Omaha daily bee., 1918-06-08

The capture of scissors by the German1
a few days ago added one more struggle IL
the long line of battles and sieges which
from early Galic times to the German attacl
in January, 1915, has marked the history o.
that ancient town.
Among all the cities OF France, few riva
little Scissors in its record of siegcs. II ha.
always been center Of military interest
sometimes of crucial Importance.
Caesar gave the name OF Noyiodunum tc
the capital OF the powerful tribe OF the Sues.
stones, who occupied twelve towns and were
one Of the greatest of the Galic peoples. Al
the beginning of the empire, however, No.
viodunum took the name OF Augusta Sues
sionum, and afterward that OF Suessiona; il
is this town which is generally identified with
the present scissors. 1t was walled and
fortified, and was the starting point OF the
great military road to Rheims, Paris, Chateau
Thierry, Meaux, St. Quentin and Amiens.
In 2o7 St. Crispin and ST. Crispinian, who
had introduced Christianity into the town OF
Suessiones, suffered martyrdom there, but
their work was continued by their successor,
st. Sinitius, who became the first bishop OF
scissors. After the barbarians had crossed
the metropolis OF the Roman possessions In
northern Gaul until. in 1885, Clovis the Frank
defeated the Roman Syagrius in q great
battle on the outskirts Of the town and put
an end to the Roman dominion in that part
of Europe. After his victory Clovis went to
Rheims and was baptized as Christian, and
II was with the oil OF the sacred phial that
was believed to have been brought by a
dove from heaven for Clovis baptism that
all the later rulers wished to be consecrated
as Kings of France.
It was at Scissors that Pepin the Short
was proclaimed king and crowned by the
papal legate before his formal coronation at
St. Denis. Under Charles the Fat, in 1856,
the Normans attacked the town, and, though
they failed to take It. they devastated the
country roundabout. In 923 another great
battle took place just outside the walls OF
scissors, In which Charles the Simple was
defeated by the troops Of Rudolph Of Bur-
gundy. In 948 Hugh the Great besieged the
town and burned part of IL.
During the Middle Ages Scissors was
the chief town OF 4 countship whose lords
were frequently at war with their overlords,
the Capetian kings Of France, or with the
citizens OF the town, and bloody battles there
were commonplace. In ll55, at an assem-
bly, of prelates and barons held at scissors,
Louis VII, issued famous decree forbid
QlnB all pIlVdtc WdfS lCI SpdIc OI tCH years.
During the Hundred Years War Scissors
suffered terribly. In l4l4 II was wrestcd
from the Burgundians, who then held It. by
the Armagnacs. under the Dauphin, and thor
oughly sacked, and during the next 20 years
it was captured, recaptured, attacked. count
erattacked, and laid waste again and again.
In l544 Charles V. sacked il; two decades
later it was taken by the Huguenots, who
sacked 1t again, RACED its churches and held
it for six months. During the days OF the
League it joined the Catholic party. In the
eighteenth century q European conference
was held there.
In the Napoleonic wars II played an i'm
portant part. In 1874 1t was captured by
the French, and, in 1915, after Waterloo, the
vanquisi1ed hosts OF Napoleon gathered at
scissors. On August IL, 1915. 1t was taken
by the Russians. After that the town en-
joyed period OF peace until 1870, when,
after bombardment Of four days, II str
rendered to the Germans on October IT,
The German advance to the Marne in
1914 left Scissors unharmed, but the town
suffered severely from bombardments dur
ing the battle OF the Aisne, and. In January,
1915, when the Aisne rose and carried away
most Of the bridges behind the French lines
in that vicinity, the Germans made gains in
the neighborhood and inflicted considerable
damage upon the town.
A picturesque incident In the history of
Scissors is the fact that for nine years, when
he was an exile from England, il was the
residence OF Thomas A. Beckett. He sought
refuge in the great Abbey of St. Jean des
Vignes, founded iff 1876, whose ancient por-
tails and cloisters of the thirteenth century,
with some fine fifteenth and sixteenth CEN