute him In
passing" This pleasantly infuriated
Nassau, who redoubled his efforts and
announced his intention of hanging all
the leaders at the gates of the city. He
found himself, however, fighting not
against garrison of soldiers. but
against the whole population of the
town. What destruction his cannon
balls did in the day was repaired In
the night by the incredible efforts of all
the men and women of the place who,
admirably organized. began at night
fall to fill the breaches in the walls
and worked ceaselessly till dawn, so
that Peronne was always ready for
further defiance by the time Nassaus
guns began in the morning. Inside the
walls, however, the casualties were
heavy and powder began to run short.
The duke of Guise had come to the re-
lief with small force across the
marshes, band OF 400 archers, each
man carrying ten pounds of powder In
two sacks hung round HIS neck. II
proved, however, impossible to face n
way into the town. All he'drummers
and trumpeters of the army with their
instruments We're then added to the re-
lieving force and led forth over the
marsh with orders both to musicians
land archers to make as much noise
rs possible aud to march about in sep
arate parties.
This simple ruse appears to have
confused Nassau, who imagined that
large re-enforcements were pt hand
and kept his army on the alert all
night. In the morning no new army
was visible, but the. noise was eX-
planned. The drummers and trumpeters
were seen being hauled up into safety
by ropes over the walls of Peronne.
Great Tower Blown Up.
Nassau thought his chief difficulty
lay with the great tower, once the
prison OF Charles the Simple, which
was strongly garrisoned. He gave or
ders that 1t should be mined. The
Comte de Dammartin was commander
of the tower. Knowing the danger, his
friends entreated him to quit the port.
, He refused, as he considered the tower
the key of the whole position, and that
it was his duty TO remain. When the
mine exploded and the tower fell he
, and several heroic companions met
, their death.
1t was her civilian population that
saved Peronne. The chief gentleman
T of Picardy gathered within her walls,
, resolved on her defense mt all costs,
: and organized voluntary tax to pay
z the army. D'Estournel, the richest
. man In the province, opened his grana-
. ries for the use of the poor and sup
, ported the garrison. His wife and
children were at his estate In the coun-
, try. At the approach Of the enemy to
4 the city he brought them thlther to
show his confidence. BY his fine eN-
q ample of public spirit and resolution
4 he kept up the courage of the inhab-
. itants and turned all into heroes. For
! many years n sermon In praise of Jean
!. dEstournel was preached on the ami
o versary of the raising of the siege. A
woman, to whom tradition gives the
a name of Marie Fourrce, immortalized
d herself as leader of valor and re-
7 source.