Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1870-10-14
STRASBOURG,
The Story Of Its Bombardment Graph
ical1y Told--Terriblo Scenes In
the Town.

Mr.. Edward King, in very in
teresting letter to the Boston ./our-
nal, furnishes graphic account of
the siege of Strasbourg. Writing
on the 7th ultimo, he says that the
town has become Il place of pilgrim
age for sight-sccrs; and during
the past week thousands of persons
had gone thithcr from Baden, Wur-
temburg, and from the North, to see
the spectacle. We quote:
THE BoMBARDMENT COMMENCED.
1t has been estimated that a few
days before the 10Th twenty thou
sand Of these people had fled for
protection to the city, and there
were then not much less than one
hundred thousand souls. \ vast
number Of these were women and
children, and some hundreds of dis
reputable characters are supposed
to have entered the city ut the same
time. These latter, along with the
regular city mob, and worknen who
had long been out Of employ, made
up a rough element for a belcaguer-
ed city. But seeing that the Ger
mans were going to works i'll real
earnest, and were taking posNcssion
of all means of communication With
the outer world, u number ofI.iti-
zcns, who were able, made thcfr cs-
cape, though these were tor) the
most part people in a wealthy con
dition of life. The Germans began
in earnest on the 10Th. The Baden
pioneers began to work on the first
line of trenches. On the nj CHIT Of
the 18th and 10th heavy cannonad-
ing was kept up by both sides, thir-
teen Badensers being wounded in
Kchl, and great damage done to the
city. From the fortress 4 number
of places before the city were shot
down in order to leave the enemy
no position to take possession of.
The German batteries were then in
strong force, and the heavy guns
threw into the fortress perfect
hail-storm Of bombs and cannon
balls. The Notifications took fire
in various places, and the flames
threatened to extend to the city
with every hour. The Strasbourg
garrison worked well, the guns be-
ing well manned and directed by
artiIlerists who have served their
time in the army, but who have
since made Strasbourg their home.
The German fire directed upon the
city was from kehl, on the Baden
side, supported by a number of
batteries from the PruSsians on the
Alsatian side. On the following
day a powerful siege train arrived
from Erfurt and Magdeburg, and
the guns were planted in the. e.villagc
Of Schiltighein, Bischaigim, and
Ruprcchtsan. The city was thus
placed under fire on all sides.
A TERRIBLE SITUATION.
The condition of the town, the
garrison and the inhabitants was
fearful. The soldiers were no long
er subordinate, the better class of
citizens, seeing the threatened
danger, pleaded that their city
might be spared, but the mob ruled
everywhere in the city. The com
mandant began to take measures for
the expulsion of the Germans in the
city, and he was aided indirectly in
his work by the fanaticism Of the
people. On the morning of the 2lst
one hundred Germans who had
been serving in the Algerian For
eigr Legion were ordered to leave
the city. The gates ofthc city were
opened, and ten sent out at each
gate, with the threat that if they
looked back they would at once be
shot down.
BARBARIC TREATMENT OF GERMANS.
What a position they were placed
in is hardly to be described. They
found themselves between two fires; Z;
being dressed in their French uni
forms, they were marks for the
Germans, and if they attempted to
turn they would be shot down.
Many were indeed killed, and others
saved their lives by running across
to the German lines. Two of them
were natives of Pomcrania, and,
strangely enough, they fell into the
hands of a Pomeranian regiment.
Civil Germans were also turned out
of the city. A young clerk, a Swiss,
of Zurich, was sent out on the 2lst,
and related that he was going with
friend from Prussia across one of
the streets, and because he spoke
High German he was Immediately
arrested and placed in n small cell
with forty others, Their food was
loaf of bread, with bad soup, bad
water, though there was good
spring of water within the prison
walls. The people, he said, seemed
intoxicated with fanaticism. If q
child pointed out passing person
and said Des isch e Scharob THAT is
Saubcain), Des isch Praths (tha,
is Prussian, he was at once ar
rested without any further ado
Among the persons thus arrested
were Bavarian brewers men, who
were taken off their wagons ant
Immediately to prison. They were
taken in their shirt sleeves an(
leather aprons, and many had beer
imprisoned for weeks. No motto,
whatever was taken of sick prison
!; org, The yornp man related nhoj,