"A FEMALE UHLAN."

Evening Star, Issue 5589, 5 February 1881, Page 1 (Supplement)

"A FEMALE UHLAN."

This is a story published in c Tinslej' of the Franco-Prussian war and the period when, the victorious Prussians were overrunning France, and, according to some accounts, behaving themselves more like the " furious Franks and fiery Huns " of former days than civilised warriors of the nineteenth century. The account of these misdeeds reached the ears of those belonging to Bourbaki's army, that had saved itself by entering Swiss territory, and a certain captain, with some comrades, ventured upon crossing the frontier and taking rengeance on their merciless conquerors. One of the band, named Piedelot, being taken prisoner, was burnt alive in one of the fired houses, the wife of an officer who had been slain by the French captain taking the principal part. This female fiend was attired as a uhlan or lancer. What followed is thus narrated by one of the French soldiery : AS3ASSIXATIOX. The following morning we fell unexpectedly on a ioßt post of uhlans about four leagues off. Thrown into confusion by our abrupt attack, they were unable to take to horse, or even to defend themselves. Ia the twinkling of an eye wa had made five prisoner*, an allowato of OEe for each of ns frana-tlreurs. Ihe captain qu stioned them. From their answers, there oould be no doubt thty were thoße who had been engaged in the previous evening's affair. Then a rather singular operation took placa. We compelled them to unbutton their jackets so as to display their chests. We had an object in view, and we wished to a certain it in a* delieate a way as we cculd. Worcs cannot paint our fitroe, almost frantic, jiy when we diso. v red amongst them hsr wht m we were looking for—the atrocious female butcher who had tortured our comrade. The fur others were shot upon the spot; shot in the back at point-blank range. Then we turned towards the she-nblan. What were we to do with he: ? I muat frankly avow that we were all in favor of puttirg her to death at once, like the others. Hatred, ani the desire to exact reprisal for the murder of Pieielot, bad stamped out all other sentiment*. We had forgotten that we were about to make a victim of a woman. It was a woman who brought it to our memory —the captain's wife. At her prayer it was determin d to detiin the she-uhlan a captive. Sae was motdy, and never said a word except when 6he spoke of her huiband, whom the captain had slain. Sae always regarded our leader with a baleful glanoa of fury, and we felt that a stern hunger for revenge gnawed at her vitals. We were pleased at tha*:, for we considered it the most catting ping she could endure for the fearful martyrdom she had inflicted oa Pi6lelot. Vengeance unsatisfied must be the greatest of all gxUii. Alas! we, who knew how to avenge cur comrade, ought to have reflected that this woman would have known how to avenge her husband, ar;d should have kept ouweives perpetually on our guard. It ia true that every tight one of us took turn as sentinel, and that ft-r the first few days we attached the she-uhlan every eveniog by a long cord to a huge bench of old oak, which was made fast to the wall; but by degrees, as we saw that for all her sullen behavi.r she had never made an attempt to escape, these precautions were relaxed. We let her lie down elsewhere than on the bench, and unloosed her bonds. What vai there to fear? She viai a!; one tx'remity <f the room, a man stood sentry at the door, and between Lim and the prisoner tlept the captain's wife and two men. She was ene against four, and unarmed. Tnere was no danger. Oae night we were at rest; the captain was on guard, and the she-uhlan was quietly reposing in her dusky corner with more calmness than ordinary. She had smiled that evening for the first time Bince her captivity, la the middle of the night we were Btartled by a loud cry. We stood up, and bfgin feeling our way in the obacurity, when we knocked against a couple locked together and furiously struggling on the fljor. It was the captain ard the sheuhlan. Wo hurled ourselves upon them as they rolled over the ground, and separated them. The woman laughed and shrieked hysterically, like a hjasia ; the ciptain seemed to gasp as if he hid the death-rattle in his throat. AH this passed in the darkness. Two of us held down the woman. A light waa struck, and what a tpictacle met us! Horror of horrors ! The captain lay on his back in a swoon in the midst of a pool of bloed, a gaping wide wound in his neck. His sword-bayonet, wrenched from his rifle, was stuck in the ghastly, jagged, red hole. A few minutes afterwards, without having had the strength to utter a syllable, he died. His wife did not shed a tear. Her eye was dry, her mouth close like a vie l , her hands crisped, as she fascinated the she-uhlan with a strong stare of stern awful ferocity that made us tremble as we gazid. "This woman belongs to me J " she said, in a deliberate voice. "You swore to me eight days ago to let me end her days in my own fashion if she hurt a hair of my husband'n head. You must keep your oath. You must lash her securely to the back of the hearth first, upright against the end wall under the chimney ; then you can go where you like, only let it be far from this. I will take care that vengeance is enacted. Leave the body if the captain behind. We three will remain here—he, that female, and I! " We obeyed, and lef 3. She promised to write to us to Geneva, whither we turned our steps,

The captain's widow kept her promise, and in a letter to her husband's comrade told him the sequel of the tragedy. ONB TOUCH OF NATUBE. As I was taking a pleasure in insulting this woman, in threatening her with a per* loot banquet of hellish paius, in reminding her cf Pi£delot bu: ned »hve, and io. preparing

the same punishment for her, she looked at me coldly, and said " What have you to reproach me with, Frenchwoman? You think you are acting right in avenging your hu iband, do you not ?" "¥es," I answered. " Well, in killing him, I but did what you are alout to do in burning me. I avenged mine. It was your husband wild killed him." "Then," said I, " since you approve the vengeance, prepare to undergo It.'* 'I do not foar it." And, in truth, she did not appear to have lost courage. Her countenance was unmoved. Without a tremor she watched me gathering the faggots and dry leaves, and carefully emptying the powder from the pouches, eo as to make her pyre brighter and more ciuel. I hesitated an icstant at my task. But the captain was th<Ti, bloody, with* waxen face, staring at me fixedly with bis great glassy eyes. I kissed his t al- i >s, and. set to my work a?ain. Suddenly, ss I lifted, my head, I perceived that she w* a in tears. I wai astonished. "So yai are afraid?**' said I. "Nj; but o i seeing you em brae* your husband, I thought of mme, and of the being4l love." Sic turst into soba; bnt, (stopping herself, she said to me, in a broken voice, almost lowered to a whisper, "Yon —have you —no children ?' A shudder ran through mj frame. I felt that this poo; woman was a mother. She told me to search in a pocket-book which was to be found on her breast. Toere were in it two photographs of two young children, a boy and a girl, with the rosy plump cheeks of German babies. There were also two tresses of fhxen hair, and a letter written in a lirge, sprawling hand,. ard curnienced wi'h the German words which mean "My deirest listle mamraa.'* I c.uld not keep my tears; I unbound the woman, and, without d iring to look in the face of my poor dead husband, who was torest unavenged, I went down with her te the inn. She is free. I have just qaitted her. She clasped me to her arms, and shed tears aa I left. lam going back to fiad my husband. Come quickly, truest of friends, to look for our oyrpses.