Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1917-03-27
Voyennes Cure Breathes Ter
rible Story of Suffering to
British Saviors.
GERMANS FIRED HIS CHURCH
Some of Food Given Natives
SO Bad Even Cats Wouldn't
Eat, He Asserts.
BY 4 STAFF CORRESPONDENT
OF the Associated Press.

BRITISH HEADQUARTERS IN
FRANCE, March 26.-(via London,
11:15 p. m.)-This is the story of the
priest OF Voyennes, Monsieur lie Cure
Caron. who stood in the shadow Of the
still hot walls of his church, which
had been set alight by the Germans
the day they slipped away from
this little village, perched above the
valley of the Sommc.
Flashes of passionate protest min
gled with IA spirit of proud rcsigna-
lion in his recital of the life at Yoy-
enncs during the two and half years
of German control-a civil imprison-
mcnt which ended Monday last, when,
thr u field glasses from the loft OF his
pr pIesbytery, the priest. who also was
acting mayor, saw four khakl-clad
hOrsemen on the road and knew that
the Germans had gone and British re-
lief was at hand.
Booming of Guns Heard
A few minutes later a French cav
airy patrol appeared and the allies
had formed a new link in the pursuit
of the common foe Today the boom
ing of the guns in this pursuit could
be heard over a stretch of eighty bat
tie miles.
The cure told how a few narrow
scars in the earth known ms German
trench ribbons of barbed wire be-
hind them a bit of shell-torn waste.
called mo Mans land" had isolated
section of the French people from
their country as effcctually as if they
had been suddenly transplanted to
another hemisphere. He told how in
Noyenncs, women, children ana cid
men lived and toiled for the invaders
IN utter ignorance of what was going
on in the world about them, Just as
other thousands still shut within the
German lines are living, toiling and
wondering today. They were told
long ago that their beautiful Paris
was TO fall within a week and would
be pillaged and burned.
Told "Paris Is Dead
Later they were told Paris IS
dead" and the Germans added insult
to injury. the old priest exclaimed, by
pronouncing II Paris" instead of
'Paree." The inhabitants of Noyen-
nes submitted to enemy domination
with heads erect and patient calmness
that the Germans could not under
stand. 1--WE would break their pride"
Prussian officers declared. land make
YOU slaves. All France shall fall at
our feet"
Pale. drawn and old as was the cure.
nevertheless he seemed imbued with
sudden. defiant strength as he raised
! himself to his full height and con-
/ tinued:
Fury l. UnbOundcd.
81 told them that never again would
| France yield to such a foe. They
taunted us and said they would crush
Europe in a few months. We replied
that France would fight five years,
D ae
they laughed scornfully at this, but
lately they could not contain their
fury that the war was lasting so long
"And did the people suffer much ?"
he was asked.
"Ah, yes" he replied; tour food did
not last long. Then we had to work
for the Germans and take what they
gave us Sometimes it was so bad
that even the cats refused to eat. Then
the Americans began to feed us and
that saved thousands of lives Our peo-
pie are very grateful.
But let us not dwell on the physical
side today, but speak of the mental
and moral anguish we endured, for II
seemed like the span of a hundred
years. 1t has left us all but embecilc
| can scarce keep my vagrant thotS
together"
Petrol Applied TO Church.
Last Sunday when early mass was
over the German Commandant at Noy-
ennes appeared at the church with a
party of soldiers bearing petrol cans
He bluntly told the priest that he was
tired of the war and as one means OF
bringing the end nearer he was going
to burn the church.
The priest thot it was a cruel jest
until he was escorted to his house and
held prisoner there. He was com
PEELED to look on impotently while the
inflammable liquid was sprayed about
and the torch applied in a dozen
places. OF all the ancient interior
only the wooden crucifix against the
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