Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1917-04-18

Madrid. Spain. April ia cable
dispatch came from America today
addressed to the King of Spain. II
was delivered at the Royal palace to
the kings personal secretary. Senior
Don Emilio Maria de Torres, min
lister plenipotentiary, who after read
ing it. passed 1t to the representa-
tive Of The Associated Press who
CHANGED to be present.
! The cablegram said: "Our 0 en-
listed as aviator in British Royal Fly
ing Squadron. He was last seen fly
, ing over English channel on Decem-
Der 4. last. Since then nothing
known Of him and he is officially re-
ported as missing. An agonized
another and father appeal to Your
Majesty to obtain information and re-
lieve their terrible suspense"
Senior de Torres at once set in mo-
ton the machinery of investigation
through the Spanish embassy at Ber-
lin. This was a typical case, one
among more than 100000, which are
being investigated under the person.
al direction Of King Alfonso. and
which constitute one of the most t
.pendous humanitarian works created
by the war.
2OO,O Cases Traced.
Judged by results alone the vast
ness of the work is apparent; 100000
cases traced, of which 10000 dispos-
ed of and $4,000 still under investiga-
ton. A great number Of soldiers. re-
ported missing" nave been located
alive and in prison camps and thus
the agony of suspense has been re-
moved from thousands Of homes. In
a much larger number of cases, UNI
fortunately. the inquiry has establish
ed the death Of the missing soldier,
while in a still greater number OF
cases nc "a of the missing has been
found.
Besides this, 10000 civilians in the
France have been located for their
families, 5000 seriously wounded
have been brought back through the
kings intercession; forty-four pardons
have been granted. Ut which nearly
twenty were death sentences. mostly
of women accused of being spies. 1t
is probable Edith Cavell, the famous
English nurse executed at Brussels.
would have been saved had there
been time to carry out the kings af-
forts.
So Many Tragedies.
1t is not only a a work. but 1t
probably deals with more individual
tragedies and more human emotions
than any branch OF activity created by
the war. Pouring in here to the pal
ace, by cable. telegraph and letter.
are he pleas Of mothers for lost sons.
for lost fathers and brothers. Each
tells a story of terrible suspense.
Most of the appeals are from poor
people who write with touching sim
plicity, and with doubt as to how they
should address a king. But the sim
plicity Of the appeals has only slim
ulated the earnestness Of the kings
efforts. He has organized this extern
sive system Of search here in the
palace, alongside the royal apart
ments, where he can come and go
progresses and personally direct some
inquiry of pressing urgency. A dozen
large chambers looking out on the
royal courtyard are devoted to the
work. with scores Of officials includ-
ing some Of the titled women Of
Spain and Of the orders of the As
sumption and the Sacred Heart. who
devote all their time to this humane
work. Under escort Of Senior de Tor
res an opportunity was given to see
the system in operation.
Long lines of records contain the
thousands Of cases, classified and in
dexed, SO h a any case can be traced
n Q moment. Each nationality has q
different colored card-blue for the
English, yellow for the French, green
for the Italians, etc. Both sides Of
the war are represented in these COL
ors. Austrians and Hungarians, Bull
garians and Turks, as well as Entente
allies. Each card records a brief his
tory of the case. Special devices pro-
rud above the cards to signal any
notable result. A small black ribbon
above a card indicates death. There
were many of these black badges in
dicating the sweep of death. The
number Of aviators who have never
been traced is also very high.
The appeals of mothers and chill
dren are arranged alphabetically in
huge cases n constitute the most
touching feature of the work. Glanc-
ing among these appeals one could
see the agony each one had for some
stricken home. One French mother
wrote the king:
Il suffer night and day in not
knowing what has become OF my dear
boy and 1 would prefer. ] believe, the
certainty Of his death and of having q
tomb where I could go to pray, rather
than to live in this endless and cruel
uncertainty, which consumes me as
by a slow fire. 1t Is horrible, Mon
the King. for the two hrothor.