The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1914-10-14

Il
PARIS, October 5.-A Photographic
battlenelds. making pictures, has writ
ten the following account nf what he
| saw:
l arrived at Crecy about 10 O'Clock
On Wednesday night. by bicycle from
Iaris, which, with a companions, / had
left at 10 o'clock that morning. Tho
previous day there had been an adj
4 vance guard affair. between the British
and tho German cavalry, which resulted
In the latter being driven out Of the
| town, where the British were In occu-
| patton when Nc arrived.
Next morning very early.we' mount
ed our bicycles again and started off in
\ tho direction Of LII Fcrte-sous- J ouarrc,
I'm perfect weather. Half an hour Is
pedalinS brought us to a little village,
81. Biandiu. where we encountered the
! hrst signs OF German warmakins In
France. The village street was silent
and deserted. We halted outside the
! only cabaret tavcrn) in the place. Tho
| shutters were up. Tho door was closed
| and remained closed to our Knocking.
PccrIng through the window, VIC de-
| serted woman. standing seemingly
| helpless over an old woman on Il couch
| At our cry Of "Anylais." the younger
woman opened the door. TO our re-
quest for anything to drink. she made
n mutc gesture of despair. She led the
I way into tho house.
A scene OF destruction met our eyes.
The little narrow room had been ran
sacked. The rows OF bottles On shelves
| behind the long bar had been smashed.
T! Amid this scene of dcsolution, the wo-
man, wife OF the innkecper. who was
with the French army, told me her sim
| pie story:
Three days before a squadron Of
German cavalry, with n couple of Of
Ulcers, arrived in the village. They
went to the cabaret. The officers or
dered drinks, and walked out without
paying, and the men followed their
example. After They had drunk up
everything at the bar they demanded
champagne, and when there was noI,e-
as the woman told us. she had none
to give-they compelled her, with
leveled rcvolvers, to lead the way to
OF dread. In the cellar the men drank
all tho wine in the bottles, and then
turned their attention TO the wine
casks. They drank much as they
could from the tasks, took away pail
| fuls OF the wine they could not drink
and broke up the remainder OF tie
casks, Needless OF the woman's fearful
iaments. Not content with this wan
ton destruction, the soIdiers killed all
the fowls the woman kept, cut or her
water supply and finally carried off all
her winter supply of irewood.
A column OF British troops arrived
after the Germans had left in ac-
cents OF warmest gratitude she told
me how the British officers, finding that
she and her old mother were prac-
ucally starving. sent soldiers with
ample supplies OF biscuits and bully
| beef, and offered them money, which
! they would not accept. OF their own
accord the soldiers restored the water
4 connection and laid in fresh supply
| of flrewood.
4 Outside the village we fell in with
| two British officers in Il motto, car
One OF them had face familiar to
| me. Then remembered where / had
last seen him. 1t was at the House of
f! Commons. The officer was Sir Mark
Sykes. NJ. r.. who was on the road with
dispatches
| we passed on through innumerable
French villages, sad and silent, all
| showing signs of destruction; here and
| there an old man musing at his door. or
Il group of frightened children fleeing
at our approach, with now and then 4
knot of dumb peasants laberionsly
| burying dead horses. Towards even
ing we were cycling up the long slope
leading to the village OF Sisny -Signets,
where roughly constructed cross
| caught my eye It surmounted q sim
| pie grave dug on the hillside under
| the shadow Of haystack and quite
| close to the road. 1t was the first Brit
ish grave we had met. There was an
| :hueScFlDaDIe SOIemnlty about the last
4, resting place OF this British soldier.
whose name and regimental number n
| friendly hand had rudely scrawled on a
| little cross of wood.
! Dusk was gathering fast when about
| four miles outside La Ferte-sou
Jouarre the sound of cannon, which
we had heard Internationally all day.
| became more clearly audible. The
Marine runs through the little town
which lies on either side of the stream
! in valley. AS we reached the out
skirts weird spectacle broke on our
I gaze. II was a perfect picture OF war,
| in all it's horror, in all its majesty, in,
I ali Its picturesaueness. From the hills
to the right the British artillery was
Smelling the retreatinG Germans on. the
other side of the river. The shells
were bursting with jets OF flame that
broke orange In the gathering dark
ness; couple OF houses, wrcathed I'm
| flame, burned iercely. the light re-
Elected In the peaceful waters of the
Marine, which ran at our feet past two
bridges. blownN up and shattered, In
lamentaHe state.
When the sounds of Ir:ng had died
away, we quietly slipped down into the
| town, Complete darkness had set it,
The Germans on retiring had cut Oft
the water supply and the electric light,
and tho only light in la Ferte that
night was afforded by the lamps car
ried by the soldiers, Down by the
=