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HOW SAINT PRIYAT FELL
BARON DS GRIMM’S STORY OF THE
FRANCO-PROSSIAN WAS.
Seven Officers Survive! The
Aaron Was One—He Describes the
Battle— How He Met the Saxoa
Crown Prince.
p r <im the Yew York Recorder.
Sitting in his oozy studio, surrounded by
e thousand and one evidences of his remark
able ability as an artist, Baron Constantine
de Grimm, doctor of philosophy or Heidel
berg, doctor of laws of Berlin, officer of the
Prussian army and artist, whose sketches,
cartoons and designs have been known
throughout the United States for ten or
twelve years past, and before that in every
big European city, told, on Tuesday last,
how during the Franco-Prussian war, be
bad first seen the enemy.
•This is the one day in the year,” said
the baron, “on which I drink champagne.
That is to say, on which I make a point of
doing so. To-day is the 21st anniversary
ei the day on which I first saw the enemy.
It is a story, 1 think, that has never been
told before, for not many lived to toll it.
Wait; let me begin at the beginning.
“1 was a lieutenant in the king’s own
regiment, the First Potsdam Infantry
Guards. We had been marching all day.
A terrible marcu; all aloug the route we
had seen dead and wounded soldiers, and
every sign that the battle bad been raging.
We could bear guns in the distance, but up
to the moment of arriving, at 2 o’clock in
the morning of Aug. 18, at a point within a
few miles between Nancy and Metz, we had
seen nothing of the enemy. Everybody
was in a condition of the greatest excite
ment, We bad heard rumors of fighting
on every side, and all were anxious to see
and meet the enemy.
"With these thoughts in our minds we
lay down for a few hours’ rest before day
break. What wonder that I dreamed of
war and carnage, of soldiers dead and
dying, of fierce fighting, and every now
and then started, wide awake, to find my
comrades tossing and talking in their sleep
around me! Once in my sleep I dreamed
that I heard the bugles sounding the alarm,
and, starting to my feet, wide awake, I
heard them in reality.
"The night was pitchy dark; only here
and there a sword or bayonet shimmering.
There was no moon, and not a star to bo
seeo. But the bugle had called us to arms.
In five minutes our regiment was ready for
the march; in ten minutes the brigade was
under arms, and in fifteen minutes the en
tire division was in marching order. The
order was given, and we started at a rapid
pace, which sometimes rose to a double
quick step.
“In this manner we arrived in the neigh
borhood of Saint Marie aux Cheues, a vil
lage held by the enemy, about 6a. m. We
went on tor another hour, bearing the oan
nou firing in the distance, but out of range
for us. Then, exhausted—for we.had been
running for nearly five hours —we stopped
for a r, st of half an hour.
"At this time the Twelfth Army corps,
the Saxon regiments under Crown Prince
Albert, now King of Saxony, passed us, and
got ahead of us by a detour in order to get
to the Hanks of the enemy. No sooner had
the Saxons passed than the bugle sounded
again and the whole division formed itself
into a huge square, with Chaplain of Di
vision Rogge in the center. Chaplain Rogge
was the brothor-ia-law of the famous Min
ister of War Boon, field marshal of the
German army, who has boen called the
founder of the Prussian army.
"When all was silent Chaplain Rogge
spoke. He said that by the order of his
majesty he was about to give us a last bless
ing, as it was probable that only a few of us
would return alive that day. I tell you there
were many blanched faces and trembling
limbs among the men who hoard those
words, but the teeth heblnd the white lips
were set tight. It was no use to hide from
us the fact that many of us were going to
our death, continued the chaplain, and it
was best for us to be prepared. Then he
offered up a prayer and gave us the bless
ing. A nice start for us, wasn’t it?
"Then we resumed the march. We
halted iu front of Saint Mario aux Chenes
and witnessed the assault, which was done
by one regiment of our division and the
guard of sharpshooters. These latter are
the elite of the army, all graduates of the
Forst Akadomie, a college for the education
of foresters, from which only those who
have taken the high degree of Gelernte
Jager can enter the rogimont. Well, they
assaulted the village, and after a severe
tight drove the French from the streets at
tho point of the bayonet. Then \u* fol
io wed and inarched through St. Marie aux
Cheues. We didn’t join in the fight, but
we had many losses, for, every now and
again, some French soldier who had taken
refuge in a house would open the
slats of the shutters a little aud
upon us, surely killing someone.
“So wo marched through the villago,
lug on every side of us tho wounded and
tie killed, until, on reaching the opposite
side of the village, we saw in the distance
the village of Haint Privat la Montague,
the destruction of whose church has been
made famous in a picture by De Neuviile.
It was in this battle that I personally first
ca t l uo in contact with the enemy.
‘'Saint Privat is a little village on the
hillside, about three miles and a half from
baiiite Marie, connected by a gradually
risiug high road bordered on each side by
trees. With the exception of these trees
there is not a tree, shrub or bush of any
kind within oye range. Privat had been
niagmhceutly fortilied, and every precau
tion taken to prevent its capture. At f re
cjueut intervals between the two
villages trenches had been dug.
u these the French infantry lav
and picked us off with the terrible
But as we marched forward
cy jumped out of tho trenches, rail back
o the next and began firing away at us
gain So far superior were their gusto
ours that they reached us before wo could
37®“ m - nr h 0 rod ke P ig ot tho French sol*
iers. We seemed to be marching against
a downpour of leaden hail.
trcmnV? 86 ? 11 * tho flrin 8 from the French
trenches became so strong that we did no
tnrntn an<i by, * remember,
to t ; °° k back, I saw that tho re
_i,a3ltad' 0{ following üb, had boon
hailed back into Saint Marie, and there
morao,lt "'hen our long line of four
_ _ 0 r eguneatß of trailleurs, extending
field r ai“e® distritJ ution, were on the
for ac h had seized that moment
left of u r '■here would have been nothing
th raomen t I saw coming over
of KriLn Ihe right of St. Privat a body
thev novo Vttlry in white cloaks. I fancy
S"r! Tif as seurs d’Atrique, but am not
for „,„™ y s . tc ht jeii at the top of the hill
loiwin 10men if ttle ? began to trot—not gal
for if ~o ur That was our luck,
have 1 Koo 6y had ohur 8 6( l we s tould surely
them overwhelmed. Our men biw
an.l >e ? an firing in that direction,
*>>'t’ride back. tOQIBh ' Ue “ t ’ 1 *“ W th6lU tUr “
our T rol?r? ad I)een 80 many of ue killed that
dntereifr lent ® were mixed, and men of
01 each*otw narJ T S were fi * htin K alongside
mandt.r remember seeing Oooi
*£ Urtgade Von Kessel walking
ing. * B *ked him what he was de
ar of the hr( J? n /'- hia K to do as command
my duty ami anßWßred < *1 am doing
Then with you os a soldier.’
