The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1918-10-21
VICTIM OF THE HUNS.
How Chateau-Th ierry Suffered During
It's OCCUPATION.

About two hundred of the Chateau
Thierrians mostly old men and old wom-
en-, did not join the refugees when the
Germans approached Down in their
cellars they had lived through two bonn
bardments with an endurance against
terrors and distress which stood out in
an even more astonishing light when
we found them emerging cheerfully
from underground, patiently ready to
start in to salve the remains of their
possessions. They. said that there were
never large German numbers quartered
in the town. Their visitors had been
members of looting parties.
One looting squad had devoted its
efforts to an investigation of the wine
cellars. Chateau hierry was a town of
gentihty. 1t was also town of sound
prosperity. There was not a family
which did not have a few bottles of
wine providently stored in some cob
webby corner of the cellar. We had
had several hours of dust, we were
certainly thirsty. The army medics
had not yet passed the water supply
which trickles from the fountains, and
as the Huns have Taught US to have an
extreme wariness against their relin-
quishments, we thought that in our tour
OF house-hunting we might come across
one undisturbed cork. We did not.
Teutonic thoroughness had been one
hundred per cent perfect
We found plenty of choices for our
home. As shelled towns go Chateau
Thierry cannot be said to have suffered
grievously. Outwardly it is quite recog-
nlzable. True, there is hardly a house
without hole through the roof, and
the walls have many new windows, and
some streets are in utter desolation
Nevertheless, it was what we found
within the walls which was distinguish
ing IN this era of noteworthy destruc-
ton. We continued through house aft
er house in overwhelming amazement.
The vandalism within those walls
was highly standardized On the floors
every room had its heap of rubbish.
Every heap was sprinkled evenly with
broken glass as if the work had been
done by some skilled pastry cook with
lifetime OF experience back of him of
shaking sugar over carefully prepared
messes. On the walls there was evil
dence IN the empty picture frames
that there had been appreciation (pos-
slbly) and aequisitivencss Certainly
! IN the Teuton' s gaze at the paintings.
! Many had been carefully cut out and
rolled up, and their present address is
some place over the Rhine. Others. not
found SO appealing or worthy, had not
been DESTROYED, On the contrary the
art sense of Kultur had found WAYS
add distinguishments which the artists
and owners had never thought of. Par
teularly we noticed that when paint
ing showed the sun or the moon that a
. well-managed knife blade had neatly
removed those orbs.
Practically everything made of glass
, was broken. If the smashing of one
a mirror brings bad luck for several
years, then the scheduled misfortune
atioat over certain heads ought to be
as visible as a cloud.
The large and important pieces of
furniture were not irretrievablv de
Stroyed. They We're slashed, and scien.
titeally smashed, and efficiently gashed
10 that degree which will allow salvage
but which will not allow the repairing
to conceal the evidence that the Hun
!, had passed that way