New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-12-14
WALK 1900 MILES
WHEN WAR CALLS
Two Frenchmen Brave
Forest PerilS to Join
Country's Army.
ONE LEFT CHILD
AND INDIAN WIFE
Recruits Heard Battle Rumors at
Homes in Canadian WildS-
Long Tramp to Railway.

Two sturdy young Frenchmen, brown
as Esquimaus, sailed for Hsyre yester-
day on the French liner Rochambeau'
both eager to get into the French
trenches and fight.
Both In their quiet way have SHOWN
a patriotism that will perhaps be talked
Of for generations, but there was moth
ing in their mannt. yesterday to indi-
cate that they thought they had done
anything unusual.
The Younger Of the two, Ferdinand
Tromeur, was lighting a pipe on the
forecastle head Of the Rochambeau
when reporters approached him to
know if he was the man who had
walked 1900 miles through the prov
inces Of Mackenzie and Alberta TO win
his way to France 10 fight.
He nodded an assent and then lighted
his pipe.
"Yes," he said in fairly good Eng
lish. ~ walk that far. What for DO
NOu y dub ~ hlO" hbONN ~
He was informed that his feat was an
unusual one and had attracted some at
tention, but the information merely
caused an Indifferent smile.
by gosh, weesh we know about the
var when he start!' he remarked.
Then We be here much more quick. We
come 10 here by the train from Edmon-
ton. Now by the Rochambeau we get
20 France. That is 50 very easy and
much more quick than the snowshoes.
Tromeur simply could not tell an IN
broken story. He thought there was
nothing TO tell, but piece by piece u
was dragged from him as he answered
! questions, and assembled is this:
81 am twenty-seven year old. come
here four year ago on the cruiser De-
saix. and get through with my service
while the ship he was here. Then | 20
up TO Canada. ] think ! get work up IN
+ the North. and two years ] work for
myself My business is trapper.
catch the wild animals for the fur mar
ket
II meet Pere Squirrel, big Indian
chief, way up IN the north OF the
Mackenzie province, and ne treat me
very good. | like his daughter very,
much oh, very much, and she married
me two years ago. Her name is Sque-
reeras. We have boy. One tine, oeeg
/ boy, one year old. BY gosh, | nate TO
20 away from that fella. some time
in the front part OF September / meet
! a guide and ne tell me he hear France
I and Germany and England are hght-
ing. That was all he know. Three,
four days | think OF 1t IN the day ana
4 the night, too, and say ! go 600 miles
[ nv
nv boy | must 90 20 France, and then
/ | take plenty Of food and walk on snow
/ shoes 100 miles. Then | meet Joseph
! Gireau, my friend. and he is ready to
20 back also TO France. He thinks
/ France is i'm war, too.
Owe 90 very slow for 600 miles TO
Fort Chipewyan, on the Lake OF Atna-
baska, and we see VI. Mellors, who IS
commander of one detachment OF
ROYAL Northwest Police. He tell US
sure enough all about the war, and we
feel very bad we did not know about II
very much more soon. Ny country
maybe think we should be there more
queeck."
Tromeur expressed this apprehen-
sion TO A. II. L. Mellors, the com
mander. and the latter wrote the fol-
lowing statement, which the young
French trapper will show to the mill
tary authorities on his return:
ITO all whom il may concern; inns
is to certify that Ferdinand Iromeur'
citizen of France, has been residing
here for some years, and owing to the
immense distances from the postoihces
in this country has only just been no
tilted Of the European war.
"He is lea ing Immediately 20 ION
the colors. and wishes me 20 make TINS
document 20 explain his late arrva.
"This place Fort Chipewyan) is 100
miles from a railway station, and there
is also a chance that he may be caught
Ly ice and further delayed"
Tromeur said he thought this docu-
ment would make matters right with
his government. He had travelled on
foot 500 miles to Fort Chipewyan, and
by the same means journeyed 700 miles
TO the nearest railway station, which
was 100 miles out OF Edmonton.
Tromeur's travelling companion Jo-
/ seph Gireau, who is thirty-three, came
TO America fourteen years ago, and
until 1909 had been a soldier OF fortune
;r Uayico and South America.