own rMil' T on Boeder, the colonel of my
Bani ent ' rose up. I spoke to him and
Iwm “® re nothing to bo done,
get rninfo and rea °b the reserves and
rwei^d f A l m ?, ut8 -’ At this moment he
he fell from m*s® 1 full in tbe cheek ’ Bnd
I keep the?Mi’r horSe lnto myormj ' daad
this.iav ir 1 wore ou that occasion to
with hi. V? “‘‘akod through and through
happened Then ° ourloUß thing
himself m borse, as soon as ho found
Ktal^Din/K. e^ u l6S, ■ inßtead Of tarniug and
a " ay fr °m ‘be battie, gal-.
right into the midst of tho French,
and disappeared in the smoke of the gun
powder.
"After this we continued to our progress,
rnnuiug and lying down until within about
100 yards of the village. Then we noticed
some kind of a commotion among the
French. VVe thougnt they were preparing
for a sortie; but no, it was a very different
thing. Marshal Cantobert had 1 st com
mand of his men; they were panic stricken,
and they were taken to flight.
"By this time we were in such a dis
organized condition that we were absolutely
withou 1 command. Most of our officers had
lieen killed, around and behind me I saw
soldiers of every division and corps, but one
idea pervaded all—that was to reach Saint
Privat. So when W'e saw that movement
,j n the village we once more t egan firing and
kept on our way.
"It was at this time that I saw Lieut, von
Treskow pass me. He w r as the only officer
of the second company of our regiment left,
aud he had taken command of the battalion.
He was on horseback. He was the biggest
swell in the regiineut. Always fastidiously
careful of his dress aud appearanco, he
looked as if Le bad come out of a bandbox,
aud even in the midst of all this dreadful
carnage there he sat stiff and erect on his
horse, his hair parted carefully dowu the
back, gloves on bis bands, a cigar in his
mouth aud an eyeglass stuck iu his eye.
As he passed he received a hall in his left
arm which shattered his eibow, and he foil
from his horse, A little later I saw him
again. Ho was still the same swell, but he
bad pulled up the end of his coat, cut a hole
in it and buttoned it to a button in his neck
band, making a sling for the shattered arm.
He still wore his eyeglass and was smoking
the cigar. In a few momenta he got shot
again, this time in the right shoulder, but
with his arm hanging dangling by his side,
cigar in mouth, eyeglass iu eye, covered
with blood, but the same 'pink of perfec
tion,’ he still marched on, until a littio later
he reoeived a ball in the stomach. But the
end was not yet. He was carried into the
village, and I shall have something more to
tell about him presently. Brave! why, yes.
as a lion, but he couldn’t help beiug a swell;
it was his nature. *
“When we noticed that commotion in the
village a strange feeling seemed suddenly to
pervade us all. Someone, I cannot say
who, cried, ‘Tambourl’ and instantly there
was a shout from a thousand voices for the
drummers. There was not one left. They
had all been killed. Then a soldier found a
drum and began a tattoo upon it. Then
another found one, and presently we were
marching along, closing up our line as we
went to the rattling drum call of "The At
tack.’
“Then the reserves caught the same
spirit, and the whole band, under Band
master Vogt, came forward to our rescue.
With what ashiutof ‘Hurrah!’we heard
their approach and received them! And
then with odo accord we charged upon the
village with fixed bayonets.
“From that moment I knew nothing.
The village had been magnificently pre
pared to resist our attack. The walls sur
rounding the houses on the outskirts hart
been pulled down to tue bight of two feet
and banked up behind with sand, forming a
complete intrench mont. Benind this the
French iufantry under Marshal Canrobisrt
lay with an enormous amount of ammuni
tion and an immense quantity of wine, and
picked off our men as they came. But we
jumped over the walls, bayoneting and
driving the enemy back. The French
couldn’t fly r fast enough. They were com
pletely panic stricken.
“About this time the church of Saint
Privat was struck by the first shell. Im
mediately it touched the roof it exploded,
and the church began to burn at once. We
reached the church on the right hand side,
and almost at the same time a body of what
we took to be French soldiers reached it on
the left We began to shoot, when, in the
dusk, for it was now getting toward even
ing, we saw an officer spring forward, stand
upon a water trough aud wave his sword
for us to desist. I stepped forward and
saluted, and saw that it was a regiment of
our own Tenth armv corps. Directly the
men recognized us they set up a shout,
‘Hurrah! Es lebe die Garde!’ (’Hurrah!
Long live the Guards!’) At this moment
the church began to fall in pieces, and in a
quarter of an hour the spire fell iu with a
terrible crash.
“Then an officer of the general’s staff ar
rived on horseback —I think it was Gen.
llrousart von Schellendorf, the late minis
ter for war, as he was at that time chief of
staff of the general of the Guards. Ho
shouted: ‘Alles ’raus! Alle zuruck!’ (All
out! All back:' and we, thinking the inten
tion was to destroy the village entirely,
gradually worked our way to the entrance
of tho villago again.
“This,” eaid liaron de Grimm, “was the
only occasion during all the war in which
1 had to draw my sword, for haud-to-hand
fighting was of very rare occurrence.
"When I got outside the villago one of the
first things I saw was the body of Col. von
Hoeder being carried by four soldiers almost
to the gates. Our soldiers were almost like
children in their fidelity to their officers.
They had never left the dead body, they
had kept close to it like little children would
keep near the body of their dead father.
