The Oklahoma City times. [volume] (Oklahoma City, Okla.) 1908-1984, 1915-02-08

German war correspondents, has re
GENTLY been In Dixmude, which has
become famous through the heavy
fighting around It In October and
November lie writes as follows:
The enemy greets any aud every
movement along the road to DiXmude
with a prOdlgious rapid fire: For
more than a mile this road runs ar
allel to the French trenches four
hundred yards distant. In order to
present as unfayorHhle targets as pos
slble we broke up our party into
long chain with intervals Of some
twenty PAGES between each two men.
Often. too, when the rapid fire grew
too hot we had to 20 forward by
jumping from one tree to the next, al
though there were not large. and had
been shot mostly off by the artillery.
They afforded little protection and
besides, the numerous branches strewn
In the road were great hindrancc
to our progress, Each Of us looked
back frequently to see II his rear man
was still unhurt Thus we approach
ed DiEmude, till we finally gathered
In bunch for moment near the
ruined railway station, for here was
the most dangerous point In our Jour
ney. The crossing Is particularly eX
posed to the French fire At their in
trenchments the French have set up a
number OF rifles exactly tried out and
aimed for this bit Of ground, and they
fire these whenever any living thing
shows Itself there.
Every one OF us saw to Il that he
got over this uncanny bit OF ground
AZ fast as possible. One after the
other we skipped across the embank
ment like squirrels, more bent upon
making good speed than by cutting a
dignified figure We got across safe.
ly and soon had the protection OF the
ruined walls Of the houses.
"Dixmude presents n picture Of de
structiOn such as had not regarded
possible Notwithstanding all that
have seen in this war. No house here
has escaped. and many quarter Of the
towns are heaps Of ruins In which II
* no longer possible to distinguish
where the streets had been The large
market square IL strewn with shells
and In order to reach the point where
the beautiful town hall and the parish
church OF ~. Nicholas used 10 stand
one has to pick ones way amonI
deep holes gouged into the pavemen
by the heavy shells. The church Il
still to be recognized from All arch fl
the wall and piece of the apse Ru
inside the debris lies as high MS
mans head.
Dixmude. Grave OF Culture.
'pixmude is dead the grave Of Al
old culture more touching than an
city Of the antique world unearthe,
after thousands Of years, for here on
sees everywhere mementOs OF me-
still living, whose household goods ar
scattered ir the streets and who's
most precious belongings half charre,
ARE rottlng away IN the rain.
Il got some Idea uf the loss frou
mn examination " the archives whicl
| discovered half buried among IN
ruins OF the Town Hall Manuscript
on fine old hand made paper an
parchment reaching far back into m
middle ages lay there, singed, tor
ana thrown tOpsytnrvy by cxplodln
shells, being ruined by the ralr
There was correspondence from tn
beginning of the fifteenth centur,
carried on In German between Il mel
chant In Calais and the city govern
ment Of DiXmude There Law the min
utes and other documents of the cit
government from the time when III
Hanseatlnc League was in the hlg
tide Of prosperity financial account
reaching back into the fourteent
century. manuscripts Of humanlsti
learning, scientific treasure Of an i'm
portant and fascinating character
Hut gladly rs one would have los
ones self with these discoveries. thl
was manifestly not the moment to bt
come absorbed In them for the enc
mys fire was directed without jutey
ruption at the market square and IN
side " the town hail and ut any me
ment these tutterlng walls might fel
No human being was at first 10 h
seen In the ruined streets. And vr
there was much life In the cIty-bu
underground Hundreds of eyes wer
watching MS while We were wander
Ing about At times sentinel woul
emerge suddenly from tumble q
umhers and stones To warn us not I
cross certain streets, for there M
stretches VI ground In this desolnte
town that nre swept by the enemy
rifle 40 necessarily and with such
hail u bullets that II is sure death /
try tO cross them
sand BaEs for n Roof.
Again we stopped before one
those confused heaps OF ruins. Hell
were the headquarters OF the Germa
commnndant Forbidding az tn pf
looked from the outside, It was con
Portable enough inside II was son
rich mans house, about three-fourtl
Of Its height left standing, and /
rooms on the ground floor being le
intact Sand bags and earth ha
been laid upon the debris coverlr
the upper floors, and this made Il
lower rooms secure against explodlr
shells Candles and lamps shed
mild and peaceful light In the room
"a light that set off finely the cei
tury old splendor Of the costly furn
ture that had been brought In frol
! other ruined houses There we're II
laid Flemish wardrobes In rocco sty
used here to support the cellln;
there were small mahogany tabl,
! In mpire style, with gilt ornamen
In bronze The coffee percolatt
! was humming An ancient cloc
chimed at the end " every hour N