The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1916-11-24

Made BY Vauban Have
Everything That Makes
Up Small City, Even to
Thriving Little Candy
Shops.
(By Kathleen Burke in Boston
Globe.)
It would be useless to pretend that
verdun, sorely stricken, yet living,
kept alive by the indomitable soul OF
the soldiers of France, whilst her
wounds are daily treated and healed
n by the skill of her generals
A white city of desolation, scorch-
ed and battered yet the brightest
Jewel in the crown of Frances joy; a
shining example to the world Of the
triumph of human resistance of the
courage of men
A city of strange and cruel sounds
The short, sharp bark of the 75's,
the boom of the death-dea1ing enemy
guns, the shrieks of the shells and
the fall Of masonry parting from
4. houses to which it had been attached
: for centuries, while from shattered
, window frames the familiar sprite
! of the household looked ever for the
1 children who came no longer across
] the thresholds Of the homes
verdun is no longer a refuge for
!, all that is good and beautiful and
tender. and SO the voices of children
| and birds are heard no more. Both
/ have flown.
Might Be WORSE on
We proceeded to terraces over
1ooKtng the lower part of the town
Fl and witnessed a duel between the
French and German artillery. The
Germans were bombarding the bar
racks Of Chevert, and from all
| around the French guns were reply
ing.
It WAS certainly a JOY to note that
]! Tor one boom of a German cannon
!. there were certainly 10 answers from
the French gums. e
The French soldiers off duty should
have been resting in the caves and
duxuuts which had been prepared
for them, but most Of them were out
on the terraces in different parts Of
the city, smoking and casually watch
ing the effect of the German or of
their own fire.
I inquired of one Pof1u whether he
would be CHAD to leave Verdnn, and
Il he lauglfngfy replied:
Zone might be worse off than here.
This is the time Of year that in peace
times I should have been staying in
the country with my mother-in-law.' -
s' No Talk OF Peace.
There is no talk OF peace in Yer
dun I asked one of the men when
he thought the war would end
Perfectly simple" he replied to
that, stMademofseIle, the war will end
the day that hosti1ities CEASE" ].
I believe that the Germans would
not be sorry to abandon the siege of
Verdun. In one Of the trench news
papers saw the following verse:
Bnches, I'univers vuire lzele i'm
purtun
Taft des .commumfunes" don't per-
some a'est dupe.
= vouse dfteg: mos soldats occuperpnt
Verdun.
.Jmun'ici c'est p1ntpt VErdnn qni les
ocrupe."
We left the car and climbed
through the ruined streets to the top
of the citadel
No attempt has been made to re-
move any of the furniture or effects
from the demolished houses In
those houses from which only the
front had been blown away the
spoons and forks were in some in
stances still ON the table, set ready
for the meal that had been inter
rupted.
From windows lace curtains and
draperies hung over the fronts of
the houses Everywhere shattered
doors, broken cupbruads, drawers
thrown open where the inhabitants
}. had thought to try to save some of
their cherished belongings, but had
finally fled leaving all to the care Of
the soldiers who protect the proper
ty of the Inhabitants as carefully as
II 1t were their own
Left to Soldiers Care
IT would be difficult to find finer
custodians. It was told that at
Bobigny, near Bourget. there is on
one of the houses the following In
scrfpion, worthy OF classical times !.
The proprietor. Of this house has
gone to the war He leaves this
dwelling to the care of the French
= Long i've France1" And he left the
key In the lock
The soldiers bf11eted in the house
A0o0 SAAC AIAoCIlptlOus WHICH met with
their approval. and SO far each regi-
1nent IN passing had cleaned out the
little dwelling and left 1t in perfect
order
From the citadel we went down In
to the trenches which led to the lines
at Thfaumont- The heat in the city
WAS excessive, but in the trenches it
was delightfully."- cool, perhaps a lit
Tie too cool
Complain OF Monotmy.
We heard the men make no, com
p2atnts except that at times the life
= WAS little ~monotonous"
One man told me that he was once
in = trench that was occupied at the
same time by the French and the
Germans There was nothing be-
tween them but sand-bags and a
thick wall Of clay, and day and night
the French watched that wall.
One day a slight scratching was
heard The men prepared to face the
crumbling OF the barrier, when
through small hole popped out the
head OF a brown rabbit Down into
the trench hoped Mrs. Bunny, fol-
lowed by two small Dummies, and al
though rabbit for lunch would have
improved the menu, the men had not
the heart to kill, her. On the con-