Prince August of Wurtemburg passed me
and the group of soldiers guarding the dead
body of our colonel. I inf rmed him of bow
the colonel bad died and he told me to take
the body into a house. I said there was no
house left in Saint Privat. He ordered me
to take the body to Roncourt, the head
quarters of the Saxon contingent, aud leave
it in a house with a guard over it until it
could be fetched for the funeral the next
day.
"It was now 8:30 o’clock, perfectly dark.
Roncourt was five miles off, and the ground
full of holes and covered with deaf and
dying ruen. However, we had got our orders
and we had to go. Just as we got outside of
Ronoourt we were stopped by the passage of
six regiments of cavalry, who were in pur
suit of the enemy. However, we marched
on, and when we entered Roncourt it was
totally dark and deserted.to all appearance,
and we could find no place to deposit the
corpse.
“At length one of tho soldiers exclaimed:
‘Da ist ein Licbt,’ and a little in front of
us we saw the glimmer of a light through a
window shutter. As we approached we
saw standing before the door of the house
three officers, one of them a tall young man
with iannease side whiskers aud big mus
tache. It was too dark to distinguish the
grade of any of the three, but in the Ger
man army we have a form of introduction
which officers always use toward eqch other
when they meet as strangers. I walked up
to the group, and addressing myself to the
big-whiskered mau, as he seemed to be the
superior officer of the three, I said: ‘Per
mit me to introduce myself. My name is
Lieut, von Grimm of the First Potsdam
foot guards.’
“To ray utter astonishment he did not
reply at all. I thought it strange, for he
should have used the same formula in an
swer. I felt angry that under the existing
circumstances a man oould act so rudely;
however, I wanted a place to put my dead
colonel in, so I introduced myself in the
same manner again. This time he said
bruquely, even roughly: ‘Yes, I know
that; you said so before!’
“I was thunderstruck at this want of
courtesy, aDd was about to say something
very pointed, when he said: ‘\V hat do you
want?’
“I told him that he was not very polite;
however, this was not a time for quarrel
ing. I had with me tbe body of CoL von
Roeder. which I would like to leave with a
guard of three men aud a sergeant until the
next day for the funeral. My orders to
bring it to Roncourt had come from the
Prince, our comm inder himself. ‘All right,’
he said, ‘we will attend to that.’ And then
in a sort of excess of satirical humor he
added: ’Now, young man, you have seen
what it is to fight against a better gun, as
wo had to do in 1886!’
“Then suddenly I remembered he was a
Saxon, and that, under cover of referring
to the French Chassepots as better than
ours, he had been cherishing a spite against
me for the Saxon losses during the Austro-
Prussian war of four years previous. His
speech took away my breath, but I in
stantly replied, for I was feeling mad by
this time: ‘With this diflerocoe— tee didn't
run to-day!" .
THE MORNING NEWS: SUNDAY, IB9I—TWELVE PAGES.
“There wai a painful silence. No one
spoke a word for a minute. He had drawn
my somewhat brutal answer from me by
his own brutal manner. Then, feeiing that
I bad been a little rough, and not wishing
matters to go too far, I siid: ‘But dou’t let
us quarrel, let me have something to drink,
for I haven’t tasted food since 2 a. m.’
•"To my great astonishment, the manners
of this same officer at once changed, and he
invited me into the house as If he bad for
gotten everything. He entered first I fol
lowed. and the two other officers brought up
the reur. We passed iuto a well-lighted
room where, seated ut a long table, were
five or six officers m the uniform of a
general’s staff, writing busily. As we
entered they rose to their feet and saluted.
I looked into the face of the man I had been
talking to.
“It was Crown Prince Albert, now King
of Saxony!
"That was the reason he did not intro
duce himself. Of course, when I recog
nized him I at once apologized for what I
hail said, but he gave me Ins baud and said:
‘As we are in France I will say satis ran
cuns (no hard feelings). Now, let us have
that drink.’ Then, as an officer produced a
flask and handed it to me: ‘But I don’t
drink at all, for that is every drop we pos
sess.’
“Well, I left the body of Col. von Roeder
with a guard and went back to Sainte Ma
rie. Here I found my comrade, Baron
Falckenhausen, the "aide-de-camp, and
learned from him that the Third battalion
had been Jed into Saint Privat by a ser
geant-major, for there had been no officers
left. Of 3,000 men and 56 officers our losses
were 1,800 men and 49 officers. I was one
of the seven officers left, and I had not re
ceived a scratch. Out of the whole divis
ion only five officers entaxed Saint Prevat;
I was one of the five.
“I met two French officers who were
prisoners. One of them wore on his breast
the medals of the Crimea, Italy, China and
Mexico. He said he had been iu all the suc
cessful French battles of past years. ‘Mais
maintenant, voyez vous, je n’ai pas da
chance.’ (‘But this time, do you see, I have
had no luck.’)
“The other was an officer of the general’s
staff. He said Saint Privat was magnifi
cently prepared; 24,000 infantry had been
placed around its walls. Baron Faloxhausen
asked him how it was possible wo could
have taken the place, as we were in the
minority, and the position of the French
was superb. ‘Que voulez vous M’sieur, on a
tue vous ce qu’on pouvais, mais chez vous
la reste arrive tou jours!’ (‘What will you
have, sir! We killed all we could, but with
you there is a reserve always coming up!’)
‘Tuat is the greatest compliment you could
pay us,’ said the baron.
“Now I would like to finish my story by
telliug you how Von Treskow was sent
home. The morning after the battle I
went to see the wounded, and while going
my rounds I saw Von Treskow’s orderly
standing in front of a house. He asked me
logo in, as his master particularly wished
to see me. I found the poor fellow lying
upon a common kitchon benoh, bandaged
round aud round, body, arms and bench
together. In front of him was standing a
soldier, holding the inevitable cigar to his
mouth, while iu his eye was stiil the eye
glass. Ass on as he saw me he began to
swear horribly because 1 was not wounded.
When he had finished, and 1 was asking him
about his wounds, he said:
“‘I want to go home to die. Two sur
geons say that unless my arms are both cut
off I cannot live. 1 don’t want to live in
such a plight. And I don’t want to die in
this miserable country, but in a civilized
place like Potsdam. Now you are not
wounded, so make yourself useful. Get me
a phaeton, a coupe a landau or a Victoria,
anything, but dou't send me back in a farm
wagon lying in straw like a common per
son.’
