El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1916-03-30
D0DGING SHELLS
IN FRENCH TOWN
Girls School Wrecked by
Bombardment; Getting
Used to the Fire.

-AyAAAoAAf AaAAs+a MAI En oU---IAs W aLIEl
Allen. representative of all the British
newspapers with the French armies
sends today the following picture OF
war battered and deserted verdun:
To-day, verdun is not crowded. MOI
shop is open. It can muster three
civilians, and all three of them are
rightly proud of their courage in stay
ing in the bombarded town.
Il have just been walking down the
main street Everywhere there is sill
ence except for the crashing of the big
shells and the sound OF splinters fall
ing on the roofs. All the goods, the
shopkeepers had collected as specially
calculated to appeal to the soldier in
the trenches, have disappeared. and now
when one walks down the Rue MazeI
ones course Is frequently interrupted.
There comes a rush of wings in the
air. and instinctiyely one makes for
the nearest doorway. duckinc as one
goes. Then there is a big explosion,
and one goes on.
DOdging the shells.
1T was in the Rue Mazel that I met
one of the three civilians Of Verdun.
He was contemplating the view from
his door with a contented smile and
looked at me with supreme contempt.
when I scuttled for cover at a particu-
larry loud explosion. You are taking
he remarked mildly. The left is the
side to escape from splinters since that
is the side from which the Boches are
firing. Anyhow. it is no use ducking
since by the time you've heard the shell,
the danger is over"
AS we went up the steep lonely
streets towards the cathedral our at
tention was suddenly attracted by a
strange piercing sound that contrasted
quantity with the continuing roar of
exploding shells. It was a kitten new
ing plaintively in the first story OF 4
in the haste OF evacuation. The owner
Of the house had closed up the shutters
and had never given a thought to the
poor beast and it was slowly starving
10 death.
Girls school Bombarded.
"A rescue party was at once formed.
NJ. Georges Scott, the artist. who is mo-
bilized as Chasseur Alpin. mounted
on my shoulders and endeavored TO
prise open the shutter with a stick
But his efforts were unavailing and
eventually the kittens life was saved
by the firemen Of Verdun. who. at our
request. broken into the house
Several large shells had fallen near
the cathedral. one Of them had Quilted
z girls school and another had landed
tair and square on a shop that sold
ornaments and emblems For
some unexplained reason there was a
cure hat lying Datheticallv on the top
81 the debris and at the back against a
wall that had miraculouslv escaped de-
5truction. stood stucco statue of Joan
Or Arc, which had passed through the
storm Of fire unscathed.
birds Not Frightened.
The pigeons, which were flying i'm
uneasy circles above the cathedral.
seemed TO be curiously disturbed by the
oombardment. As a general rule the
birds seem TO regard bombardment as
a natural cataclysn. to be suffered
since It cannot be prevented. Anyhow.
the pigeons Of Verdun have not vet
grown accustomed to the noise of the
German bOmbardment
Despite German shells, the French
yendarmes keep a good watch in Yer
dun There is no pillaging and the
refugees who in their hurry left their
mouse windows open and doors I'M
locked, can sleep easy as to the con-
tents OF their hours, except in so far
as an enemy projectiie may reduce
them TO powder. Just near one Of the
gates there is a house on which the
shutters have not been closed and the
window is still open.
banquet Never Eaten.
1T seems that just before the evacu-
alton the owner of that house had
some special occasion to celebrate.
Looking through the window one can
see a table laid for 16 persons and
everything prepared for an excellent
neal. There was a beautiful clean
tableclOth with napkins folded mitre
shaped for every guest Decanters OF
wine, red and white. were standing be-
side each plate On the sideboard piles
OF oranges and apples were waiting,
for the party was never to eat them.
The gendarmes in Nerdun seem to
keep a catalogue of the shells which
fall in the town. Those who live in
oombarded towns take a definite pride
in showing the visitors the holes made
by German projectiles and the houses
that they had thoroughly destroyed. It
was with an expression OF the greatest
satisfaction that one Of the gendarmes
asked US to come and see his gate,
because, during the previous night he
had counted III big shells that had
fallen into its neighborhood.
Painters Field Is Gone.
M. Scott, the artist, remarked TO
me:
This war is the end Of the battle
painter. since. apart from curiously
lucky circumstances. there is abso-
uteiy nothing to paint. Modern war
fare has nothing to do with colors. Il
Is a symphony in sound. II is a sub
Jet matter for the musician, not the
artist. Perhaps the musician Of the
future will he able 70 convert into