The Grangeville globe. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho) 1907-1922, 1916-11-09
The Strange Case of
a Buried Soldier
By F. A. mitchell.

:" eoulterattack upon the
uermans fell to the ground and Law mo-
1onless. The counterattack succeed.
ed, and the French held the ground on
"nich the fight occurred Blanc's
rriend' Louis Devaure, serving in the
same company, saw him fall and when
the fight ceased went to him and took
MIN up To all appearances Blanc was
oead, out Devaure could find no wound
surgeons 10 whom the case was refer.
red surmised that the man had been
Killed by the air pressure of a missile
or, having a weak heart, had sue.
cumbed from that cause under excite
ment
Devaure secured coffin, or. rather
box, and buried his friend near a
ravlne that ran through the battlefield |
mat night severe rain set In, |
swelling tiny stream that ran
through the ravine and OVERLOOKING
Its banks. In the morning Devaure
visited his friends grave and found
that the flood had widened the ravine
and the end of the box containing the
body was exposed. Moreover the end
had been removed This removal as
tonished Devaure, who. looking into
the box, found it empty.
He was as much surprised at this as
| he had been to discover that his friend
had been killed in battle without any
| sign of having been hit After study
ing the possible causes of the absence
OF the body he arrived at the conclu-
sion that the water as 1t receded took
the body with it. But this did not &C.
count for the removal of the end of the
| box.
| During the day several attempts were
made by the Germans to recover the
ground through which the ravine ran
They made q lodgment, but were not
able to hold it. During the lighting
Devaure was slowly retreating in the
ravine, where he and his comrades
were less exposed to the German fire.
and while giving way before the enc
my he passed the protruding end of
the box from which his friend had dis
appeared.
What was Devaure's establishment to
see the soles of a pair of boots in the
place where his dead comrades boots
should be had he remained buried!
At evening the ground contended for
remained in possession of the Ger
mans. Devaure told some of his COM
rades of his having failed to find
Blanc's body and of his having after.
ward seen the soles of boots in the
box during the retreat He was laugh.
ed at for his story
However, the contention for Blanc's
burial place was not yet over Al
daylight the next morning the French
made another effort to possess them
selves of it. In this fight Devaure was
not in the ravine, but one Of his
friends, Pierre Larrabee, passed righ
under the box In question. The French
i were again dispossessed, and LARA
;, bee reported that he had stood where
!: he could see into the box. the SUI
lighting its interior, and 1t was empty
Devaure was forced to the conclu
A sion that his first view was correct ant
3 that in his second he must have BEEF
mistaken, though he had been as sur
of seeing Il pair of soles as he was o
seeing the box that contained them.
wood bordered this much tough
e over region. and when night fell tn
: Germans, after Smelling the wood. &C
:. vanced to take it. Devaure's con
pany was among the forces used In II
Il repelling this attack. Amid the fiasl
ing of guns, the glare of searchlight
I. the roaring and the shouting, the tw
opposing forces contended for IL
/ wood While Devaure's company WEI
% pressing forward he saw q man r1s
u out of the ground and turn for M
!. ment to look at the French as If to ga
= isfy himself whether they were frien(
+ or enemies Then. evidently assure
he turned toward the Germans and b
,r gan to fire at them with his rife.
d What was Devaure's astonishme
e to see in the white haggard face
4 this man his friend Blanc!
Devaure was more nearly paralyz,
e with terror ut this ghostly being thu
= at the frightful scene about him. II
I ghost fell back into the ranks of Il
French Devaure seized his arm. ar
lie the ghost turned.
ut "LouiSr
"Ant01neI
These words were spoken, thous
not heard by either for the din. b
Devaure was assured that his frieI
stood with him in the flesh.
C. When day came and the Eighth
e. ceased Blanc recounted his remarkat
adventures to his chum.
He had come to consciousness wi
10 a sense of suffocation and chilled fe,
u which were resting against some Q
stacle With a spasmodic effort
no forced this object away and felt rus
ing water, which soon engulfed bill
N. Feeling that he was inclosed except
his feet. he pulled himself In that
e, rection and struck water at or abo
Ia its surface. Finding a bank. be scral
e bled up 1t and. realizing that he mig
be among enemies. lay still till the