"I tried to explain to him how impossible
it was to get anything of the kind in that
place, where everything was destroyed. VVe
were uot in Berlin. He reminded me that
Prince Pless. the chief of volunteers of the
medical brigade of St. John, had a magnifi
cent coupe, that it was no uso to him here,
and why shouldn’t 1 borrow that to go to
the frontier? I thought there would at
least bo no harm in asking, so I went out to
look for Prince Pless. I found him. and
explained the object of my search. He at
once lent mo his carriage. So poor Treskow
was taken home in a priuce’s coupe, anddied
six weeks later in Potsdam.”
Tracey L. Robinson.
A CAT TAKE 4 A TRIP.
Ha Goes to Mew York and Returns on
a Steamer.
St. Augustine, Fla., Sept. 4.—Master
Arthur, son of J. VY. Sackett of Capt.
Black’s department, has a cat that indulges
in a trip to New York once iu awhile. He
came to young Sackett’s home as a "tramp”
and was taken in. He was missed last July
and young Sackett was incon
solable. It turns out that ho
went on board the freight steamer City of
St. Augustine, and there remained secreted
until the ship was at sea. At Fernandina
Tommy went on shore and spent the time
occupied in loading the ship in sight-seeing,
and through some kind of instinct returned
to the ship when it was ready for the ooean
voyage.
When the ship arrived at New York
Tommy again left the ship and tho steamer
returned to Florida without him.
How Tommy passed three weeks in New
York is not known. He presented himself
for passage to Florida on the same ship
which iu themoantime had made the round
trip.
On the arrival of the ship at this port
Aug. 31, Tommy came on shore and went
direct to the home of his young master, and
there now remains seemingly content.
ENCOUNTERED A SAWFISH.
Experience of Two Men at the Mouth
of the St. Johns.
Jacksonville, Fla., Sept. s.—Thomas
Ledwith and Percy Saunders, two well
knowu young men of this city, returned to
day from tho mouth of the river and report
a most exciting encounter with a sawfish of
tremendous size. Ledwith hooked the fish
in deep water and, becoming exhausted,
concluded to beach it, and Saunders puiled
tho boat shoreward. When in shallow water
the fish leaped high in the air aud made for
the boat. The young men struggled to get
out of the way, and partially succeeded in
so doing, but the fish grazed the bottom of
the boat aud overturned it. The fish got
stranded and cut the water furiously with
its tremendous saw, barely missing tho
boys, who retreated shoreward as rapidly
as possible and escaped.
A SOLDIEA AITJMPS S UICIDE.
He Inflicts Seven Serious Wounds
With an Ice Pick.
St. Augustine, Fla., Sept. s.—Commis
sary Sergeant Tbeobold Olsen of the United
States army, stationed at St. Francis bar
racks, attempted suicide this morning with
au ice pick, inflicting seven wounds—four
in the lower lob’ of the left lung and three
in the region of the stomach. Passed Sur
geon Alba at present cannot determine
whether the wounds are fatal. Olsen is a
meritorious veteran of the Second United
States cavalry. Nohvous excitement was
the cause of tbe rash act.
A Financial Secretary Skips.
Newark, N. J-, Sept. s.—Charles Solo
mon of Newark, financial secretary of the
Cigarmakers’lnternational Union, has ab
sconded with t 3,000. He got jthe cash from
the German Savings Bank yesterday and
skipped out. He left a wife behind him.
During the Clark strike be was deputized by
the union to organize tbe strikers.
Stockholders’ Meeting Postponed.
Atlanta, Ga., Sept. 5.—A meeting of
tbs Southern Alliance Farmer stockhold
ers which, was to have been held this morn
ing was postponed ou account of tbe ab
sence of several stockholders. The meeting
will be hold on Monday night.
‘•ME SIDE
From the Son Freuvdn o JtTQvnaut. , ,
Mr. Dunnigan was smilingly receiving
the congregations of the other
men who gathered s "upper 1
table. He had given his paper a sensa
tional scoop that morning. “'d every
man who congratulated ,hiut immediately
as ted: " dq
"But how did yon gevn, Dunmi”
“I got ’on to 'the stbfiy by-accident, and
that's how nearly everyappop Is brought !h
answered Dunnigan modastly. "if a sCiurv
comes through the reguApr channels t:,orq's
no cbance for a scoop, aud the newspaper
men who go about L-ixiog f r chance
stories exist only in iMf vais written by
who don’t know a dqtAilbook from a spare
heal—barring Tomisiy Paget bare.
Tommy is uot a newspaper imu—bob *
journalist.” laufe-nc, , , ,11,,
“More power to Jjtiqj exclaimed JJr.
Lynn. “Don’t inoinjl Tuny Tommy. fsburaj
Dunni is jealous of ye“ It’s the y-ang 'ftfflr,
tlemen loikeyou wise asraalevatiug tOv ur.a;
fession and the old haoKs loiko Gu uu and
me must give way before the new regime,
of which you are at one * the ornament And
pride. A glass of beer wid you, T-uqmy,!!
Tommy, who by this time was flushing
slightly, turned to Patterson and said, with
lofty scorn:
"It is your turn, Patsy, to score me;
jump in.”
“I’d strike bottom too quick,” responded
Patsy.
"Any one else want to contribute!” asked
Tommy with severe politeness. "If not,
Pit just remark that while I utn humbly
sensible of iny sad deficiencies as a journalist
—which, by the way, did not prevent my
earning more on space last week thau Mr.
Dunnigan ever got as a salary—l am still
unwilling to admit that because I keep
broke by retaining a meinb rshin in a
decent club instead of playing poker like
Dunni, or because I still hold on to some
decent sociai connections instead of totally
outcasting myself as all of you have—l am
unwilling, I say, to admit that I may not
aspire to the dizzy professional higlits Capped
by that group of graces—Lynn, Dutmi
gan aud Patsy.
