Norwich bulletin. [volume] (Norwich, Conn.) 1895-2011, 1915-08-10
BoULEVARDs OF PARIS
RESUME THEIR GAIETY.
Thousands of Soldiers MinsIe With the
Usual Crowds.

Paris, Aug. 9. Correspondence Of the
Associated Press,.-The boulevards of
Paris have come into their own. Thou
sands of soldiers now mingle with the
usual wartime Sunday crowds-soldiers
OF all arms and in uniforms OF all the
regulation colorS, bringing back some
of the joy and animation that disap-
peared last summer. They are grouped
with families and friends on the ter
races of all the cafes. they whiz along
all the streets IN taxi-autos or in
sumptuous limousines, they crowd the
entrances to all the moving picture
shows and promenade with the arms of
women resting on their faded, stained
sleeves. while little tots hang to their
bronzed pecks or cling to their cal
loused hands.
They are the popular 'poilus" (the
hirsute) home from the front. 1t
seemed last Sunday that all the $4,000
that left the trenches Saturday on four
days leave were there.
1t is believed these soldiers were re-
turnd from the front to check one
phase of a systematic propaganda of
disbursement that started at the be-
ginning of the war and is still going
on. The latest manifestation of it was
a flood of anonymous letters to soldiers
at the front informing them that while
they were shedding their blood their
wives were leading loose lives at home
This is supposed to be the reason for
the decision of the war department to
give four days leave to the men at the
front in contingents of 5000 0at a
time, so that they may look into the
situation at home on their own ac-
count.
The anonymous character Of much Of
the news that circulates gave the fabri-
Gators of false news clear field, the
ignorance in which the public is kept
concerning the details of the military
operations making it impossible for
anyone to deny stories that are circu-
lated: 1t also makes it difficult for the
police to reach the culprits, though
the secret service did succeed in trac-
ing some of the work to an eccentric
millionaire named Provost living at
Saint Raphael, who las been convicted
by a court martial and sentenced to
| prison.
After making a fortune out of insur-
ance, Provost eSpouSed the anarchist
cause. published subservice pamphlets
and journals and finally fell into the
clutches of the Bonnet band whose
sensational crimes excited Paris two
years ago. False news began to cir
culate behind the lines early in the
fall 70 last year; soldiers in hospitals
and at the front received anonymous
letters and circulars with significant
headlines such as "They are deceiving
u.s." Germany has made peace over
lures that we repulsed," "Our generals
nave Ie10 SnlAC VI Jul SUI
diers executed"
All these documents glorihed great
Germany" Names and addresses of
soldiers In hospitals names of refugees
advertising for lost relatives, names of
women advertising for employment
all those whose state of mind seemed
to make them accessible to depressing
news and suggestions received anony-
nous letters and circulars. A suspi-
cious circumstance was that those sent
to soldiers were postpaid, while most
Of the correspondence sent to them is
postfree. Thousands were distributed
by unknown means through the big de-
partment stores. slipped by mysterious
| hands under street doors and into pri-
| vate letter boxes; they were even
scattered over the floors of postoff1ces
| and the cars of the subway.
1t was finally discovered that the
subjects treated and the language used
were the same as in some proclama-
| lions dropped by German aviators upon
| positions held by troops Of the second
| line Of Basseux in November. Finally
| a woman was detected dropping large
| packets of letters into letter boxes and
was Swallowed. She received letters