Evening star., 1918-05-18
AM|ENS |SLATEST
MURDERED" CITY
Ancient Capital of Picardy
Battered and Ruined by
German Guns.
FEW INHABITANTS REMAIN

BY PAUL AYREs ROCKWELL.
Cnblegram to The Star and Chicago
Daily News.
WITH THE FRENCH ARMIES. May
l12-Another name must be added to
the list OF murdered French cities.
have just visited Amiens, which since
March Fl has been the goal of the
Germans nercest onslaughts.
1t was not the first time 1 had been
in the olden-day capital of Picardy.
In August, 1914, my brother Kitten
and I. when on our way to Paris. to
enlist in the Foreign Legion. were
forced to remain several hours in
Amiens. The retreat from Charleroi
was then in progress and the city was
crowded with refugees from northern
France and Belgium-more than 50.-
900 of them-and also with French.
English and Belgian soldiers. Former
London motor buses. loaded with
wounded. passed in continuous
stream. and all the picturesque hor
Tors OF the early days Of the war were
Amtens OF Other Days.
shall never forget battalion of
English soldiers which marched
through the streets going out to fight
singing. Justify, the American ragtime
hit. You're My Baby" nor a little
Belgian trooper. who sobbed in a
pastry shop as he related how all his
comrades had been killed by Uhlans.
but he himself had been saved by a
passing armored automobile. A few
days after Kitten and 1 left the Ger
mans entered Amiens. only to remain
a few days. before they were forced
by the Marne victory to withdraw. too
rapidly to do much damage
Again last August 1 spent q few
days in the Queen city" of the
Somme. The ordinary life Of a big
city not too far from the battle line
was In progress. Amiens had become
me Of the important bases of the Brit
diers added Interesting color to the
streets. and civilian life flowed along
almost as calmly as in pre-war days.
The gloomiest pessimist would never
have pictured Amiens as I saw it to-
day.
have been through almost all the
Slaughtered towns and cities in
France from the North sea to the
swiss border. Perhaps it was because
OF old associations that Amiens made
a gloomier impression upon me than
even Rheims. There are not 80 many
Rheims. but certainly the streets and
alleys are Just as devoid of life. In
normal days each city had around
10000 Inhabitants. When I was in
Rheims last Jonuary some 5000 civil
ians were still there. but I sm told
that they have all departed.
Onlv a Thousand left
The military authorities tell me that
there may be 1000 persons left in
Amiens today. entered Amiens
through a quarter which had been
completely razed by shells, airplane
bombs and fire. Nothing was left but
smoldering heaps of bricks. I passed
along once beautiful boulevards now
Uttered with fallen telephone and troll
ley wires, shattered glass, branches
torn from trees and other wreckage.
All was hideous desolAtion.
Then came less tried districts where
some OF the houses with shattered win
dows remained standing but SCARED by
chairs, beds. baby carriages, SOFAS
stoves. mattresses, pictures and other
furniture. The business districts were
equally saddening. The hotel at which
stopped last August was smashed by a
shell; and shops Of all kinds had been
wrecked or burned. The entire front Of
an antiquary store had been torn away
by bombs Though planks had been
hastily nailed up by the military police
Of heirlooms Of the ages in a damaged
condition. I remarked one shop still
open where a mother and her two pretty
daughters were still selling what re-
mained Of stock of tobacco and picture
cat looked down and moved at me. The
poor little beast couldn't find q way to
safety because the surrounding houses
had been blown away
The marvellous cathedral, one Of the
most wondrous beauties that have come
down to US from the middle ages. was
deserted. Many bursting shells have
Scared its walls and roof. and SHELLS
have pierced the dome. inf1icting sscri-
legious wounds which, I hope. may
never be repaired. but guarded carefully
as q memento Of German flendishness
The interior. formerly SO teeming with
devout worshipers. was deserted. The
floors were Uttered with rubbish despite
the efforts Of the faithful men who work
from dawn to dark. cleaning up and
carrying away art treasures to safety.
Ono wing Of the chapel has been de-
molished by a shell and its ornaments
have been scattered and torn. A finely
executed figure of Christ carved from
wood in the eighteenth century and
painted white and gold has been re-
duced to kindling wood. one hand alone
If imploring justice. The houses grouped
around the cathedral, mostly centuries
old, have also been struck often, and
many historic buildings have been dam
aged.
Would Cling to Home.
I inspected the vaults in which the
civil and military authorities work. 1
noticed a few Inhabitants who had come
to demand papers OF one sort or an
other. An aged woman was told that