New-York tribune., 1914-11-15
Tribune Correspondent
Visits Battle Front at
Viry lie Francois.
TOWN DEVASTATED
BY THE INVADERS
Germans, Before Retiring, Hold
up Citizens on Streets
mayor Describes Retreat.
Nv c. INMAN BARNARD.
,..r,, Correspondent, Of The TriouneD

,s.~,. Correspondent OF The Trioune)
v,trv-le-FrSneois, France, Nov. IA
while the Kaiser Is lsshing on his
,roons in FLANDERS in desperate struS-
,,s 10 win a Channel port to make a
Rerlin holiday, and while the fierce
hottlss in the north will probably de-
c;ss the fate Of the German armies in
r,~.nc,. on the whole line from Rheims
20 yerdun both French and Germans
ore working with pick and spade forti-
fv;pr positions. The result is series
# earthworks sucn as the world never
hefore has seen on q front OF over q
brn6re6 miles At least a thousand
niles o. trenches have been dug. They
are occupied by over q half million men,
md are briStNng with siege guns, held
pieees and machine guns.
7 spent IL rec hours tramping through
zen les 81 trenches IN the vicinity
Of Rheims. On approaching the third
line Of trenches the general, VINO had
courteously permitted me TO go along
VIII hiri. told me and the officers ac-
compsnying him 20 spread out 20
twenty metres intervals, as we were
within range of the German rifle FIRE.
When after passing nearly mile Of
7ig-zGg z parallels we were less than
Eve Hundred yards of the first line Of
CernsD trenches. we could distinctly
hear the Germans shouting to one an
other and now and then see their
spiked helmets rising above the level
c. the trenches.
Both Sides "Dig In"
For ffty-oight days each side has
been 6iggirc away, making its position
impregnab. .e, and what ] saw was only
portion OF the lines held BY q single
brigade that is 20 say, only an IN
fnitesiu portion Of the immense
front beld by the French armies. 1t
would BE- useless to sacrifice life 70
carry p position around Rheims by
frontal attacks, which would require at
least q hundred thousand men. Even
then there would be no certainty Of sue
cess. The French arc too wise 20 at
te'hpt 90 storm This German Plevna. es-
pciailv as the Allies success in North
IN France would compel the Kaiser's
troops 20 abandon the line OF Rheims,
saint MenehCuld and Nerdun or be
aiken IN the rcar.
In conversation with II. Paillard,
Mayor Of Nitry-le-Francois, to-day the
Mayor told me the town had been held
Eve days by the Germans. The first in
t.mation of the vicinity of the enemy
was al 10 O'Clock. when a regiment Of
the Deaths Head Hussars tore through
the streets 90 grllOp, sounding trum-
pets and cheering.
Fail 20 Place Battery.
1T was @ magnificent moonlight
night" said the MAYOR. "Hour after
hour infantry, cavalry and artillery
poured in q ceaseless stream through
the town. A young Prussian lieutenant
declared proudly. Every day for five
days we have fought d battle, and
every day q victory
"Nitry however, closed
this series Of successes. The next day
The Germans could not place single
battery. As fast as they were put in
position they were swept by the muir
der0us fire Of the French field artil-
iery. The hlmor Of the Germans then
changed, and lrom being contemptuous-
iy good aa.ured they became irascible-
They established lines of troops with
nXed bayonets and prevented peasants
IRON entering the town, as if they sus-
pectec them Of giving information 20
the French
The would not ~ first allow the
priest TO celebrate mass. Finally an
appeal was made 20 the general and
ntrm ion was given on condition that
a half dozen soldiers. with fixed bayo-
nets should mount guard az either side
Of the altar
Wounded Pour Into Town.
"All day long during the five days
The Germans were in occupation an
endless stream of wounded poured into
town OIL foot, on stretchers and in am.
balances and wagons. tin the church,
the saving bank. the hospital. thc
barracks and other buildings were filled
70 oyeriowing with them The savings
oanS was used as a sort of clearing
house for the wounded. All the fifteen
hundred chairs of the church we're
carried out 20 the square I'm front. Here
me wound were placed. and surgeons
md nurses went from chair TO chair
EUng FIRST aid and binding up wounds.
llls went ON day after day. Hundreds
OF mattresses were placed in the
cnurch and an operating theatre impro-
"sed on one side in the chapel.
AZ the end Of five days the church
vas a shambles The floor was COW
ered with blood. After the departure
OF the Germans the fire brigade had
10 clean 10 out with fire hose A
week after the departure Of the Ger
mans nine bodies were found in the
Hotel des Noyageurs. When the re-
treat began and the artillery began to
pour through the town, IN order not
20 discourage the thousands of wound
cd encumbcriug the Place d'Armes and
ne neighboring streets. the guns and
Hnoers were decorated with branches
o. trees and flowers, as if they were
returning from a victory, but, in real
~. 70 hide the fashion in which the