Year: 1870

was swiftly advancing.


THE EMPEROR UNDER FIRE.


From friends whom found at the hotel, L
learned that the Emperor, who had started
carly in the morning for the field OF battle,
had returned about the same time that did,
and passed through the streets with his stan
One of nv friends was near him on the Place
.Turenne when shell fell under the Emperor's
horse. and. bursting, killed the horse of gen
oral who was behind him. He himself was
untouched and turned around and smiled
though my friend thought he saw tears in his
ewes. which he wiped away with his glove.
Indeed. he had cause enough for tears on that
fatal 1st of September.


Meantime. shells began to fall in the direc-
top of our street and hotel. We all stood
under the vaulted stone entrance, as the safest
shelter we could find. / trembled on account
of the caissons stin standing in the street, and
filling all the space from end to end 1t was
at this time when we waited watching pain
fully for the shell which would have sent us
all together into another world, that Gen.D
Wimpflen came past, making


VAIN EFFORT


70 rally and inspirit his flying troops. He
shouted, " Viue la France! En- aUdntm But
there was no response. He cried out that Ba-
zaine was taking the Prussians in the rear.
News which had been current all the morning
at intervals, coming now from the mouth of
Gen. De Wimpffen, seemed to be believed, and
8 few thousand men were rallied and followed
him out of the town. People began to have
hope, and for one brief moment we believed
the day might yet be saved. Need l say that
this intelligence was patriotic falsehoOd of
brave Gen., De WimpffenF Mad with anguish,
and in direct opposition to the EmperOrs or
ders, he had resoved to rally what men he
could and make stand He could not have
known that be was bound in the grasp of at
least 100000 men.


A DESPERATE SORTIE.


The bugle and the trumpet ring out on all
sides. few thousand men hearken TO the
sound My friend Rene De Guiroye of the
Chasseurs D'Afrique, whom l have just met,
after losing sight of him for ten or twelve
years, got on horseback again and joined the
General The sOrtie took place thus: They
went out at the Porte de Balan. The houses
of the suburb are already full of Prussians,
who fire on the French out of every window.
The church, especially, is strongly garrisoned,
and its heavy doors are closed. The General
sent off De GuirOye to bring two pieces OF
cannon. These soon arrived, and with them
the door of the church was blown in, and 200
Prussians were captured and brought back
with the French, who, in spite of all efforts
were themselves soon obliged TO retire into
the town. 1t was the last incident of the
battle-the last struggle.


While this took place at the Porte de Balan,
the PrRssian shelling went on and the shells
began 10 fall into the hotel.


SHOCKING SCENES


followed A boy, the son of tradesman
around the corner of the street, came in crying
and asking for a surgeon. His fathers leg
had been shot off. woman in front of the
house met the same fate. The doctor who
went to the tradesman found him dead; and
returning, attempted to carry the woman to
an ambulance. He had scarcely made step
when she was shot dead in his arms. Those
of us who stand in the gateway and witness
such scenes have got beyond the feeling of
personal fear ANY one of us, / will venture
to say would give his life to spare France on
this dreadful day. Yet we stand pale and
shudderng at the sight of the fate which be-
falls the poor people of tie town.


care not to dwell upon horrors, which,
nevertheless l shall never be able to forget.
L
who did not fear to own that he shrank from
the sight of what had become a mere mas
sacre Those who were safely out of the way
as prisoners, whether officers or men, needed
no pity. When, after a time, it became clear
that there was no sign of Bazaine, the hopes
of the French again departed. A sullen sort
of fight still went on. The guns of the town
answered the Prussans. An aid-de-camp of
the Emperor went by ON foot, and ] heard him
ask the officers near by to help him in putting
an end to the fire. Such being the Emperor's
wish. az length


THE WHITE FLAG


was hoisied on the citadel. The caunonade
ceased suddenly about Al. Eager az we were
to know The cause, we cannot leave the house,
for the street is impossible, and we have TO he
content with learning the mere fact of the
surrender. AS night drew on, the crowd lit
tie diminished, and by some effort il was pos
sible to make ones way about the town. The
spectacle il offered was more horrible than
wal. Dead were lying everywhere; civilians
and soldiers mingled in the slaughter. In one
suburb / counted more than 50 bodies of peas
ants and bourgeois few women among
them, and one child. The ground was strewn
with spinters of shells Starving soldiers were


CUTTING UP THE DEAD HORSES


to cook lHd eat, for provision had again failed
us "a everything has failed since this cam
psign began. / was glad to get away from
the sight of our disasters and lose their re-
memhrance in a few hours of sleep.


NAPOLEON A PRISONER.


The next day we were told that the Emperor
had gone 10 the Kings headquarters to treat
for a surrender Al II his household ond cor