The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1918-04-04
Ambassador Sharp Reports
on German LOng-Range
BOmbardment of Paris
100 MANGLED BODIES
TAKEN TO MORGUES
People of Paris Greatly Aroused and
Indignant Toward Enemy Who De-
stroys Life Ruthlessly-Terrible
Sight in Ruined Church.

WASHINGTON, April 4-Secretary
Lansing has received from Ambassador |
Sharp at Paris a report on his visit, TO
the church in the suburbs of Paris which
was wrecked by one of the shells fired
from the new German long range guns on
Good Friday.
Ambassador Sharp tells Of the appall-
ing destruction caused by the she'll, and
saws that 100 mangled bodies lying IN
the morgues of Paris measure the toll
exacted The text of the ambassador s
message was not made public because 1t
came in secret cipher, but this paraphrase
of the message was given out by the state
department:
"The secretary OF state has received
from Ambassador Sharp in Paris graphic
report Of his visit to the scene of the
horrible tragedy which occurred on the
afternoon Of Good Friday in church by
the explosion OF a German shell projected
from far back of the enemy lines, dis
tance OF more than 20 miles. The appall
ing destruction wrought by this shell Is,
as the ambassador remarked, probably not
equalled by any single discharge of any
hostile gun in the cruelty and horrors OF
| its result In no other spot in PARIS,
even where poverty had gathered on that
/ holy day to worship, could a destruction
| of life have been so great Nearly loo
mangled corpses lying in the morgues,
with almost as many seriously wounded,
t.j ~ oTt ho coll cd
Far up to the high vaulted arches, be-
tween the flying buttresses well to the
front Of the church is a great gap in the
walls from which fell upon the heads Of
the devoted worshippers many tons OF
solid masonry
1T was this that caused such a great
loss of life
AS the ambassador entered the church.
where but few hours before had been
y r-gFtfftfPd the Tofshp1Jsfrs;; hr~rould easily
picture the scene that followed the explo-
sion The amount of debris covered the
entire space between the lofty columns
supporting the arches at each side. Only
a miracle could have saved from d attn or
serious injury those who escaped the fall
ing mass The scene was that OF some hor-
rihle SHAMELESS and it was not until well
into the night that all the bodies were
recovered Upon the floor in many places
, could still be seen the blood Of the vic
tins. among whom were many prominent
and well-todo people.
The ambassador called to express his
, sympathy to his Swiss colleague. whose
J llfe-long friend, the secretary of the Swiss
r legation, was killed while leaving the
: church The minister was deeply affected
as he spoke of the great loss to him
r through the secretary's death The secre
tary was we'll known in Washington, where
: he served with the Swiss legation from
: 1902 to 1904, and was very highly esteemed
e by all who knew him
e In conclusion Mr. Sharp says that III,
Q exceptional circumstances under whicl
! this tragedy occurred, both as to the sacre,
= character of the day and the place. hav,
greatly aroused the indignation OF the PEG
q pie OF Paris toward an enemy who seek
W to destroy human life without regard t,
" the immunities prescribed by the law
e OF civilization and humanity, and insteac
OF terrorizing the people the shells of tn,
q great cannon, as well as the bombs droppe,
y from the German airplanes, only serve t,
Ie strengthen the resolve Of the French T.
: resist to the last man, if necessary. tn
y invasion OF such a foe