The worst falsehood of the war has, we think, been
told within ?the week from the German head-quarters at Versailles,—the worst, 'we mean, because the moat deliberate, and the most dishonourable, and the least justified by the natural self-love of soldiers. Our :readers will remember our summary last week of a French official notification, offering to every French officer who escapes from prison and rejoins the Army 750 francs' indemnity to give him a new outfit, but peremptorily refusing a sous to any officer who had taken any sort of engagement to the Germans. This order, which was in 'he possession of the German head-quarters, having been found at `rleans on their last capture of that town, and which was printed at I, agth in a letter of the Times' correspondent with Prince Frederick Charles's head-quarters at Orleans last week, has been metamorphosed into the following calumny at Versailles, whence it was telegraphed by Mr. Reuter's agent last 'Friday, and published in all the papers of Saturday :—" The German authorities declare that according to an official French document which has fallen into their hands, and which emanates from the 6th Section of the 5th Division of the War Department, -the French Government, by a decree dated the 10th of November, orders a premium of 750f. to be paid to each of the French officers who have escaped from German captivity in breach of their parole,"—the fact being that it was peremptorily refused to any officer who had given a parole. The same calumny, in the same words, is reported from Berlin, in a special telegram to the Times of yesterday, printed in its second edition. We can pardon boastful carmagnoles about victories on either side, but not a deliberate attempt of this sort to befoul the honour of an enemy.
Previous page
