The Celina Democrat. (Celina, O. [Ohio]) 1895-1921, 1916-04-21
WAR; SWEPT VERDUN
Crashing of Shells Only Sound in
Deserted Village.
Three Remaining Civilians Boast Of
Their Courage in Staying in Bonn
barded Town-Gendarmes Keep
Good Watch and Prevent
Pillagng.

London.-H. Warner Allen, repre-
sentative of all the British newspapers
with the French armies, sends the fol
lowing picture of war-battered and de-
serted Verdun:
Today, Verdun is not crowded. Not
shop is open. 1t can muster three
civilians, and all three of them are
rightly proud of their courage in stay
ing in the bombarded town
have just been walking down the
main street Everywhere there is ST.
lence except for the crashing of the
big shells and the sound of splinters
falling 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
Mazel ones course is frequently inter
rupted There comes a rush of wings
in the air and instinctively one makes
for the nearest doorway, ducking as
one goes. Then there is a big eXplO-
sion and one goes on.
1t was in the Rue Nazel that ! met
one of the three civilians of Verdun
He was contemplating the view from
his door with q Contented smile and
looked at me with supreme contempt
when ! GtSttied for cover at a par
ticularly loud explosion. You are TAX.
ing refuge on the wrong side of the
road" he remarked mildly. THE left
Is the side to escape from splinters,
since that is the side from which the
Bochcs 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
stronge, piercing sound that con-
trasted quantity with the continuing
roar of exploding shells. 1t waa a
kitten mewing plaintively in the first
story of a house 1t had obviously
been forgotten in the haste Of evacua-
tion. 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 to death.
A rescue party was at once formed
N. Georges Scott, the artist, who is
modified as a chasseur alpin, mount
ed on my shoulders and endeavored
to pry open the shutter with a stick.
but his efforts were unavaling, and
eventually the kittens life was saved
- +bo 6ropoap of Uard,,,, ,r,L. -. 80.
request, broke into the house.
Several large shells had fallen near
The cathedral. One of them had gut
ted a girls school and another had
landed fair and square on a shop that
SOLD rehgioEG ornaments and emblems.
Far some unexplained reason there
was a cures hat lying pathetically on
TIE top Of the debris, and at the back
against wall that had miraculously
escaped destruction stood a stucco
statue Of Joan Of Arc.
The pigeons, which were flying in
uneasy circles above the cathedral.
seemed to be curiously disturbed by
the bombardment. AS a general rule,
the birds seem to regard bombardment
as a natural cataclysm 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
gendarmes keep a good watch in Yer
dun. There is no pillaging, and the
refugees who in their hurry left their
house windows open and doors un-
locked can sleep easy as to the con.
tents of their houses, except in so far
Rs an enemy projectile may reduce
them to powder Just near one of the |
gates there is a house of which the |
shutters have not been closed and |
the window is still open. 1t seems
that just before the evacuation the |
owner of the house had some special
occasion to celebrate. Looking through |
The window one can see a table laid |
for 16 persons and everything pre-.
pared for an excellent meal. There |
was beautiful, clean tablecloth with |
napkins folded miter-shaped for every |