Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1919-01-16
Rheim's Cathedral


MonsieW Huarts story IN Stars and Stripes
Oui, monsieur, cali her Ia grande bIesse,
OF the war But see how from among the tunn
bled stones she still holds her head high. en-,
is only wounded not dead.
For four years have lived in Rheims. nv
abri, the sacristy; and, day by day, / have
watched as my gothic home has crumbled about
my ears. Over 1000 shells have fallen within 4
stones throw Of the towers they say-S00 Of
them in the cathedral itself How we'll il has
withstood this sisgel They built strongly in
the 18th century She is so immensel Tiensl
Look at those buildings there ali about us how
they. have been shot to dust. Have you seen
single whole house in this city monsieur?
Scarcely one among the $4,000
II is many a time. though, thought these
spires would mark my tomb. But It was my
duty to stay. | am born of Rheims, I and my
father died in 20; and my son is of the premier
regiment des chausseurs Four years in the
trenches: he; his father was proud to volunteer
to guard the grandest monument in Francei
For, like the poilus. it is Under the government
! have worked My reports are made TO the
department of the beaux arts.
How it has been hot herel Forever the
shells have been knocking down that fence, and
that fence is necessary to keep people off these
grounds. That has been my duty One must
have authority of the grand quarter general to
enter here. A hundred times have patched 10
that fence sometimes alone, sometimes with
beside me as we worked-uehi how his blue
coat was shattered with red Sometimes BY day
we worked, sometimes at night
1t was at night, too, that we took down the
big glass windows, piece by piece, putting back
bits. of cardboard in the openings SO that the
boches would not notice. (They were only
few kilometers over the way there, you know.
That time, the pompers (fremen) helped me.
What work! Parbieu! Forty meters high to
climb and no ladders Like flies, we erawled
up and Up and hung to the stone work, while
every. minute -t-l1-h-h--e-e-e- E-Bang; and
the old stone chips would fly about A head off
another saintl Pfuil But we saved the finest
windows mon vieux.
Up there among the stone arches will be the
ing April. IL.
OF the big cochons who didn't explode La
bonnie chance. nest &c pasl
every day to talk about 1t.
The roof Is gone, YOU see--the big fire in
December, ~. when the place was used as
hosnital and filled with straw for the wounded
to lie on Many German wounded were here.
That's what scared the outside so. You
have seen. The fire has burned it white like
skeleton. What sightl The red flames lick
ing ZIP the pillars to the feet of the saints.
For me. this spring was the hardest. That
Bdu ~ iCufC lOI Two udYS 10 get 1000. /
Before, / had eaten with the soldiers; but one
morning when went to the popote nothing
was there--iust black hole in the ground. At
that time there was not soul in Rheims |
Every civilian had been evacuated in the night |
The town was practically surrounded. Shells |
popped In on me from every side | went to
sleep with the whistle of them and left off try
Ing 70 count their number And not bite TO eat
How / missed my old cook. she who had
cooked for me all during 10. All, that was sad
boy, he was killed BY she'll Pauvre garsl II
was too much; she left.
Yes monsieur, Ia grande b1essee. But
nave decorated her-you sawl The rosette Of
-ri-color flags high up over the round window.
At II o'clock on that day did it.
They float proudly up there, the coiors,
where silently she looks about in dignity over
ier ruined city; don't you think sos