Elko independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 1915-current, 1916-03-31
A PICTURE OF
DESERTED vEROUN
BY Pac. and Int'I News Service.

LONDON. March 31.-H. Warner
Allen, representative of all the British
newspapers with the French armies,
sends today the following picture of
war battered and deserted Verdun:
Today, Vcrdun IS not crowded. Not
shop is open. II 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.
lencc 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 10 the
soldier in the trenches have disap-
peared, and now when one walks down
the Rue Mazel, ones course is fire.
quently interrupted. There comes a
rush of wings in the air. and instinc.
lively one makes for the nearest door.
is big explosion. and one goes on.
II was in the Rue Mazel that | met
one of the three civilians of Vcrdun.
He was contemplating the view from
his door with a contented smile and
looked at me with supreme contempt
when | scuttled for cover AT a particu.
iarly loud explosion. You are taking
refuge on the wrong side of The road
he remarked mildly. The left is the
side to escape from splintcrs. since
that is the side from which the Boches
are firing. Anyhow it is no use duck.
ing, 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,
tcntion was suddenly attracted BY a
strange piercing sound that contra3ted
quantity with the continuing roar OF
exploding shells. 1t was a kitten new.
ing plaintively in the first story of a
house. II had obviously been forgot
ten in the haste of evacuation. The
owner OF the house had closed up the
shutters and had never given q
thought TO the poor beast and was
slowly starving to death
Il rescue party was at once formed
NJ. Georges Scott, the artist, who is
mobilized as a Chasseur Alpin, mount
ed OH my shoulders and endeavored 10
hn oh,
But his efforts were unavailing, and
eventually the kittens life was saved
by the firemen of Verdun, who, at ouI
request, broke into theAhouse.
Several large shells had fallen neal
the Cathedral. Ono Of them had gutted
IA girls school and another had landed
fair and square OH = shop that solo
! religious ornaments and emblems. Fol
some unexplained reason there was 6
cures hat lying patheticdlly on the
top OF the debris and at the back
against a wall that had miraculo,r,l,
escaped destruction stood a stuccc
statue of Joan of Arc which hat
passed through the storm of fire un
| Scdthed.
The pigeons. which were flying il
uneasy circles above the Cathedral
| seemed To be curiously disturbed b,
the bombardment. AS Il general rule
tlS birds seem TO regard bombardmen
as natural catachysm, to be suffered
since il cannot be prevented. Any
how. the pigeons of Verdun have no
yet grown acclrst omed to the noise o
the German bombardment.
Despite German shells the Frenci
gendarmes keep a good watch in Yer
dun. There Is no pilliging and tn,
refugees who in their hurry left thei
house windows open and doors un
locked can sleep easy as TO the con
tents of their hours, except in so ia
as an enemy projectile may reduce
them To powder Just near one of th
gates there is a house of which TIN
shutters have not been closed and TIN
window Is still open. II seems tha
just before the evacuation the owne
OF that house had some special oc
casion to celebrate. Looking through
the window one can see table lai,
for sixteen persons and everything
prepared for an excellent meal Their
was beautiful clean table cloth wit
napkins folded mitre shaped for ever
guest Decanters OF wine, red an
white, were standing beside eacI
plate. On the sideboard piles o
oranges and apples were waiting TO
the party that was never to eat then
! The gendarmes in Verdun seem L
keep catalogue of the shells whic
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