Year: 1870




pointed in tho proportions Of tho famous building in
consequence OF my thinking that the southern tower
was the nave. Before the Church was injured by the
Prssian fire. 10 would not have been easy 70 make THIS
mistake for the line OF the roof wouId nave set tho
eye right. but that the false roof IL entirely de-
stroyed the effect produced on approaching tho city In
the direction Of Keh Ia OF tower and spre with an i'm
menselv tall nave ssen In greatly shortened perspective.
IL bas An awkward look and this ia increased by the way
In which the church Ia isolated There are no hills for
background rising Of the city from the plain to oum
nate I'm the monster spre but springs from the deadest
OF levels without any preparation. 40 feet into the air.
! sat down = fallen tree, and taking out my glass,
looked eagerly to IL could spy out any injury done
20 the noble spre. But could see, and the only
thing that struck WAS that the the summit
looked decidedly swry. The church has been 40 often
struck by lightning. however, 10 or II times, believe,
that thou ght it unlikely electricity might be to
blame this but afterward assured that II was
done by bomb. If no aimed for it, he was good marks
man that hit IT,
crossed bona dde drswbridgc, and passed under
real pOrtcuis for the first time. This gate is little in
urcd by siege and the quarter Of the town 1t gives
entrance 10 is, comparatively. untouched though sup
pose there is not IL that does not bear some
about it, marks OF the siege in the shape OF broken
glass holes in the roof stones bricks knocked out
Of their places. AsI walked along it was soon evident





gastho after gasthof which had need to declare That
had no accommodation its broken window anes roof
open to the heavens and emped rooms toid the ueay
tale plainly that he who ran might read only mere
and there was shop Open and in those that we're so
the owners stood iscOnsoately taking An account OF
their dusty and dofaoed stock with woebegone faces
Prusaan soldiers crowded the sidewalks and streets and
the pea.ptry from Baden eping the earliest
Of the returning refugees TO bring back their household
goods, were having all they could do to manage their
clumsy wagons twelve feet long, and with poles
much longer. IA it was getting dark, ana
knew nothing OF the city. went into cioth-sell-
ers shop and asked him what hotel had better go to-
held up both hands in despairng astonishment that
anybody should think hotel possible at that time; but
taking counsel with OF his clerks. he very kindly
wrote the OF the Hotel de la Vile de Lyon on MS
business card and sent OF his shOpb0y with me to show
the way 10 say to the landlord who had sent him.
Passing across the middle Of the city by the NienK
March6 aux and the Rue des Grndes Arcades
there particular ruin visible all that one saw was
dust aud dirt and shabby desolatOn. But on turning
into the Place Keber with its statue OF the General In
the middle, unharmed, the Musee dc Peniture ct de
Sculpture with its OF shops beneath, was seen win
nothing standing but the walls the floors and roof gone
Fortunately assured, there were no pictures IN the
collection Of any particular value, and such as there
were may have saved unless the custodian had as
little foresight tho custodian OF the library, who, 1t





committed TO his keeping, though five or six days
elapsed the opening Of the bombardment and
the burning OF the library.


On reaching hotel found things In such state OF
wild confusion that should almost have hoped might
refused if had not felt pretty that things would
not better anywhere else The distracted landlord at
first said positively that he had not told him
c0ud sleep in The garrett that was an American and
journalist and that his particular friend had sent me
IN i'm I he rot
his good nstured wife 10 my aid and told him that
q room would he vacant that night, somebody was
leaving; 40 was shown up to an Unexpectedly good
chamber the first floor where am at present writing.
There very few dodgers beside the Bavarau soldiers
bleted upon this poor man. and, though they are quiet
and wel-behayed they cannot help making the house
terribly dirty The courtyard with three
tiers of galleries. out of which open the chambers 81 all
hut the and principal buding-is turned into q
where the officers horses are tethered. and
whore the gr0Oms engaged in cleaning ana ieeolng
them In one corner of this court piled pieces OF
furniture belonging TO of she landlords neehbors
brought there for keepingnd well placed, too, az
accident would have it, for this hotel to have
been of the very few that not touched at all
Considering that il il full Of sodcrs-not officers bu
common soldiers-there is astonshngly little noise ant
confusion The principal drawbacks the dirt ant
the almost amusngly poor bill Of fare, together viii
the gloom produced by the absence of gas light bu
this Last is the whole city Az for the eating
If speak OF it, tits only because it is very good ndca


ton of the way in which the city has been cut on iron
its supplies have been here three days, and though
ain told that the hotel Is generally thought to set so0


table Out suspect that the hotels in strasbOurg could
none them have been fsmOus), 1t will he enough to
| that every Of my six meals has been the precS
counterpart of the Others and one of them enough


make guurmand faint 3t the thought OF IT, The dc,C
has been dish dish, the the dinner and thi
was the Tapoca soup bouill picked beets, colt


lyaa 3l..p. af.ri frinHn
rather saute. potatoes Duck Nhe only oatable thing
and cheese Three days Of this, twice day. made III
anxious to cross the Rhine and If this De the way TN
beseged Strasbourgers Hyed all honor 10 their herosm
In truth bound TO say that have not the frs
person who looks If he or che had sutere'
IN body. though they did eat horse-ncsh, an'
| the one thing that makes walking abou
! the desOlate city possible 10 person with sn!
sensibilty is the absence of any look Of misery not


person in StrasbOurg has looked Deggary at me-


mean in the streets. There poor families lodged il
| the Cathedral, who beg; and they the only
| have seen.


Here let IDe say that though during this whole thre
days have been continually my feet and about in al
directions have seen the slightest act OF rudeness
inciyilty drunkenness quarreDg the part Of an,
soldier Of the German force. better looking NOR
gentle hammered. peaceabe. eoodnaured set OF
would not be possible to lind in the world They ar,
quartercd all the town. and every third man would
| seem be a soldier but they could not give lcs
trouble if the sentence Of death the penalty for dis
order. The day after came, passed the whole fore
in the Cathedral; and mounting to the top Of h
spire brought into contact with these men by hun
dreds for all day they swarmed in the tower and The
platform and would have swarmcd in the hoch, IL tht
! thing could have been done In such quarters
They very much interested in the tower itself
| and in what could be seen from il anC
| OF they interested in looking dowI
upon and studying the works that had played such
| important part in their lives for many weeks. But
! there crOwding. hustling swearing mol
Towdy b0isterOusness. 1 never saw better behavior