El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1918-05-27
REFUGEESFIL[
CITY Of PARIS
Pour Into Capital Of France
From Country OverrUn
by the Germans.


from the battle front Trains. wagons,
/ trucks have emptIed themselves at
the great railroad station Ia Care du
du Nord, in Paris. Young and old.
rich and poor, unfortunates all.
stumbling with fatigue, full CT
grief and anguish emaciated,
wandering by families. by parishes
and by groups from different sections
Of the country easily TO be recognized
by their accent
They are there from Dukerque and
I Eazebrouck, from Burgess from Is
/ taires and from Bailleul, there are
I some from Lillers. Isbergues and
| Bethune, from Amiens, Montidier,
| N0yon and Compiegne; from the vii
J lagos bombarded and destroyed where
J the houses fell and fire spread; from
I shell invaded boroughs where lie IS
] no longer possible They come espe-
] ciallv from the villages near the front
/ and from the river banks OF the curry
/ ing I've and even from beyond Las
I signy-
Twice Refugees.
Most of these people were from
from their homes four years ago,
most Of these poor people fled behind
3 the line Of trenches at some distance
from the battle field. unable TO quit
their native soil and cherishlng In
their heart the illusion or the hope
I OF being among the first TO return TO
see again their hearth fires. churches
and cemeteries. In the devastated
fields upon the ruins OF dead viz
lagos. camping as Bohemians,, under
sheds With roofs OF awning or planks
or Of tarred paper they built again
their hearth fires. And now caught
again in the dreadful eddy Of daily
combat under the grape shot which
scatters new death on all sides, they
fled from the fire which consumed
the roofs Of thatch and brought TO
nauEht once more all the work Of
year in @ desOlated land where the
spring time and life refuse to flour
ish-
A People In Desperation.
And il was, too, the flight Of peO- .
PIE in desperation, seekin- new op-
portunities; caravans Of distress and
misery-laDOrers, miners coal neaF- ]
ers and farmers. peasants, small store q
keepers and the bourgeois OF the
French rOvinces-unkn known actors In ]
the pathetic drama Of this martyred
country. They are covered with dust
and clay. as this mother here-drag-i
ging from Compiegne TO Paris her I
three little children and an aged
father. Those new TO this kind Of eN-
perience but already made acquainted
with misfortune, united by trial ana I
sudden poverty. all streamed toward I
the wonderful but wretched Paris
Small boys drag along clinginE 10 I
playthings saved from disaster. others
hang TO their mothers apron Some
doEs-faithful animals-are following
their masters into exile. There is the
hubbuh of talk and cries, the sound
Of sudden bursting tears because they
feel alone and miserable in the midst
Of unknown sights.
on the des0lation OF this woman
70 NnnH
sObs and so5s. She stands thus with
out moving. leaning against the turn
stile and VIII not be cOmforted She
has lost her children during the flight
and perhaps. probably. they are LOST
Terror Stricken. u
The refugees who have no one 70
expect them-and most OF them 40
n0t-are sent down 90 quarters al the
end Of warf 10. Fear OF the dark
stairs leading TO the basement takes
hold OF them. Each vaguely knows
that Paris is bOmharded and they
imagine that thew are being taken
down into the cellar as measure OF
precaution against bombs and so they
are afraid.
know Rooted out and tossed about by
the fiery hurricane. the most Of them
had never gone beyond the little cor
ner Of their providence lar in the
distance now They thought TO I've
there always.
Where shall they Eo2
France is big, Normandy, Great
Britain. Provence, these names convey
nothing TO them Where shall they
gO2 Il does not matter. Anywhere
where one can sleep and eat TO con-
tent
They Are Hungry.
They are hungry Many providing {
ahead have brought food and others
have shared their ration with the.
British and French soldiers. But how {
many have not broken their fast
They ire hungry. They eat slowly the
food brought 10 them, bread and but I
ter, beef and Swiss cheese. They eat !
almost as If IL were a religious cere- &
mouy and as people who appreciate
the price and quality Of food.
Some Mt each mouthful. turn the !
food over, examine il, smell of &c and Z
devour it first with their eyes and
when they have eaten and drank, give Z
their places at the long tables TO I 1
others arriving. who go through the
same gestures; then they throw them ]
selves on their touches and either :
sleep or talk about the uncertain fu- S
ture. They talk Of companionship. 10 / {
occupy their time, to comfort their 7
hearts Their neighbor does not al Z
ways hear but shakes his head and q
through politenessi What II
trouble What trOublel Ia
Thte history Of each one is largely
the story Of all, with ike happenings
and incidents which come back as +
sad refrains
Pathetic Tale OF Mamma CIodIa. =
Mamma ClUdia- large woman who 2
comes and goes. wants a chance TO p
tell what happened at Th0uratte. She h
has on her shoulders a cape trimmed 1
with Jet Upon her head and tied s
under the chin is a sort Of neckerchief q
Of silk She reminds one Of a picture s
Of Jan Steen She is a woman that a
nothing daunts She says: n
Since the war / have been with
the soldiers. The last ones-some in G.
fantryme me much and I h
also loved them. Well ] was in the
cellar, for the bombs we're falling
thick. when I heard o noise Of the r
guard sayin2 we must get out. We v
must 90 away" 4
They had harnessed the horses to Il
he cart and filled IL with bedding and q
linen and necessaries-
Come with Us. But ft is not neces-
sary 10 set out like that Take at /
east your mattress. At our age it is
not good to sleep on the hard ground
The Great Trek. Il
1T is true. I draw out my mattress. q
take some linen and clothes-norI u
.nough TO cucumber me-They put all y
Upon the load and some children also. q
md we started out Following US are ii
he cows which they took along a
What misera bic traini"
II stopped once, twice" the others a
vent on NO more" 1 say, 4 cannot s
20 on" ii