Tommy grew redder still at the roar of
laughter which greeted bis fine speech; ami
glared haughtily at Lynn, who exclaimed:
"Get out of tb’ ring, you Duum an lcyou
Patsy! David has ooine again, and IMF his
prophet, backer, and t pottle-holder. Bring
on your heavy-weights. Otto, a schooner
for Mr. Paget.” no
Tommy continued to glare at hisgrinning
friends for a time, but,puon joined thegriu,
for, though bristling With pugnacity there
was no one in the party more alive than
Mr. Paget to tho futility of solitary
grandeur in a compand of avenue* mortals.
‘ ‘I was about to remark,” be said with re
covered good-nature, •,‘before yuuali brayed
at me, that Dunni may be right in saving
that most scoops are accidental, but some
times they are locked for. You remora her
my scoop in the Melbourne Rest r Fob ry?’
There was no immediate reeponsa It is
probable that every one at the table did re
call, but then most of us are sluggish iu re
membering other men’s scoops.
“Well, I did get that scoop, and I did get
it because I looked for it. It was about a
year ago. I had been doing tbo introduc
tion to a Patti first night, and was in even
ing dross ; so when I turned in my copy, as
it was raining, I rang for a ooupo. Whou
I told the driver to take me up hare he t'ld
me there was to be a quiet Chicken fight in
the Melbourne Rest.”.
“O. Tommy, break away,” htorrupted
Dunni; “you got that scoop through the ac
cident of ringing for a cpirpe, tha driver of
which happened to be on.”
"That’s so,” admitted Tommy, somewhat
crestfallen; "I was put on by accident.”
“They won’t let you tell your story,
Tommy, but I’ll prove your proposition
that alt scoops are not accidental, ’’ said Mr.
Patterson. “Years agh I lay in bed one
morning reading what 1 bad written tho
night before, as you all do every morning
of your lives, gentlemen- lifter damning
the proof reading—as you ' all db—Aud ad
miring my stug, which still Bbono despite
the efforts of a stupid editoi 1 to take the
shine out—as you all admire yours—l be
thought me of the various uses I could make
of the additional stipend resulting from a
scoop. I said: *My dear Mr. Patterson,
pursue the day’s doings of the first person
whose identity is jogged iuto your life this
day, if his or her life is open to inspection,
aud you will get a story.’
"That afternoon I met on a street cross
ing a man I had to interview, and we stood
where we met, until 1 was suddenly nearly
knocked or pusheidowu. When 1 recov
ered my usual dignified bearing I tound
that I had been pushed irom in front of a
runaway team by a vory bright, exceed
ingly self-po6ses*ed and soiled young per
son. who drawled out between p ffs of a
oigarette: ‘Yer chump,did yerWunt ter get
killed ?’
“I discovered that my polite and efficient
friend was a newsboy I had somedenes
‘staked’—l quote his vernacular—at early
hours iu the morning, wbau ho contided to
me that his game of ‘orusoe’ had resulted in
breaking him. *’ <>j:
“I knew bitn only as‘Pete/and I knew
him so well that I anticipated flfis next re
mark: ‘l’m dead broke, Mr. Pnttcj-feon, an’
an’t got no stake fer der eveningpqfhers,’
“I staked Pete and took him tea clothier’s
whore I had credit and furnished Mm with
a suit of clothes—which he caljed a harness
—when it occurred to me that-1(6 was the
person I should pursue for iny story. 1
"He thanked me profusely for, the gift,
and declared that he* wanted W* rtitv home,
and‘show do harness to me 1 taudder an’
fadder.’
“I followed unobserved, and discovered
that it was to another relative Pdte Wanted
to display his fine feather., for fff *b&lf an
hour be emerged frqgi a pawnsljpA dress'h!
in his old suit of rags, end with ll of bis
uncle’s coin in his pocket.
“I felt fairly reward for my pursuit, and
convinced that I was on ths track Of a
storv, if not of a sedop.
"Pete made a bee-line for an alley back of
an evening newspaper . office, whore I ob
served him lose my stok * and his uncle’s
loan in tbo varying fortunes of ‘crusoe,’
played with uudaunted courage but poor
luck. I concluded, in the wisdom of ex
perience, that I couli then atford to relax
my watch; that, if loft alone, Peter would
soon hunt me up.
“On my way down to the editorial rooms,
after dinner, Peter waylaid me, ‘Me ladder
broke his leg iu de foundry,’ he began, ‘an’
me mndder sent mb fur do doctor, who said
me fadder’s leg could rot before he’d touch
it, ’less he had five plunks down iu advance
—de snoozer! bo 1 ups and shoves de har
ness wid me uncle, an’, wid wot ver staked
rue, I raised de five; see > An' so I’m broke,
bein’ a good bey gij’.Jovin’ me inuddor.’
Thereupon Peter Wept plentifully, being
excited with his efforts of imagination aud
lack of dinner.
“Then I took mV potential scoopt6‘ acof
fee house—‘a bulP-'jbin:.’ in his
fed him. In begotten ofdifoll
stomach and contented mind, Pete'padded
to me that he had ‘no fodder, nor mHddar,
nor brudder, nor nodthin, but liven rathe
‘place’ of his ‘side partner.’
“Pete’s side-pamttrr, he explained, was
Glasgow Jack, tjje Jisppor of a slogan# den
—a kind of place,'TJjto my, which flomfljfced
in this community Tjiiforo the promotion of
slogging was made Um vocation otfhe male
1,
“Glasgow Jack’s, potng an ali-nlgbt place,
was frequented. m.che early bcursor the
morning bymM who, having the drear
prospect of another- day dose at hand,
sought to ameliorate their conditions by
that forgetfulneas’sfhich eomes frord an
early glance at a morning paper.
“Pete, in’exohange for ths privilege of
sleeping on the raaitruai used for wrestling
matches, brought tbe earliest papers to
Glasgow Jack’s, thereby holding .task's cus
tomers, to tbe profit cf the bar. ’ lybSefned
a fair bargain, iu Fffta explained if; but the
chances for a scobjS irbrS not improving.
“To make sure rff my game, r-'orteed
with Pete to stake.him in the praispom as
soon as the paper was off. aiil we Parted.
“That night I Neat down Uhtbiju-ess
i room on the olevahar- with tiis lwh
-*wo ed: a . LtAho we
and there was Pete fighting with science and
success to maintain his place at the bead of
the lino of waiting newsboys, all anxious to
get bundles for tho all-night places, where
two-bits is oftou picked up for an early
paper.
