BRAVE FRENCH TROOPS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LII, Issue 15820, 18 January 1915, Page 6

BRAVE FRENCH TROOPS

PARTY OF 150 CUT OFF.

RAII?S UPON THE GERMANS.

One of the most astonishing stories of the present war is narrated in the French paper Figaro. •

"On August 22 and 23 heavy lighting [ took place in the neighbourhood 4>l the River Lesse, which rises in Luxemburg and flows through the province of Namur, joining the Meuse near Dinant," states the report. " During that fighting a detachment of 150 French troops became separated from their fellows. It has now become known that at the end of October these Frenchmen were still at liberty somewhere in the forest country, behind the German lines, having evaded evenattempt at their capture.

"The French soldiers owe their adventure to the belated receipt of an order/to retire, which reached them on Sunday, August 23. They attempted to retreat southwards towards Mezieres, but found that the enemy had outstripped them and out their road, leaving them surrounded. They might have surrendered, but they preferred to tako to tho woods, which are dense and extensive, and await tho resumed offensive of their comrades, which they then believed to bo imminent. Search lor Ammunition. " A large stock of ammunition was obtained by a systematic search of the battlefield they had just quitted. Women and children helped in the search, which yielded some 17,000 rounds. Thev divided this stock among several underground depots, the locality of which was Known to themselves alone. As for quarters, they constructed dug-outs, huts of leaves, and rock shelters ; and from time to time

were given accommodation in a barn or other farm building. It was not long before the Germans had excellent cause to divine their existence in the neighbourhood. Night attacks on ammunition columns, captured provision waggons, and hold-ups of automobiles furnished ample proof. Several attempts were made to ambush them, but they invariably escaped, and suffered no losses in doing so. "Generally speaking, they abstained from attacking isolated or lagging Germans in order to avoid the danger of cruel reprisals on the villagers; nevertheless, the Village of Houvet, 20 miles from Dinant, paid dearly for one of their coups. The Frenchmen ambushed a party of German officers who had entered tile Royal chateau of Ardenne, probably for looting purposes. One of them, taken by himself, was called upon to surrender, and when ho endeavoured to seize a gun, was shot in the legs. The noise brought up the others, and the French retired, firing as they went. The Germans, who were furious, took a number of hostages in the village, arrested the Burgomaster, whom they sent under escort to Givet, and telephoned to that place for reinforcements, with the aid of which they vainly attempted to surround the daring little band. Germans Outwitted. " A similar incident having occurred elsewhere, the military authorities decided to organise a vast battue. Entire columns — 1000 mentook part in this operation, which was entirely fruitless, as were others which followed it. The Germans found this kind of thing very trying for their nerves. Their officers seldom travelled without guards, their motor-cars did not venture out tv night, military posts were established on all the chrcf roaas, and a rigorous examination of passports became the rule. Afterwards a proclamation was widely posted, calling upon the daring Frenchmen to surrender.

" The day after this notice was posted at Beaurain'g, it was found that the following sentence had been written upon it in large characters : — ' Since you know so well where we are, come and take us.' The pithy reply was signed with the name and rank of a French officer.

" "Ilie last definite news of the band dates from November 1, on which date the Figaro's informant met one of the party masquerading as a cow-herd."

HABEAS CORPUS.

DECISION OF KING'S BENCH.

[From: ocr own* correspondent.]

London*. December 8.

The jealously-guarded privilege of habeas corpus has suffered a shock in war conditions, as was evidenced in the case of a trading captain at Hull. His ship having collided with a British submarine, lie was arrested by orders of the chief naval officer at Hull, and merely kept in custody without any charge being preferred against him. -»

■ His friends applied for a writ of habeas corpus, complaining that they did not know what charge was made against him. or even whether he would be tried by court-martial or civil court. But the King's Bench refused the writ. The regulations, said Mr. Justice Lush, were made for the safety of the realm, and the Court could not be expected to apply the sarrte rules that were applied in ordinary civil cases. There was nothing in the regulations which said that a charge must be formulated immediately against a person detained in custody. *