New Britain herald., 1918-03-13
PARIS ANGERED BY
Death FROM AIR
Cry for Reprlsal Sent Up Follow
Ing Exaggerated RuInors

| Paris. January 81 Correspondence
| of The Associated Press)-Paris
| awoke this morning, or rather arose
| from sloepless beds, with a shudder
| of horror that gradually became
| feeling of rage and a cry for VEN
| geance and reprisals as the exagSer-
| ated stories of the casualties attend
| ing the German air raid were being
| circulated.
In spite Of the fact that the visit
! of the raiders had been expected and
! that friends left one another on these
| bright moonlit nights with the part
! ing: Shall VIC be 'Gotha-ed' to-
| niGht?' the general alarm OF the i'm
! pending afraid first came as dis
| tlnct shock but the innate curiosity
| Of the Partisan promptly got the bet
! ter of his prudence and it was not
| long before there were heads pro-
| truding from nearly every window
! and the people began swarming into
! the streets
| It has now been definitely ascer-
| tanned that the correct number of cas-
ualties is SO killed and 1911 wounded.
Four German squadrons crossed the
| French lines, 50 machines in all and
it is asserted in German communicates
that $4,000 pounds Of explosives were
rained over the city and it's suburbs.
The amount OF material damage
appears to be rather small as COM
pared with the magnitude of the Ger
man endeavor.
It was 20 minutes past eleven when
the first alarm was sounded and i'm
mediately the distant runbling of the
heavy anti-aircraft guns could be
heard in the distance to the north.
Gradually it grew nearer and nearer
and meanwhile the buzz Of the motors
of the French airplanes, as one after
the other, they rose to meet the on
coming Germans in battle and circled
over the city now and then flashing
their lights, became louder and loud
err. 1t gave the Par1Slans feeling
of security and pride.
Women and Children.
They are sure of a warm recep-
ton said one man in a window.
II think I'll turn in and let them fight
it out. I'll read all about it in the
morning papers"
Then suddenly, deeper detonations
were heard, hollow, muffled roars and
one knew that somewhere in the city
children and women were being
slaughtered.
For two long, interminable hours |
they kept at it and then the reports |
became fainter and fainter and died |
out altogether.
All Paris was buzzing with excite |
ment as the people went to the daily |
routine of their work this morning |
and the conversations heard in the |
subway and other conVeyances and !
public places were of but one topic, |
the raid. It was with stern visages
that they greeted one another. IF |
the Germans had hoped to weaken [
the morale of the civilian population |
they made a mistake as excavations |
nd demands for reprisals were heard |
on all sides. There was no whimper-
ing, no talk OF letting up in the war;
nothing but the firm resolution to
continue fighting.
How can we make peace with such |
people as that" said a gentle old
woman mourning. The women were |
very brave.
To one accustomed to the air raids
by Entente aviators on cities in Bel
GUM and in the occupied territory
Of France. the firing of the French
anti-aircraft guns against the enemy
machines appeared feeble in com
parison with the formidable lombard
ment which the Germans greet the
Entente machines.
This was explained to The Asso-
ciated Press by a French officer as
due to the fact that it is dangerous
to FIRE shrapnel and shells into the
sky over city of the size of Paris AS
the casualties from the falling OF the
very shells destined for the enemy
might be larger than the damage
done by their own bombs
"Of course" said the officer. the |
Germans need have no such scruple;
they care little how many French and
Belgian civilians they kill"
During the raid Montmartre pre-
scented an appearance which under
less tragic circumstances should have
been comical. Bearing mattresses
and bed covers citizens of the "hil1'
entered the stations of the Metropo1i-
tan underground and settled them
selves comfortably for the night. One
woman carried with her the cage OF
her pet canary, while a boy led his
pet rabbit into the safety OF the shell
ter.