"It was too dark to follow Pete, so I told
him I had a notion to meet his 'side p mi
ner,’ and hurried along with him to Glas
gow Jack’s.
" ‘lt was the usual place—you remember
the tvpo, Dunui? A basement, a Bqunre
‘ring’ in one end; some duiub-bells and In
dian clubs scattered about; a pool-iable,
with leaden cushions, a half dozou beery
card tables; a bar and a patronage 0/ pugs,
low rounders, and dreamy young men who
fancied they wore seeing life by poisoning
“Pete’s advent woke up the place. My
vory considerable knowledge c f wbat tbo
paper contained —I bad watched tho make
up—had given me 110 impression that all
our news pertained to fights and fighters,
racers and racing, murders and murderers.
The crowd there found nothing else in the
paper, and was soon expressing ils interest
in those phases of life by animated discus
sions of them over the most unthinkable
whisky. I took a glass of it with Glasgow
Jack, who treated me with that considerate
—shall I say fraternal? —kindness our pro
fession ever receives from his.
"Jack laughed when 1 asked him" about
Pete. ‘l’m kinder stuck on der kid,’ said
Jack; ‘dere’s no Hies on 'im an' I’m goin’ to
do der right thing by bitn. I was thinkin' it
would be der proper game to give der kid
some schoolin’. He kinder takes to literary
ways—selling poipera, and that. I’m doin’
pretty well an’ ain’t got uobodv wid a string
on mo sack; so I was thinkin’ mebee 1 could
seud der kid to one of dor schools in der
country, where he’d get away from dis gang
and brace up n littio, and be a lawyer, or
something’. He’s kinder got tor me, ye see,
and I'm sorter soft on der kid.’
“I knew Glasgow Jack to be the toughest
character in the city, but just the way all
the villainy went out of his wicked eyes
when be spoke of Pete has secured him a
graceful epitaph—it I have the pleasure of
knowing of his death.
“There must have been some very excit
ing sporting news that night, for the crowd
became noisy and drunk in discussing it.
“It was such a nasty outfit that I should
have left beiore Pete returned, but 1 bad re
solved to see him through one day. When
he did return, bis papeis all sold, Jack mo
tioned him to come over to us, but a couple
of men at an adjoining table stopped the
boy, and one of them offered him a drink of
whisky. Jack called out: ’Let go, now!
You know X dou’t want Pete offered any
drink.’
“The man laughed in an ugly way, and
replied: ‘You ure getting too pious, Jack.
If the kid’s yours why don’t you say so. If
ho ain’t, dou’t he so funny about him.’ Tbe
man, by a quick grip, opened Pete’s mouth
and threw some whisky in it.
Jack sprang at him and hit him before he
could rise. The man’s pistol was whipped
out, and he pulled with a dead drop on
Jack; but just as he pulled Pete jumped in
between them and took tbo ball in his bead.
“Every one was silent and motionless for
several seconds, as Jack caught poor littio
Pete and laid him down, with a woman’s
gentleness, on tho sawdust floor.
“Suddenly, with lightning swiftness, Jack
pulled and shot. Tho man fell backward;
Jack stood over tbe body, aDd with horrible
calmness emptied the revolver into tbe
man’s face.
“I was kneeling by Pete's side when his
eyes opened. He whispered something, and
I put my ear to his lips. ‘When yer write
it up,’ he murmured, ‘be sure an’ say me
side- partner never pulled bis gun ’til after
de odder feller had dedrop on ’im.”
HIGH PRicis FOR ASTOR DR'SSRS.
Tho Two Seized Gowns Disposed of
at Auction.
FVom the .Vein York Time*.
The sale of the gowns which havo come
to be known as the “Astor dresses,” yester
day, to satisfy the demand for duties by the
United -States government, resulted far
more favorably to the government than
such sales usually do. A Bile of
seized and forfeited dresses or clothing
of any kind is generally a windfall fortec
ond-hand dealers and second-class modistes.
But yesterday’s sale attracted the attention
of a class of customers that had not been ex
pected or counted upon by the usual at
tendants of such soles. It showed tiiat there
wus something besides the lutriusic value
and beauty of the gowns themselves to bid
upon at the sale. And so there was. There
was an advertising value iu the gowns.
The drt*Fo> weio made by Felix iD I'ar’s
for ilrs. William Astor, and were to be de
livered to Mrs. Aslor ut her resideuoo for
an agreed price. The French dressmaker,
willing to Increase his profit at the expense
of the United Htates government, invoiced
the gowns to Baldwin Bros. & Cos. of 53
Broadway at 1,000 francs, about S3OO, aud
when they wore examined by the customs
authorities they were seized for wilful un
dervaluation. Instead of S3OO they were
found to be worth 3,500 francs, or $694 80,
and the duty on them waß computed at
$416 88. Mrs. Astor, refusing to pay the
duties and penalties, the gowns were con
fiscated and advertised to be sold for the
amount duo the government.
Silo’s auction rooms, in Liberty street,
were thronged with people who hud fet en
vious eyes on the beautiful dresses and
imagined there was a chance to buy them
at usual auction prices. There were ac
tresses, dressmakers aud others all ready to
give something for them. There were also
a few prosperous appearing men in the
company. The dresses wore mounted on
forms and stood on a small platform. One
was described as an embroidered green silk
and velvet robe. It was in two shades, the
silk in apple green aud the velvet in green
of a darker shade. It was richly ban 1-
ombroidered and trimmed with Persian
passementerie. The other was, a sky-blue
brocbe silk robe, with passementerie and
ostrich feather trimmings.
There w as another sale iu progress, bat it
was suspended at the appointed hour, 3
o’clock, and tbe dresses were offered for
sale. The green silk and velvet robe was
first put up. The first bid came promptly—
sloo. Col. Sim of the Park Theater, Brook
lyn, and another mau got in bids of $350
and S3OO, hut dropped out surprised and
disappointed when two other men just in
front of the auctioneer ran the price up
rapidly to S6OO, and then, by $lO advances
to so6o,at which price the dresa was knocked
down to Blooraingdale Brothers, the
Third avenue dry goods dealers. On the
second gown, also au evening gown, the
bdi ng was confined to the two mon who had
ruined the hopes of so many women on the
first dress. It was apparently a less valuable
dress than the first, but the Bloomingdalea
wanted it also, and ran the price up to S7OO,
where they quit, and the other man got it
for $770. Tue other man was Koster of
Kostor & Bial,
Asa result of the sale the government
will get its whole dues and there will be a
small margin over.
