New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1871-05-17
Awful SCENES IN PARIS.
The Dead Unburied-Women and Chi
dren Crowding into the Cellars ia

The Dead Unburied-Women and Chill
dren Crowding into the Cellars for
safety.
The London Times of the twenty-sixth
publishes the following, bearing date of
Paris, the twenty-fifth ultimo:
The armistice commenced nOminally at
nine O'Clock: but after that hour, by Paris
time shells were still falling near the Are
de Triomphe This excited great indigna-
ton among the Parisians. passed through
the Porte Ternes, and found it much
knocked about, though no breach had been
made. The avenues and the adjoining
streets had suffered terribly. Many houses
are wrecks, with the upper stories mere
crumbling masses of masonry. In Neuilly
the doorways we're crowded with people.
chiefly women and children, timidly ven
turing into daylight after nearly three
weeks close confinement in their houses
and even cellars. They eagerly asked if it
was true that the arnistice had com
menced, and what time they had
to escape. One man begged for a
newspaper, declaring he had heard
nothing from the outside world for many
days. saw no signs of starvation. but
most had been obliged to live on bread and
wine, and no meat was prOcurable. Many
were suffering from state of mental eX-
element painful to witness. In the Ave
nue. Foy | came upon barTicade of the
Nersaillists, facing communist barricade
about five hundred yards off. The officer
in command said he had received no intima-
ton of an armistice, and that he, therefore,
had right to continue firing. NOtwith-
standing he allowed us to pass into the near
est ambulance. There we found a priest,
who led us into a neighboring house, among
the ruins of which Law several dead
national guards. The bodies had evidently
been there many days, and were in a state
of decomposition. Most had received bull
let wounds through the head, apparently in
the act of firing through loop-holed walls
at the barricades and houses close by.
The house in which they lay had been
damaged, and was almost broken i'll pieces
by shells and riddled by bullets. The upper
portion had fallen in and the side wall had
given way. There were people in the cellars,
above whose heads all the fighting had been
going on. They had been kept from starva-
ton by occasional donations of food, given
sometimes by the Versailles troops. some
times by the communists, as each side got
possession of the house. The cellars were
dark, close and damp. In one lay the body
of woman, dead from the effects of impri-
sonment, no doctor having been prOcurable
for her. The Versailles troops were search.
ing the cellars for wine, and Selling what
they found. They seemed greatly wanting
in compassion and sympathy for their dead
enemies.
In the Rue Pelloner, where the severest
fighting had gone on, not a tree was left
whole. Most were torn to bits by the
mitrailleurs. Between the two barracks
lay the decomposed body of an Ouvrier
which neither side had been able to remove
The barricades were about five hundred
yards apart, each strongly protected by
mitrailleurs. There were soldiers in houses
between, but they had been living in cellars
and could only change quarters by crawling
along on the ground under shower of bul
lets and mitraille The hostile outpost:
were within forty yards of each other, firing
through loopholed walls. The troops to day
remained near their respective barbados
The Nersaillists had received orders NOT
to hold any communication with the ma
tiOnal guards, and firmly repealed all ad
vances. There seemed great bitterness or
both sides. Neuilly soon became filled with
crowds looking for their friends and helI
ing to carry away furniture. There wat
naturally great confusion, which was mucf
increased by the refusal of the Versatile;
officers to let the crowd pass to the lower
end of the Avenue de Neuilly. Several ar
rests of ambulanciers and national guard,
were made. There were loud complaints
that these proceedings destroyed the Use o
the armistice. There is every prospect o
an immediate renewal Of the fighting will
increased animOsity. Porte MaillOt has
been severely damaged, but not preached
The southern forts have been firing all day