AN UNFORTUNATE TOWN.

Rodney and Otamatea Times, Waitemata and Kaipara Gazette, 23 June 1915, Page 3

AN UNFORTUNATE TOWN.

In the history of warfar<?,.™MJJflfcfcj in France there is no tov\W^j|l^^^^H such an unenviable recti ?I^^^^^^H Soissons, which, in ti' ii]^^^^^^^| has a pleasant locatic«^^^^^^^H of the River Aisne, n^^^^^^^H .wooded hills. At ojzJ^^^^^^^^M no more popular pjij^^^^^^^^^l when its abbeys vf^^^^^^^^^H the land with the y^^^^^^^^^^l country at their fa^J|^^^^^^^^| abbots of St. MedaT r l^^^^^^^^f ant of all French:ivUc^^^^^^^H first two dynasties,.^S^^^^^^^H were lords of almosr^>j^i^^^^|^| lages, farms, and man^rt^^Hp^Bß Soissons w4s the fie^i&r^E^ sionary labours of St. arisjp ;Vfcd Sw' Crispinian, patrons of the sh\^|Lking craft, who brought ChristianityH-o the town in the third century, they suffered severely at the hands of Rictiovarus, the Governor, under whose orders they were stretched on the rack and; after the application, of several other tortures were thrown into the Aisne, a millstone having first been tied around the neck of each. They were able to swim however, and man-ag-ed to reach the opposite bank. i Soissons has been the scene of many victories and defeats, has been sacked times without number, and enjoys an unenviable notoriety for the great number of sieges it has undergone. In 1870 the Germans entered it after a. bombardment, of four days.