—i
Jacksonville’s Great expectations.
Jacksonville, Ft.A., Sept. s.—The
scheme of bonding Duval county for $300,-
008 to improve the bar is gaming in favor.
Tbe opposition to the schemo now mainly
comes from the country people. Jackson
sonville expects, when the river is deepened,
to compete with Savannah in the cotton
and other trade by reason of cheaper
freights in tbe avoiding of tbe long railroad
haul over tbe Savannah, Florida and
Western.
Inspection of State Troops.
Atlanta, Ga., Sept. 5.—H. C. B. Satter
lee, U. 8. A., acting state assistant in
spector general, w rites that he will begin
tbe inspection of all tbe companies In tbe
state, starting on Sept. 35, with the Atlanta
companies.
Judge Jones Dangerously 111.
Jacksonville, Fla., Sept. Judge
Loton M. Jones of tbe criminal court is
dangerously ill, lying in an unconscious
state, and may not live.
iHE SAVED THE LEVEE,
| AN INCIDENT OP A FLOOD IN THE
MISSISSIPPI.
Pete, a Little Nesrro Boy, While Escap
ing from Work Finds a Slight Breach
In the Bank—Util zing HU Own Body
to P li the Crevich, He “Holds the
Fort” Till Effectual Aid Arrives.
From the Phiiadeluhia Timet.
Fit days the river had been rising. The
levees above wero gone for miles and miles,
and the mad waters had swept over the
banks, carrying fortunps and evon lives be
fore them. On one of the big plantations
opposite Shreveport every effort was being
made to withstand the flood. Hands were
c illected from every cabin and recruited
from all the adjoining places to strengthen
the water-soaked levees, which shook on the
pressure of a man’s foot.
It was almost dusk, but the men who bad
not rested for days worked with the strength
of fresh vigor as the voice of Tom Aiken,
the planter, directed them and cheered
them to the task which seemed so hopeless,
as the wpter crept steadily and steadily
higher. But for the tact that every one was
busy with his work, a little negro boy, who
suddenly dropped his spade and stole away
betwixt the wheels of the big sand wagon,
might have been seen as he scurried away
around tho curve in the embankment.
He ran quickly along for full a quarter
of a mile without looking back, down tho
narrow, slipoery read that was left between
tho cotton rows and the levee. The boy
slackened his pace when he became con
vinced that no one was m pursuit of him,
and as he did so he heard the loud, cheory
voice of Tom Aiken back at the break: “All
work together, boys!”
“Huh! All work together,” the boy said.
“Yessir, but you bet dis here nigger done
tired er workin’ togedder. Iso gwiuo to
sleep, I is. I an’ shet my eyes fur two whole
days an’ nights, an’ I gwine round the p'iut
to Auu’ Vmy’s an’ go to sleep.”
In his eagerness to reach the coveted goal
the little negro quickened his pace again. It
was now almost dark, but his eyes bad
grown accustomed to the gloom. He could
see the curving line of the levee, which
seemed to tremnle with a premonition of its
own inadequacy. He could see all the
water pools in the road. His littlo legs bad
measured, perhaps, a mile more when the
ominous roar of the river made him stop
and peer over the levee at the rushing
waters.
As he scrambled up the slippery bank a clod
of loosened earth fell heavily into the road
below, and through the orifioe which it left
a little stream i t muddy water trickled.
Tho boy caught his breath quickly when
the water run over his hand.
“Lordy!” ho exclaimed. “Dere’s gwine
to be a break right hore. “Lordy I Lordy?
what. I gwine do?”
He stopped to reconsider. Thero was
still another mile before he could reach the
Point, and ho know there were only a few
old yvomen in tho cabins there, und he
oould get no help from that source. It was
more than a mile back to where tho men
were working, and he was afraid to show
himself there after having run away. Be
sides there was not a moment to lose; what
was to be done must bo done at once. The
boy knew that a groat responsibility rested
upon him. If the little opening were not
stopped immediately it was only a question
of a few moments before the whole levee
would be swept awav.
He Stood up and looked about him. There
was no one in sight. He thought he might
find a bag of sand dropped by a passing
wagon, but there was none. \t ith sudden
purpose he turned and sat down over the
little crevice through which the yvater came.
The soft earth yielded to his weight, and
with his bauds and feet be pressed it about
him, pattiug it to make it firm.
The difficulty bad been solved without
his volition almost. It was only after It was
done that he thought of tho coneequencos.
He calculated in his unreasoning way that
it was 8 o'clock. How long would he have
to remain there? For aught he knew until
morning. He began to suffer by aud by
from his cramped position, but ho dared not
move oven tho least bit list the crevasse
would open again.
He could not tell how time passed. Every
minute seemed an hour. He could not hear
the shouts of the men below. There was
only now and then the hoot of an owl rising
above the roar of the water, or the swish
as a clod of earth was sucked into the mad
current. He wished bo had not run away
from bis work.
He began to get drowsy; his limbs were
almost numb. He wondered what would
become of him If he should go to sleep. If
tho waters should rise up over the levee
drown him and ruiu the cotton, would it
tnuke any difference then that be hail tried
to save it? Ho was inadequate to the prob
lem, the like of which baa puzzled graver
heads than his. The booting of the owl
grew less and less frequent, the swishing of
the waters fainter and fainter, the pain in
his back easier.
He must have slept some time. Suddenly
he was awakened by the gallop of a horse
oa tho road below. He was too weak to
move. His voice was almost gone, hut as
the horse and rider approached lie cried out
with all the strength he oould summon:
“Marse Tom!”
Mr. Aiken drew rein quickly and turned
his big lantern in the direction of the
voice.
“Who is it aud where are you?” he asked,
dismounting.
“It’s me, boss,” answered the boy.
