White Cloud Kansas chief. [volume] (White Cloud, Kan.) 1857-1872, 1871-03-02

a Picture OI the H0tM In France.
N. Cspper. one Of the English Com
mi.sioners for the distribution of the
"Wsr Victims Fond" writes to the
London Times from Thiouville, France:
! have just returned from . three days
tour among the villages between Metz
and Brisy. with brother delegate. DR..
Nicholson. and everywhere ws fouud the
ssme tale Of ruin. -
Mos Of these Villages to the nortbwes.
Of Me,s ere entirely agricultural. They
were Inhabited in masy cases BY substsn
tisl farmers, and 10 some csses rich pes
ssnt psopfietors: bot tb.ir riches were
all upon the ground.
10 August lest their grsnsries were
full OF corn. their stsb'es were foil Of hor.
ses and oxen. and 9 more prosperons
neightorhood it would have BEEN diff
cul, to End.
: BY the end Of October oil their horses
bad been requisitionsd. their esttle taken
snd killed. their grsneries were emptied.
aud their seed corn had been eaten-eveu
il the movements of coutsading armies
had not prevented them from sowing their
fields.
When their own stores were qnits ex-
hsusied. the Psissisa soldiers sh ~ cd their
rs!ions with them. sud in m.oy eases
they bad nothing Whatever besidea to
depend upoa. Even their stores Of Gre
wood had beeo burned; and this. stripped
ard destitute. they had to face . winter
Of tremendous severity.
This vas The state Of things when our
society commenced i,s operations, and
now We have about fifty villisgsa. the
lnsyoss Of which supply us with lists oi
BE most necessitous Of their inhabitants.
70 whom We supply regular rstions o'
potatoes. -four snd bacon.
II any one is sflicted with the love o
itsry glory. let him visit the neighbor.
hood Of Metz: let him see the wasted
environs. with the stumps Of thousands
OF what were choice fruit trees; let him
enter the half burnt, dssolste. famine
fever. and smallpox stricken Villages
and ss be be drives along the ehoussee
nov lined BY rows Of stumps Of what
were once trees giving grateful shade. and
notice here an there great mounds on the
bleak plsin-mounds under the frozen
surface Of which lie the remains of hun.
dreds OF brave men. let him think at how
great . cost this glory is purchased
Most Of those mounds have no name OF
sign. bot occasionally is to be seen q
rough wooden cross. to tell yon that be.
meath lie such and such . son Of The
Fstherlsnd. who rests 10 God. having
found bsros's dsslh in one or other ol
the great fiehts.
At Ste. Marie-sux Chenes. around
which rsged the battle of the 18th oil
August, nearly 1000 bodies lie buried
under q few inches of soil. Often hss
the ploughmsn to torn bis share on one
side. Msasurers are. I believe, being t..
ken for their reinterment.
Thionville. where now write from,
wss nearly wrecked BY the bombsrdment.
Twenty thonsand shells fell 10 town, and
there was hardly house bot was st,nck.
Strange to ssy. bot one inhsb,tant was
killed. The fortress 10 OF immense
strength. and every precaution was taken
tn render it impsegnable. Thousands of
beautiful trees were cut down that they
might not interfere with the range of the
guns. yet the Notifications have hardly
been touched; they are ss strong ss they
ever were. The Prussian shells went
right over them. and by tn, dsvsststiou
they wrought in tho town compelled the
commsndsnt to yield.