The Mena weekly star., 1918-04-25
CITY OF RHEIMS
 A HEAP OF RUINS
The Huns Have Expended Their Spite Against the Unhappy Community Priceless Cathedral
 Destroyed.

oAio, HpAh l0.--h hNHSlHlSs WHICH HdS been on fire for a week, is now nothing but a great pile of smoking ruins. During the past week Germans have fired more than 100000 shells into the heart of the city, according to the cor respondent of Le Matin, and flames from the burning buildings can be seen by aviators sixty and seventy miles away.
 There are no traces of streets and thorofares, which have disappeared from view under the accumulation of debris Ancient buildings in the Place Royale and the market, and the Mu- sican's House, which date from the sixteenth century, have been reduced to dust and ashes.
 The vaulting of the famous Rheims cathedral, the correspondent says, is falling stone by stone and soon there will be nothing left of the edifice but the west front and the pillars. Shells are still bursting all around the build ing.
 Notwithstanding the terrible bonn bardment, forty Paris firemen are still in the city working to save the furniture and portable effects of the inhabitants. Some of. them have lost their lives. With the Paris firemen are some local firemen, one of whom is Sergeant Eloi, who has been on duty in Reims since the outbreak of the war and has been wounded fourteen times.
 Victim of Hun Spite. Rheims, before the war a city of more than 100000 souls, has slowly, but nevertheless surely been falling a victim to German hate and spiteful- ness.
 In the first advance in the fall of 1014, the Germans held Rheims for several days but the battle of the Marne stopped their advance anc they fell back to line few miles north and northeast of the city Since then the big German guns have beer bombarding the city and it's famous 1 cathedral.
 The population of the city, until a few months ago was less than 1S,000 but these persons lived in dugouts or in cellars and the city was virtual ly dead
 Priceless Cathedral Destroyed.
 The cathedral was one of the most magnificent examples of early Gothic architecture and was begun in 1212. The west facade had three portals which contained about 530 statues
 Above the portals was the gorgeous rose window, forty feet in diameter, and one of the finest specimens of the art of stained glass construction.
 Took Mean Revenge.
 Up to November 1, 1916, the Ger mans had fired thousands of shells into the city, 1000 of which had struck the cathedral Then whenever the German troops met with reverses the enemy guns took up the bonn bardment anew Until the latest bonn bardment the cathedral had suffered greatly and the rose window had all most been destroyed.
 In January, 1917, Emperor Will liam in response to request from Pope Benedict, said he would permit repairs to be made to the cathedral in his endeavor "to preserve from the terrors of war venerable places of religious worship and monuments of art which is considered as the com mon property of Humanity"
 The German military authorities have attempted to excuse the bonn bardment of the cathedral on the ground that it was being used for mill itary purposes by the French. This claim has been denied repeatedly by Archbishop Lucon who, until a few weeks ago, made his home in his resi- dence beside the cathedral, unmindful of German hatred