Cedar Falls gazette. [volume] (Cedar Falls, Iowa) 1860-1895, 1870-11-04
Eelengnorel Paris.


From the Bloomington (Hl.) Pcutsyraph.
The following letter, from a lady In
! Paris, 10 her parents, in this city,
was Through the kindness of the
| American Minister at Paris, Hon.
/ MIR. Washburne) sent from Paris by
! balloon, to the State Department at
! Washington, and by the Department
sent TO the Postmaster in this city
for delivery:
PARIS, October 3, 1870,
My OWN DEAR FATHER AND
| MOTHER: II will tie thanks To good
| fortune il this letter reaches you
We know that the balloons carry
out our letters, but whether they cv-
er reach their destination is left TO
! time TO determine.
Here am, Paris prisoner Of war,
surrounded hy the horrors and viris.
STUDIES incident thereto. Do you
think of me, and Imagine what il
my situation, and that of other
Americans now i'm Paris? It's quite
as impossible for me 10 describe as IT,
is for you to realize our forlorn aud
wrGtched condition. This once gay
and beautiful metropolis Of France
has, as il were, ceased to be, aud IL
now converted into an immense mil
| itarv camp. We are cut off from the
outer world, and in every street, and
at Iur doors, there are to he seen sold
! ters marching and drilling. Amid
these surroundings | feel as If ! was
in desert--it ia so lonely and So
! changed; and my heart aches for
some tidlngs from dear home and
| those | love-who are so free, safe
! s,,, 4
| Atlantic.
| Wherever one turns sentinel
checks you u it'll his menacing hayo-
net. Not n trace of Imperialism il
| left, and the name of Napoleon is
now as udiOus "a it was once magical
. and roh!c. Every promenade Is
changed into Il barracks for soldiers,
aud there are TO be secu the unmrr~
Ous cannon peering over the RAM
parts, while brave FFeuChmen stand
courageOusly by their guns.
Before the blockade, such n mum
Der of cattle was brought into Paris
that at the end of last month there
still remained "A, coo becves aud I5O,-
900 sheep. You can imagiRe the
condition of these cattle-they hav-
ing bean penneA UP without fresh
furnished them. The meat OF these
hecves il neither tender rOr whole
some. However, such meat "a there
j.. the Government has wisely and
Justly detrmined saaIl be equally di-
v!ded between the rich aud the poor.
and if any exception is to be made it
will be in favor of the soldiers, who,
being on duty at the ramparts, are
most in need of muscular support.
An edict WAS published u short
time ago, re-establisbing nm old in
stilution called the tax. 1t was first
established during the revolution of
1892 and 1893. by the present de.
cree, all meats are to be sold at tar
IN fixed by the Government. 70
procure mrat, You must first obtain
from the market man number on
The day previous. Then next morn.
ing, at II very early hour, present
yourself and wait the calling of your
number. You may have the mum-
Der 300, for instance, and you may
have to wait three or four hours TO
secure one, or, ut the most, two
pounds OF meat, as the butchers re
!, fuse 10 sell except la smalI quantities,
50 you see our troubles are rapidly
accumulatiug. However, we have
yet ono great resort for food, that of
horse flesh, Many have already
commenced to subsist upon 1t, aud
declare 10 to be very good. Up to
the present time, the horse flesh
eaten has been of the young horses
which have been wounded in the
different battles. But what will he.
come of us when we are compelled
to sub-ist upon the Old diiapidated
cavalry horses Then, indeed, our
=, suffering wiilhe fearful.
y regular balloon service has been
formed. II Is true they cannot take
many letters with them; the most
. they take are government documents
or dispatches, still few private let
tera (as will be tAe case with This
am writing) are taken out by balloon
mail. We can receive no private
news from outside OF Paris. A bal =
p loon can leave Paris and descend
somewhere. IL cannot he tOretoid
where il will descend, further than
beyond the Prus-ian lines. But "A
balloon coming from the provinces
cannot calculate its descent SO aecu-
rately as tO be sure 10 light on Paris.
The balloons, on leaving Paris.
take with them carrier doves, and
; when they have safely reached out
side the lines, messages are tied
! around the necks of the little doves.
. They are then set free, and they fly
: back To us with the welcome news
that all is safe.
: The heart of France has been
wounded 10y the steel of Prussian
arms. It's pulsation could no longer
/ throb i'm unison with the nation, and
, Paris and France were separated
: when suddenly a dove appeared In
+ the beautiful bright sky. 1t new
toward "a. Around its graceful neck
: IA tiny white paper was tied. This
: paper came from the members OF the
, Government now at Tours, telling
us that the country was working in
harmony with the capital. The cir
! culation of the lifeblood between the
, heart ana the body was Te-establish~
: ed F; France lived again; Paris, it,
= heart, throbbed again, and all the ef-
forts uf the German legions have
been defeated 10y docile, faithful
messenger, a little carrier dove
{ This fact, sublime in its simplicity,
, requires no comment. 1t Is an event
/, in the history Of the siege Of Paris
} which will be handed down for cen
: turies 10 come, and the little dove
will be the hero.