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

From the Bloomington (Ttl Pcuta graph.
The following letter, from lady ia
Paris, to her parents, In this city,
was tthrough the kindness of the
American Mipister 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 he thanks 10 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 Ia determine.
Here | am, Paris prisoner of war,
surrounded hv the horrors and vicis.
situdCs incident thereto. DO YOU
think Of me, and Imagine what il
my situation, and that Of other
Americans now in Paris? II IL quite
as impossible for me 20 describe as IL
is for you to realize our forlorn aud
wrctched condition. This once gay
and beautiful metropolis of France
has, IA II were, ceased to he, and il
| now converted into an immense mil.
! iIary camp. We are cut of from the
outer world, and in every street, and
at Iur doors, there are tu he seen sold.
! terS marching and drilling. Amid
! these surroundings | feel as If | was
( in "A desert-it is so lonely and So
| changed and my heart aches for
some tidings from dear home and
| those | love-whO are so free, safe
aud happy on the other side of the
! Atlantic.
Wherever one turns sentinel
! checks you T. ith his menacing bay0-
| net. Not trace Of imperialism il
! left, and the name of Napoleon is
now as UdiOus "a it was once magical
aud roh!c. Every promenade il
/ changed into Il barracks for soldiers,
and there are to be seen the nulnpr-
0us cannon peering over the RAM
/ pgrts, while brave Freuchmen stand
courageously by their guns.
Before the blockade, such a mum
! her of cattle was brought into Paris
that at the emf of last month there
still remained n 900 beCves aud I5O,-
600 sheep. You can imagine the
condition of these cattle--thcy haV-
ing been nennei up without fresh
air aud with nothing but dry food
! furnished them. The meat OF these
| heeves IL neither tender nor whole
some. However, such meat "a there
! IL the Government has wisely and
! Justly determined SHALL be equally di-
Vided between the rich and the poor.
and It any exception il to be made 1t
| will be in favor of tie soldiers, who,
! being on duty Mt the rampaTts, are
| most in need of muscular support.
An ediCt was published u short
| time ago, re-csta6lisbing nm old in.
stituti0n called the tax. 1t was first
established during the revolution of
1872 and 1893. BY the present de.
cree, AL meats are to be sold at "A tar
| III fixed by the Government. To
( procure meat, you must first obtain
/ from the market man "A number on
! The day previous. Then next morn.
ing, az IA very early hour. present
yourself and wait the calling of yOur
numhpr. You may have the mum
/ Der 300, for instance, and you may
! have 10 wait thee or four hours to
secure one, or, at the most, two
! pounds OF meat, rs the butchers re
| fuse 20 sell except in smali quantities,
50 you see our troubles are rapidly
ncCumuiatiug. However, we have
yet one great resort for food, that of
horse flesh, Many have already
! commenced to subsist upon il, aud
declare it 10 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 be.
| come of us when we are compelled
10 snbsist upon the Old diiapidatod
cavalry horses? ? Then, indeed, our
suffering wiIkbe fearful.
\ 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
ters las VIII ht the case with this |
am writing) are taken out by balloon
| mail. We can receive no private
news from outside of Paris. A bal
loon can leave Paris and descend
somewhere. II cannot he tOretotd
where 1t viii descend, further than
beyond the Prussian lines. But a
balloon coming from the provinces
cannot calculate its descent so aucu.
rately as To be sure to light on Paris.
The balloons, on leaving Paris.
take with them carrier doves, aud
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 by the steel of Prussian
arms. Its pulsutiOn could no longer
tlrob in unison with the nation, and
Paris and France were separated
when suddenly dove appeared in
the beautiful bright sky. It flew
toward IA. Around its graceful neck
n tiny white paper was tied. This
paper came from the members of the
Government now ut Tours, telling
us that the country was working in
harmony with The capital. The cir.
Culation of the lifgbloOd between the
heart aud the body was Te.establish~
ed France lived again; Paris, it,
heart, throbbed again, aud all the ef-
forts of the German legions have
been defeated by u 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 tue hero.