The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1918-04-01
Slaughter of Good Friday
WOrshippers Steels Re-
solve to Conquer
CHURCH STRUCK AT
TENEBRAE SERVICE
Whole of Massive Stone Work Was
Hurled with a Frightful Crash Down
on the Mass of Kneehng People in the
Nave.


PARIS, April IA wave OF fury passed
over Paris when it learned the death roll
in the church struck Friday afternoon BY
a German she'll 1t anything were needed,
which it is not, to steel the resistance OF
the French people, this futile slaughter
of women and children VIII provide it. As
one French deputy said yesterday at the
scene of the disaster:
Each drop OF this innocent blood shall
bear crop OF hate in France for the chill
dren's children OF these murderers.'
| may be allowed to state that a great
part of Palm Sundays victims We're also
struck in church during a service, though
fortunately the number was far smaller.
A prominent architect commented on this
coincidence to a correspondent:
ut is a hard thing to say in Easter
week when the families of soldiers are
praying for their loved ones III the terri
BILE battle, but it is true that church
is the most dangerous of all places dur
ing such bomba-dment. This is 50 for
two reasons, first, any collection of people
is dangerous except in bombproof shelters,
and, second, churches-especially old his
toric structures-are built in such way
that when bomb strikes one of the main
supporting pillars the roof is exceedingly
liable to fall in. That was the case Fri
/ day"
| Ne French artillery officer commented
on the small explosive force Of the shells.
| But | remarked that the sound of the cx-
| plosion was far louder than normally to
| be expected Doubtless the houses echo
the sound somewhat, but in my opinion
| the shells contain a mixture intended to
make as loud sound as possible-part OF
the German frightfulness bluff-on the
same lines as maroon" bombs, which
warn London of air raids, whose explosion
is terrific but absolutely harmless
| The three hours of service in darkness
/ which il customary in Catholic churches
on Good Friday afternoon had Just con-
! Guided and the greater part OF the congre-
cation were stil kneeling at prayer when
the shell struck the church A concert
OF sacred music for the benefit of the
ambulance maintained by the parish was
to follow the service and the soloists We're
| III the act of quietly taking their places in
the organ loft and chancel The nave
| filled with vast and silent crowd of wor-
shippers when suddenly, at exactly An
p. m, tremendous explosion was heard
outside the church A shell had burst
against the wall of the clerestory OF the
church nearly in the middle of the nave
Just above the side of the chapel.
There WAS a moments silence, during
which not soul in the crowded church
moved Then the whole of the massive
stone work supported By one of the huge
pillars was hurled with a frightful crash
down on the mass OF kneeling people IL
the nave. There vas again moment.
pause, broken only by the tinkle of price
less stained glass, which showered down
from all the windows Then the shrieks
OF the helpless victims rent the dust fillet
air and a rush was made for the doors.
Large peices of stone from the wrecked
roof We're still falling, but the parish
clergy and others among the congregation
worked heroically to rescue the victims
buried under the heavy masses of stone
but in the majority of cases their effort
were unavailng. The number of dead wa
nearly equal to that of the injured
The police took charge Immediately an,
helped to get distracted women and chill
dren out OF the building. American am
balances, manned by American Red eros
men and women, figured prominentl
among the earliest help to arrive from
outside and did magnificent work in Olsen
, gaging the injured from the wreckag
, despite the constant further falls Of stone
Within half an hour nearly 60 injure
persons had reached the hospitals an
long rows of dead lay on the floor Of tn
church.
r The fallen wreckage made an enormou
: heap in the centre OF. the church, risin
to the level of the top of the high altar
This escaped injury but practically til
4 whole ancient stained glass in the churcl
!, which, like that of Rheims, was Of inest
? mabe value, was DESTROYED