Year: 1870

"
ture As left the hotel met Mr. Simpson Of TAe Illus


rated London Eevs; and Mr.. Mayhew and his son tof
The Globe) who, like myself, were going to the railway
station. As We walked along and saw the Emperor's
carriage and baggage loading upon wagons, we began
talking about the and the latest news that had
rived Mr. Simpson said he thought tho before US
40 picturesque that he would take sketch Of It, Accord
ingly he drew out Of his pocket his notebook
and began sketching one of the Emperors car
riages. We saw 9 lot Of soldiers surrounding
but took no notice Of them few minutes afterward
an artillery officer In white trousers and blue jacket


came up TO u.s. and looking very hard, said "One Of
these gentlemen was sketchng something. May see
what 1t wasp Mr.. Simpson took out Of his pocket the
notebook 'and showed it TO him. The officer examined
IT, he looked round and In moment found ourselves
in the midst of about fty arterymen. "a "a place."
cried the officer upon which the soldiers got hold Of
and informed us that their prisoners. "what
forfp asked T. "Ahi lie rilain espion Prussien rous
perTz" was the satisfactory answer got The officer
was leading the way, and TO have him walking so
proudy before u.s. one would have thought that instead
OF having got hold OF US, he had taken one
OF the enemys batteries. On our entering the
town great crowd began to assemble. People
came running from every side street, and the
crowd sweed to such extent that before reached
the had grown to something like 5000
persons 1t was with the greatest difficulty the soldiers
could defend from being torn to pieces Tue-tes,"
cried every one "Lespion, Pepion; justice Justice"


am sure that had had to walk another five min
utes not one OF us would have been saved However
thank God we reached the place, and were thrown In
the guardroom, room measuring ten square feet The
officer who had charge of the place ordered picket Of


men TO be placed before the door to prevent the crowd
breaking in but all the precautions taken did not pre-
vent two or three in bouses rushing in and insulting
us most grossly There was no help for 1t we were
spies and deserved to be punished accordingly. We
waited for short time, and then In came
colonel with several other officers. Not one OF
them addressed in French but in German and
our not answering German sufficient to prove that
we were Prssans an pretended not to be so. We an
swered all the questions addressed to showed our
passports, but nothing seemed to satisfy them. Mr.
Simpsons notebook evidently most aggravating
circumstance. His carriage not carriage 1t was
plan of the fortress Of Metz. We waited very patiently
for an hour asked the guard IL they would
allow to send note to Gen. st. Taneur but they
would allow nothing Of the kind. The door was hung
open, and in gentleman with red ribbon on his
coat and looking as white ghost. One would have
said he had gone mad the way he went on He told the
officer who had questioned not to leave us on any ac
count he had sufficient evidence in his hands TO prove
that We were a set OF spies. That gehtie-
man there" said he, pointing at Mr.. Mayhem,
came the other day at my office and bought
three copies Of the Journal de Ia MOSQUE.


The gentleman in question the editor OF that paper
"Now, who on earth but spy would come to news
paper office and buy three do hear me- three copies
of one paper Your readers will Of themselves under
stand that it very difficult for us to know what to
say in defense when passports and papers were
not OF the slightest use, and the party having bought
three copies OF one journal a sufficient reason to
shoot for being spies After many explanations we


induced Of the officers to take note To Gen. ST. Sauve
explaining the had got into and asking him TO
. In fauo Va itad anpti
the officer back with note from the general to


berate the journalists The editor Of La Moniteur de Ia
Mosee began TO apologize for his conduct toward u.s.
saying he had done because the state OF his coun-


try required every citizen to do his duty As tho crowd
had been increasing before the house. and nobody could
have been able induce them that we were not SPIES
an officer suggested We should remain locked up TIL


late However, after hour had elapsed and the
people seemed 20 be more calm, We thought we might
well take the chance and go to the hotel The edtor
and two other gentlemen left the guardhouse with US
and proceeded to leave the place. But on our appearing
in street the people began shouting as loud as ever
and pushing the soldiers in order to get hold OF u.s.


heard the editor shouting "They friends they arc
friends but don't know that I am sure what hap
pened after found myself again In the guard room,
together with Mr.. Mayhem, his son. and Mr. Simpson,
having all escaped safely We were talking among our
selves, OF in English, when a man in blouse,
and who, I know not why, had never left





and said that he had been listening to
our conversation and that had been speak
ing German s the time This mysterious man. who was
allowed to say anything he thought proper, and who
never left us for moment, notwithstanding he was re-
peatedy ordered to do by the General was looking at


In a most ferocious sort Of way. On our asking
whether another door by which could have
gone off, without waiting there long, we were in
formed that we could not go, and would not CO. until


Gen Conere, the General commanding Metz, had seen
US, and had given special erder must confess we
were beginning to get little tired OF 1t. Gen. Coiff


Mere, tall fine man, with white mustaches, finally ar
rived. The story Of questioning and crossques
tioning began all again The Commissaire de Po
lice with another man, were introduced, in order
TO examine the validity Of our passports. On my
showing the / possessed, and which had been
given by Sir Augustus Paget only ten days
before on my leaving Florence the Commssaire took it
up made roll of It, and said it was false one, and even
II it good it worth nothing, for it did not
prove that it my The General sat himself
the small table. and knocking his stick ON the wooden
pavement asked what had become OF the painting gen.
tleman and his notebook. When he was told that Mr.
Simpson had gone off, he went into desperate passion,
and upbraided the Colonel saying that no orders not
even those of the Emperor himself, to have been
executed without his knowing Of them; that he was
responsible for the safety Of Metz He then looked at
in the face, and then, addressing the officers police
agents, and in bouses who surrounded him. said:
"Gentlemen you know that Metz is in state Of SIEGE
and therefore longer under the common law We
have been too humane too hearted too generous
While the Prlissans have committed the most horrible
crimes against noffensve Frenchmen and other officers
have suffered the enemy to abuse generosity and
this the gratitude receive But 1t must stop
and forever II is hard thing, but the law gives
the right shoot any choose in the market square,
and an example must be given, shall never have
peace" "Brave General! brave Commander" cried
all OF them in chorus. The In blouse left the
room, and in second the whole square echoed with
cries of Braro ie General" Mort espionsr' Az
felt pretty safe that NJ lie General would think twice be-
fore making his experiments English subject said
frankly that what he had been saying all nonsense