The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1870-10-03

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let into the house OF wealthy resident in Fifth ave
nue. and allowed TO take what they like and Gestro,
! what they did not take. Sucn Is the at the
! Chateau dc Bellevue, near Sedan. No sooner had the
| King OF Prussia taken his departure than whole
most OF Prussian and Bayaran soldiers broke into TN
| house. In half an hour the place was what see
| now, wretched wreck OF furniture and everythin,
else II contained. The wine in the ccller drunk
the pictures were hacked to pieces; the smalle
furniture, the plate ana all that could be taken away
was stolen the rest ruthlessy. reckessiy destroyed
NJ Amoore had q very fine library. The smaller
books have been taken away, the larger ones tori
to pieces and strewn about the garden. Looking
glasses have been smashed bedsteads broken Il
bits chairs torn piece from piece. tables split ~
| with axes. In the stables there four good car
rlages two carts and six horses. All are gone IL
the farm yard there were pigs, fewls, two mllcl
cows and some sheep. These have followed the
horses and the carriages. In the barns there was
quantity OF wheat straw that had not yet been
| threshed and some that had been. The soldiers
have taken the former to make their beds and left
the latter. The velvet OF the drawing room,
the spring mattresses or the bedrooms, the pillows
OF the beds and even the tapestry OF the boudolr
had been all cut open TO tinu out whether anything
! was concealed therein In one room grand piano
has been smashed as II by huge hammers; in another
costly chiOnnier OF china wood and ivory mas mes
wltR the same fate Even the little chidfen's toys
| have not escaped, but have been taken out
of the nursery broken 20 pieces and thrown about
| the garden. Talk or New York r0wdics 1 don't
believe that Tribe OF red Indians would have COM
| mit,ed such wicked wanton destruction. Nothing
that heard or in the widest and most wicked
wars has ever come up 10 what now see before me
write these lines. And, be II remarked, that the
owner OF this once elegant home was not a man
who mad ever taken any prominent part against the
army OF barbarians now invading France. He was
and Is simply hard working man OF business. who
had brought into his native valley OF the Meuse the
lessons OF industry ana thrift he had learned in
America. He had not even fed at the approach OF
the Prussians. His house had been fixed upon as
the temporary residence OF the King during the
three days light in this valley but he had merely
retired TO Sedan a couple Of miles away. When the
royal parsonage ana his STAFF left Bellevue Mons.
AInoore Immediately went back to his house ana
found the work have weakly described going on He
demonstrated with the senior onicer present and was
told IN reply that u certainty deploraDlc, but
that It could not be helped and THAT II he applied
10 the King OF Bavaria most OF troops present,
though not all, were Bayarlans he would bc indem-
nhed. Win this consolation he was obliged TO be
content.
And almost better on is this unfortunate gentle
the Prussian Officers VINO have been bil!eted upon
the citizens CT the place have had hesiration in
taxing prostitutes or the town 10 their quarters, al
though IN those quarters are resdeht the wives and
daughters OF the masters OF the respective houses AT
the Hotel dc liEIrpe, the only decent IA Sedan,
the Prnssan officers have calmly told the master OF
the house that they would not suffer hlin 20 lodge
any French people in ms hotel ana that they would
iufn out Of the dlning room any one who spoke in
French. In al The wars have heard OF III the
civilized world. sooner was the actual lighting at
end than the conQuerors did all they could to in
duce tue people to return To their pcaceable
tons. Bat IL IS otherwise with The Prusslans. Not
only do they speak Joyful triumph OF all the mills
in this industrious district being stopped. but in
many instances they have deliberately,
cur the Leather STRAPS ana other gear Of
the wheels In Mouzon. the only
bearing part OF the valley they have
forbidden the people TO plough the land for next
years harvest. They boast that what they do VIII
be heard Of they ~ they have bought up
all the chief English papers ana win not admit u
village two miles from this ney shot the priest an
old man OF eighty years OF age because, they SAID
ne had advised the people to resist The Invaders
Horses, carriages carts and every KING OF transport
is seized at once. without leave being asked or in
curry made as 10 who the property belongs to.
