The Devils Lake world and inter-ocean. (Devils Lake, N.D.) 1915-1920, 1916-06-22
The Strange Case Of
a Buried Soldier
By F. a.

I Germans Tell 10 tue ground ana lay mo.
t~ionless. The counterattack succeed
ed, and the French held the ground on
which the fight occurred. Blanc's
friend. Louis Devaure, serving in the
same company, saw him fall and when
the fight ceased went to him and took
him up. To all appearances Blanc was
dead, but Devaure could find no wound.
Surgeons to 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 under excite.
ment.
a box, and buried his friend nea Il
ravine that ran through the battlefield
That night a severe rain set in,
swelling a tiny stream that ran
through the ravine and o~verhowins
its banks. In the morning Devaurc
visited his friends grave and found
that the flood had widened the rnv;.rc
| and the end Of the box containing the
body was exposed. Moreover. the cad
had been removed. This remove is
tonished Devaure. who. looking int"
the box, found it empty.
He was as much surprised at this as
he had been to discover that his iT.eli
had been killed in battle wit!l"n; "i'
sign of having been hit. After studs
ing the possible causes of the a.'sel :"
of the body he arrived at the rn,'"'n
sion hat the water as it receded iui,N
the body with it. But this did NOT a"
count for the removal of the end of the
box. ,@~s>.
During the day several attempts we're
made by the Germans to ccoye THE
ground through which the raviMc raj.
They made a lodgment. but We're not
able to hold it. During the fighting
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 II
my he passed the p%rotruding 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
hov 6y1r{n~ tho ,.okroo& un rr,oo 1o,,u1,
ed at for his story.
However, the contention for Blanc's
burial place was not yet over At
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 right
under the box in question. The French
were again d-ispossessed, and LARA
bee reported that he had stood where
he could see into the box, the sun
lighting its interior, and it was empty.
Devaure was forced to the conclu-
sion that his first view was correct and
that in his second he must have been
mistaken, though he had been as sure
of seeing a pair OF soles as he was of
seeing the box that contained them.
A wood bordered this much fought
over region, and when night fell the
Germans, after Smelling the wood, ad.
vanced to take it. Devaure's com
pany was among the forces used in re.
repelling this attack. Amid the flash.
ing of guns. the glare Of searchlights,
the roaring and the shouting, the two
opposing forces contended for the
wood. While Devaure's company were
pressing forward he saw q man rise
out of the ground and turn for q mo
ment to look at the French as If to sat
isfy himself whether they were friends
or enemies. Then, evidently assured
he turned toward the Germans and be
gan to fire at them with his rifle.
What was Devaure's astonishmenr
to see in the white. haggard face oil
this man his friend Blanc!
Devaure was more nearly paralyzei
with terror at this ghostly being thar
at the frightful scene about him. Tn,
ghost fell back into the ranks of thu
French. Devaure seized his arm. ant
the ghost turned.
"Louis!"
"Antoine!"
These words were spoken. though
not heard by either for the din. But
Devaure was assured that his FRIEND
stood with him in the flesh.
When day came and the fghtin,
ceased Blanc recounted his remarkabl,
adventures to his chum.
He had come to consciousness will
a sense Of sufocation and chilled feet
which were resting against some oh
stacle. With a spasmodic effort b.
forced this object away and felt rush
Ing, water. which soon engulfed him
Feeling that he was inclosed except q
his feet. he pulled himself in that di
rection and struck water at or abou
Its surface. Finding a bank, he scram
5 bled up it and, realizing that he nigh
be among enemies, lay still till Their
! was light enough to see the road. The
he went there and hid.
During the nex day. seeing German
coming. 40 ran to the ravine and ha
just time TO crawl again into his col
r fin when a fpht hogan Not knnuin