The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-11-03
THE GERMANS in STRASBURG.

A correspondent of the London Times writes:
Before quitting Strasburg made visit to
the cemetery of the Jardin Botanique. Inter-
ments are still going on, and O considerable
space in the cent? plots has been tenanted
since was here q week ago. French coffins
were lying piled up aud exposed In the great
side trench. / read some new inscriptions on
the wooden crosses one was to the memory of
the Baden grenadier Alloys Klein, killed by a
bayonet wound from drunken French soldier
during the entrance march into the town; his
murderer lies in the same grave. Another was
over patrol fired upsa at midnight of the same
day; two perpetrators were seized, and as
neither would incrimnate the other, both were
shot. This gloomy spot will be the most abiding
record of the horrors of the Strasburg siege.
Its citadel, at this moment so crushed by the
German artillery, will rise to new life, but pain
full memories will haunt this scene for centuries
to come.
'For weeks to come there will be abundance
of work in the enormous reparations required.
Heaps of ruins brought out and piled before the
doors reveal an extent of havoc which would
be unsupported from an external survey; enc
sees only small hole in the roof through
which the bomb had made its way, and then,
like the genii of the Arabian Nights has burst
from its imprisoning vessel gigantic and in
Notices are posted in all directions of the
ten porary instalment of the magazines of shop
keepers dislodged from the ruined quarter of
the city. There are fresh proclamations on the
walls from the Prefects-Counts Luxburg and
Bismarck k-BOhlen-announcing help and repair
of damages, but change has come over these.
No longer, as has been the usage while Stras-
burg remained French, does parallel French and
German version appear on the placards. 1t is
German only now. One sees various indications
that the French language is to be hustled out of
sight as soon as possible. The new official
Alsace of which eight numbers have appeared,
is printed exclusively in German. None of the
journals of the Fatherland will acknowledge the
French names of the streets painted up at the
m their cOrr1sDOQdeQtG
the Porte de Pierre is the Stein Thor, the Rue
des Nuees Bleues becomes the Bau Wolken
strasse.
''The editors of the Strasburg papers have an
nounced the abdication of their functions, which
do not seem to have been overpowerfully ardu-
GUS. Sundays storm of wind and rain has blown
into forlorn tatters the two large German flags
which proudly waved from the cathedral summit,
to which the colony of rocks have now returned;
they fly round and round, in and out the spire,
cawing In curious wonder. The wreck OF the
railway station is being cleared away, but has
been SO shattered that some days yet VIII be re-
quired before 1t can be opened One is surprised
that no photographers are at work to perpetuate
the scenes of the bombardment; their sale would
be enormous; but there has been an exclusive
concession of the privilege to one person. 1t is
probable the rough and ragged edges OF the
scene will be smoothed away before the artists
are ready, as gangs OF laeorers are hard at work
clearing away the chief unsightlness. Little
crowds gather silently at the street corners as
each new placard Is put up, and the disappear
ance of the French language upon them is
avenged by the pencilling of Vice la France at
their foot. One sees no signs of disaffection,
one hears none uttered; nevertheless, / have been
several times told by these unmistakable Ger
mans, We are Deutsch by race and language,
but France par cOeur.
"As the Grand Duke of Baden was examining
the injuries of the siege, an Alsace woman asked
him If he had got money enough to pay for all
the damage he had done. He denied, while
laughing at the bluntness of the question: where
upon she added. Then you had better not come
into Alsace.' The breaches in the houses heigh-
ten the picturesque aspect of buildings, many
of them already sufficiently striking. There Is
clump at the foot of the bridge leading from
the Porte dAnsterlitz into the heart of the city.
They have often been painted by artists, and
wear the look of group of staggering belated
roysterers trolling out we won't go home till
morning One is in doubt to say whether they
are most engaged in propping each other up or
pushing each other down. Their lofty, strag-
Cling many windowed roofs and gables have
been knocked about by cannon balls until they
have got to wear quite human aspect of puz-,
zled, helpless perplexity."