New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-12-07
Correspondent Thinks the
BOmbardment Calls for
Neutrals' Protest.
SEES OPPORTUNITY
FOR THE PRESIDENT
Lives of Inhabitants of Open
Town Imperilled by Germans
Frequent Smelling.
[By Gable 10 The Tribune J

a long message from Rheims, under
date Of December 4, describing the de-
struction wrought by the Germans in
that neighborhood, and calling upon the
United States to raise its voice in pro-
test.
The bombardment Of Rheims was re-
commenced while journalists were visit
ing the city. One shell killed six street
cleaners. The fact that there had been
no bombardment of Rheims for FIVE
days and then was, on the occasion OF
visit of journalists representing
neutral countries, led the chief Of the
gendarmes to believe that the enemy
has underground telephone communi-
cation with the city.
mo doubt" says Mr.. Ferris, sit is
more sensible to lombard journalists
than innocent townsfolk. who are not
even armed with the pen, and most OF
them women and children, but, gener-
ally speaking, one can discover no logi-
cal course at all in the conduct of the
German campaign. Many harmless and
helpless communities have been pitt
lessly destroyed. Others have been in
explicably spared.
invaded VINE Oelld1s.
1--WE walked through some of the
seventeen miles of cellars Of Messrs.
Moet e. ChandCn, where about mill
ion bottles of champagne per mile are
stored. One of the most eloquent
facts | had found in the devastated
villages to the southeast was a litter
of empty wine bottles. Epernay, one
of the richest and finest of French
towns, was practically untouched. The
wine cellars in which the whole Ger
man army could been hidden were
not entered.
Rheims is not destroyed like the
and small towns burned from
end to end by the army of the Crown
Prince. Rheims Cathedral is not iii
ruins like the linen hall at Ypres,
part of he city presents,
if not its normal appearance, at east
the air of quiet, solid comfort. Here
and there on the southern and west
ern sides of the town buildings have
been destroyed"
Mr. Perris describes the damage tn
the Rheims Cathedral and confirms the
accounts given by other witnesses. He
says the injury done to facades is
painfully visible. Dozens of beauti-
full statues in groups which fill the
sides of the three deep doorways have
been broken. The corner pillars Of the
front of the church are still more COM
pletely defaced, probably by the burn
ing of the scaffolding which covered
this part Of the front before the first
and most serious bombardment. The
range of about twenty gigantic statues
Of kings of France, which runs across
the facade, seems to be intact, as are
the heads of the towers. What the
burning scaffolding did for the facade
the blazing rafters did for the interior
In all about forty shells are believed
TO have struck the cathedral.
No Reason for BOmbardment.
ave came out of the cathedral At
the blackened walls and debris of the
old archiepiscopal palace we verified
the odd fact that the statue of Joan
Of Arc on horseback in front of the
had sustained no damage,
and then looked around for evidence of
some provocation for the lombard
ment, which was still proceeding. We
searched, but could find no sort of JUS
.Ifcation. Rheims completely answers
~ Nllt illilNdl9 utsNilPllOli VI OH OPtn
town. II is neither fortified nor occu-
pied by the French. Neither is the
army in the trenches two or three
niles out. There is not. and never has
oeen, any military reason for the bonn
caidment.
1.-TWO justifcations have been Of
cred. On September 2 General Won
3uelow, commanding the second Ger
nan army in its southwark advance,
ent forward two officers Of the I'M
,erial Guard. General Won Arnim and
General Won Hummer, to treat for the
of the city. At the village
# Neuvillette they were met and were
old that the Governor General was
eaving Rheims, and that it was use
ess for them to go further. From
his moment they inexplicably disap-
,eared. On the morrow, as they had
lot returned, the Guards artillery, not
moving that some Saxon officers were
Ilready in the town to arrange for
bombarded it, and there
ire said to have been 200 killed and
on this occasion. General
-on Buelow then took hostages and i'm
,osed a large fine on the city.
"The second excuse is that the
,athedral has been used as a military
ignal station or observation post. The |
Able Thinot, chapel master of the
cathedral, in a published statement
avs that for a single night before the
opposed hosts came in contact an cleo !
rio light was installed in the north !
over, but that il was taken down and |
lever re-establshed. Military and |
authorities agree in de- |
laring positively that since September |
2, when the French returned and the !
Germans retired, leaving a number of |
heir wounded behind, no military use
# any kind has been made OF the |
athedral, and that no military post /
las been established near it.
"Such are the main facts of an cpl. |
ode of the great war which will be a |
asting stain on the character of the |
ierman army. On these facts | ven
ure to appeal directly to the public |
men of neutral countries, and particu- |
arly to those OF the United States, to !
make at length a formal and unmis-
akable protest.
Says L. s. Should Protest.
How many lives have alceady been
iacrifced to provide entertainment for
German artillery officers it il vet i'm !
possible TO say. One substantial citi. |
.en whom | questioned thought thou !
'and civilians had been killed in the |
asst three months, chiefly by the ear
ier cannonades. This is, perhaps. over
but the death roll is Ger.
alnly long one.
There is no apparent reason why |
he city should not lie under fire for
mother three months. The Germans /
will certainly hold on here as long as
hey can, and when they have to let 20 |
hey will not do so in spirit of /
submissiveness. Are another
thousand innocent and helpless non
ombatants to be slaughtered
81 have seen Americans, men and |
'omen. working here in ambulances on