HEROIC MAYOR'S DEATH.

Feilding Star, Volume XI, Issue 2600, 8 April 1915, Page 4

HEROIC MAYOR'S DEATH.

GERMAN MAJOR'S CRIME. A vivid account of the heroic death of the Mayor of Senlis, M". Odont, was obtained by a correspondent of the Morning Post. The story was told by an eye-witness, an old man named Lefevro. The Germans had previously drawn tip a list of hostages, evidently # according, to tlieir private information, and tho pretext that they had been Jired on by civilians was obviously insincere. -Theso 'numbered seven, including M. Odont. Ho could have escaped easily; indeed, the day before he had left the town to conduct his wife ancT daughter to a place of safety. The townsfolk thought -he was running away, and Jiooted him in the streets. 1 At Pontarme the little party was joined by M. Martin, one of tlie Senlis town'councillors, who stated that lie also had been the object of a similar demonstration. M. Odont said he would not rest under such an unjustified insinuation of cowardice, and left M. Martin to convey Madame and Mile. Odout, returning to his doom. Wlien the Germans had included 1 him in tlio number of hostages drawn (up in line, two officers came up and shouted rouc-hly, "Which of you is j the Ma yor?" M. Odont stepped forward. '"So it is you, sir, who shot I our troops, or ordered them to be shot at." M. Odont's protest wa.s rudely cut short with. '"You must lie shot." Then, like wild beasts playing with., their victim, "Down on your knees, they said. Then "Lie down." All seven hostages obeyed, under protest, and M. Delacroix, a councillor, who was next M. Odont, heard Jiini say: "I was sum this would happen. I should not havo come back to put invsell 1 in their clutches." After this he wa.s put into a farm-,-vard, where he. quietly said his prayers. For the second time an officer — a niaioi'—- came up and asked,. "Arc you "really the Mayor?" "Yes." '"Then, you let German soldiers bo • shot down. You posted up no official notice prohibiting tlio townspeople from retaining weapons. You will bo punished by death." (These accusations aro absolutely untrue.) Then tho major seized the old. man and hurled him to the ground, stood back as he slowly picked himself up, and mocked him, passing his Jiands over his head, and pretending to ad-minister-extreme unction. M. Odout, , whose face, they say, seemed transr figured, walked over to M. Delacroix, and gave him his private papers, saying, "Give-tliese to my wife, and teU her where I am." TJie executioners were impatient now. Quickly the Mayor was led fifteen paces off, and m a flash the volley was fired. M. Odont, fatally wounded, fell on liis right side, his arms raised in the air, and as lie rolled on the ground in Ins death , agony tlie major stepped up and blew his brains out with his revolver.