“What the mischief are you duin|| here,
Pete!” inquired Aiken, peering into the
boy’s begrimed face. “Why, you are al
most buried alive?”
‘'l runned away from back yonder,” the
boy answered. “1 seed the levee or breaklu’
cere, so I stopped.”
•'Why, bless the boy,” said Aiken, “you
must be nearly dead. What is to bo donei
Can you stand it till I ride back and get
help to fill the break? It will open as soon
as you move.”
“Yessir; but hurry, boss,” answered the
boy.
As Aikon turned to remount be heard
the sound of boat wheels around the curve
and the whistle sounded out hoarsely.
“By George!” exclaimed Aiken, "there’s
a boat, and three mure inches of water will
top the levee here and then all is lost.”
In a few moments the boat rounded the
curve aud the lights shone out across the
water.
"The Marsdon," Aiken said, as ho saw the
two suioti stacks, “with Morton at the
wheel; I shall have to fight for it.”
So saying, he picked up his gun from
where he had dropped it when he dis
mounted. and strode on a few paces up
stream to meet the boat.
“Steer for the other side I” he called out
when the boat was in hailing distance.
“I’m running this machine,” responded
the coarse voice of Morton, “aud I guess
the river ia free.”
Aiken could see the little tongues of
water as they overlapped the bank above.
If the boat did not turn she would soad the
water over the levee lower down where the
boy was, and he aud the whole embankment
would be sucked in. There was no time to
be lost.
Swinging the lantern above his head so
thrit Morton might see him he Sung bis rifle
to his shoulder and called back: “Come an
other foot nearer to this shore and you are
a dead man.”
Morton knew what manner of man he
had to deal with. The wheel reversed, the
boat tacked and grazed the opposite shore,
which was already submerged.
’ ‘All right now, Pete,” said Aiken gently,
patting the boy’s muddy pate. “I’ll go on
and be back in a few moments.”
When they came by and by and put sands
bags in the hole Pete had been covering the
little fellow was too weak to speak or to
stand, and Mr. Aiken took him up in his
arms and himself carried him to the house.
And now Pete does nothing bat ride on
the back seat of the carriage to open gates
for tho driver or to carry parcels when
Toni Aiken's pretty wife gees to Hhreve
porr shopping; for his "boss” is grateful :
to the little hero who saved the plantation. |
INSURANCE.
OFFICE OF THE
NEW YORK LIFE IViIKAVt CO.,
3ili tMi .148 BROADWAY,
NEW VOHK
At a special meeting of the Board of Trus
tees of the i\rw fork Life Insurance Com
pany, held on Auk. 31, the following pre
amble and resolution were passed:
“ WHEREAS, A PERSISTENT, UNJUST
AXI> UNFOUNDED ASSAULT HAS BEEN
AND IS NOW BEING MADE UPON THIS
COMPANY BY THE NEW YORK TIMES , AND,
“H ’HEREAS, THIS BOARD IS NOW AND
AT ALL TIMES HAS BEEN DESIROUS THAT
ALL CHARGES AGAINST THE MANAGE
MENT OF THIS COMPANY SHOULD BE
FULLY AND FAIRLY INVEESTIGATED.
AND TO THAT END HAS REQUESTED THE
SUPERINTENDENT OF THE INSURANCE
DEPARTMENT TO MAKE AN EXAMINATION
OF THE AFAIRSOFTHIS COMPANY.WHICH
IS NOW BEING CONDUCTED. AND HAS
CAUSED AN ACTION TO BE INSTITUTED *
IN THE NAME OF THE COMPANY AGAINST
THE NEW YORK TIMES FOR THE LIBEL
OUS ATTACK SO MADE UPON IT BY SAID
NEWSPAPER; AND,
“WHEREAS, THEODORE M. BANT A. THE
CASHIER OF THIS COMPANY, PENDING
SAID INVESTIGATION AND ACTION, HAS
PUBLISHED A COMMUNICATION IN THE
NEW YORK TIMES OF AUG. 28, DESIGNED
TO GIVE SUPPORT TO SAID ATTACK TO
THE INJURY OF THIS COMPANY AND ITB
POLICY HOLDERS;
THEREFORE, RESOLVED, THAT IT 19
THE SENSE OF THIS BOARD THAT THI|
PRESIDENT REMOVE THEODORE MU
BANTA FROM THE POSITION OF CASHIEH
OF THIS COMPANY, AND FROM THE EM
PLOY OF THE COMPANY FROM THIS DATE.*
Accordingly, In the pursuance of that min
ute, the following letter or dinnitiianl wo- ad.
dreaaed to Mr. Ilanta by Mr. Berra, the Preii.
dent of the Company :
NEW YORK, AUG.3I, 1891, %
THEO. M. BANTA, ESQ,
DEAR SIR:
WE HEREWITH INCLOSE COPY OF PRE
AMBLE AND RESOLUTION PASSED BY THE
BOARD OF TRUSTEES AT A SPECIAL MEET
ING HELD THIS DAY. IN ACCORDANCE THERE
WITH YOU ARE HEREBY NOTIFIED THAT
YOUR SERVICES WILL BE DISPENSED
WITH ON ANDAFTER THIS DATE, AND ARE
REQUESTED TO BALANCE YOUR CASH AND
TURN IT OVER TO THE SECOND VICE
PRESIDENT AND MR. J. 0 VOUTE AT YOUR
EARLIEST CONVENIENCE. YOURS TRULY,
SIGNED, WM. H, BEERS, PRESIDENT.
HIIOES.
FALL DISPLAY
Stylish Shoes and Slippers.
GLOBE SHOE STORE,
160 BROUGHTON STREET.
BUM BEK.
McCdolej, Stillwell k Gol,
Yellow Pine Lumber,
rough or dressed.
pisning HiU, yard sad office,Gwinnett street,
east of 8, K and W. Ry.
Dressed Flooring, Coiling. Moulding* Waatlir
**ty.arding, Shingles. Bathos, Etc.
Estimate* furnished and prompt delivery
glia amoed.
rpo COUNTY OFFICERS. -Books sad Bleats
1 required by county officers for the uss at
the courts, or for office use. supplied te crier by
the MORNING NEWS FRINTUiG HOC**,*
White tar street, flat—lb
5