But worst OF all Is the wanton, wicked waste. |
The Prrssian soldiers seem to take devilish |
dcligh in spelling and wasting even more than rhey
take and use For instance when the tide o. nva-
sion higher and higher, and at last slrged up
even 10 this part OF France, The harvest had been
gathered H. but the wheat aud barley had only balr
been rhreshed. | can tuly understand that tue sol
diers should reqrc straw upon which 10 lay; but
could they not take that out Of which the corn had
been threshea ana leave the untnreshed Tor
. better usey But no. Whenever they gei a chance
they Invariably take the unthresned and leave the
threshed And II told by the peasants that they viii
create famine Ia Tie land before the winter months
they reply tat such Is their desire. 1t may be SAID
that these robbcfike acts OF vandalism are done by
soldiers without the knowledge OF their officers. To
this reply, Is probable Is il possible, that army
under such perfect discipline when under arms
should be utterly lawess when Off duty2 Is
II not much more likely tlat hearing from their
the French nation, they have come 10 the conclusion
that against the people OF this country every Kind OF
oppression IS perfectly jus,ihable and highly to be
praised?
TERRIBLE CONDITION OF ALsACE.
II is, in fact, becoming very serious question
what VIII become or THESE provinces during the
winter months now approaching. The condition OF
Alsace, OF Lorraine, OF part OF Champagne and OF
In 1860 after the villages mad been burned ana
sacked by the DruSeS. There Is however, this diff
ference IN favor OF the Syrian pagans that they never
the women. l cannot say TINS much or tine Prus-
slams. They drink like nah. Before they have been
a week in n town all the cellars are empty. win
do them the justice 10 say thar rs regards The actual
violation or females the that have occurred
Gated and are of a very henous class. But thcy do
their utmost TO debauch all the young girls they
come across, ana threaten with violence all who
turn deaf ear 10 what they say ''ut most brutal
OF ell Is the actual pleasure they seem to take III the
sunerings Of t,eir conquered enemies. Yesterday
as 4 batch OF French prisoners We're being marched
or route 20 Prussia saw TWO instances in which
poor women came oni Of their houses and offered
pieces OF bread To thelr unfortunate ellow country
men going away into CAPTIVITY. In both cases the
Prussian soldiers guarding thrust back the women
and would not allow the prisoners 10 take the offered
STARVATION AmoNG THE PEOPLE
AL this, however, bad IS il ~, only regards the
present. But what OF tic iutnrey DO we fully
the fact that IN the provinces or parts OF pro-
vines ] have named upwards or Two and haf
millions Of human beings. nearly rs many rs the
population Of New York Hlll, IN couple OF months
he starving? There u no help FOR them IN the pres
ent Tor ~ Tue word v thlhklag OF now many Prus-
SLAMS VIII he destroy ed ~ Tie siege o Paris, how
many Freuchmen win be killed ut THAT useless mas
sacre There is no nope for them IN the future Tor
they have neither seed 10 SOW, horses 10 plough nor
oxen kill And even Il they had all I'M their
CONDUCTORS would not allow them 10 do anything
AS 1 mentioned above, al Mouzon the authorities
have positively ioTbdden them 10 plough the land
TO SOW IL lor next years crop.
PRESS CORRESPONDENTS.
How comes it, you win ask with good reason, that
these facts have never been limited az by CORE
spondenis with the Prussian army reply that in
*
the truth, they do not. and they cannot tell the
whole truth. II they did 80 they would very soon
get polite hint thar their room would be preferred
TO their company with the army oil united Germany.
Then. again, IL rs not the newspaper correspondents
riding at the head OF conquerng forces that see the
misery going In the rear. have, since the war
begun, met With some half dozen special corrc-
spondents who were with the Prusslan forces.
and not one OF them knew anything or