New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-05-06
Alfonso Directs
Search for Men
Missing in War
Great Bureau in Palace Has
Already Made 100000
Investigations
Letters Are Touching
Dead and Lost Form Army
Greater than Napoleon's
at Waterloo

! Madrid, Spain, April % Correspond
ence).-A cable dispatch came from
America to-day addressed to the King
OF Spain. 1t was delivered at the Royal
Palace to the Kings personal secre-
tary, Senior Don Emilio Maria de
Torres. Minister Plenipotentiary. who
after reading it. passed it TO the repre-
sentative of The Associated Press, who
CHANGED to be present.
The cable dispatch said: "Our son
enlisted as aviator in British Roya
Flying Squadron. He was last seen fly
ing over English Channel on December
1 last Since then nothing known OF
him. and he is officially reported as
missing. An agonized mother and
father appeal to your majesty to obtain
information and relieve their terrible
suspense
/ Senior de Torres at once set in mo-
ton the machinery of investigation
through the Spanish Embassy at Der
lin. This was a typical case among
those which arc being investigated
under the personal direction of King
Alfonso, and which constitute one OF
tho most stupendous humanitarian
works created by the war.
100000 Cases Traced
Judged by results alone the vastness
Of the work is apparent. More than
10000 cases have been traced, OF whlch
10000 are disposed of and 10000 are
still under investigation. A great num-
Der Of soldiers reported missing have
been located alive and in prison camps
and thus the agony Of suspense has
been removed from thousands Of homes
, In a much larger number of cases, un-
fortunately, the inquiry has established
the death of the missing soldier while
in a still greater number OF cases no
trace of the missing has heen found.
Besides this, 10000 civilians IN the
invaded sections of Belgium and France
have been located for their FAM hes;
5000 seriously wounded have beer
brought back through the Kings inter
cession; forty-fOur pardOns have been
granted. of which nearly twenty were
death sentences, mostly of women ac-
cused of being spies. IT is probable
Edith Cavell. the famous English nurse
executed at Brussels, would have been
saved had there been time to carry ou'
! the Kings efforts.
This work probably deals with more
individual tragedies than any branch oI
activity created by the war. Pourir
in here to the palace, by cable, tele
graph and letter, are the pleas o.
mothers for lost sons, wives for los
husbands. and children for lost father.
and brothers. Each tells a story OF
terrible suspense. Most Of the appes s
arc from poor people, who write witt
touching simplicity, and with doubt a.
TO how they should address king
But the simplicity OF the appeals he's
only stimulated the earnestness OF the
Kings efforts.
The appeals of mothers and children
are arranged alphabetically IN huge
cases. and constitute the most touching
feature of the work. CHANGING among
these appeals one could see the ngonj
each one had for some stricken home
One French mother wrote the King:
~ suffer night and day in not know
ing what has become Of my dear boy
and I would prefer, ! believe. the Ger
tainty Of his death. and Of having 4
tomb where I could 60 TO pray, rather
than to live i'm this endless and crue
uncertainty, which consumes me az oy
slow fire. II is horrible, Monsieur
the King. for the two brothers Of thi,
moor boy have already died on the field
Of honor. and if our last son, Charles
is dead VIC have no more sons. weep
ing mother puts her supreme hope N
Your Majesty
Wife Makes Appeal
A wife made this simple appeal:
"Scigncur. | appeal to your kindness
for my husband. missing the 9th Sep
TENDER before Souchez.'
A little girl wrote this letter: "Mon
scur, have the honor 20 ask some
news OF my brother We arc all IN
agony and my mother is very sich and
cannot be consolcd. VIII you give us
news? Here is the address"
Another wife wrote: "1f at least
could only know that my husband lived
! am the mother of little baby girl
that the father has never yet seen, and
this baby child pleads to your good
heart"
These appeals do not always follow
the niceties Of diplomatic communica-
tions. Some of them are on rough
paper bought at the country store, and
arc in trembling handwriting of old
persons. But the King does not see
these defects. and his greatest satisfac-
i ton is in sending 2 personal telegram
/ to some mother or child telling OF the
/ successful result Of his search"
There arc some 10000 dead and un
/ traceable missing in the palace rec
ords an army greater than Napoleon g
army at Waterloo To mark the So
/ lemnity Of these 10000 cases, the King
/ has placed above the records a gold
+ framed scroll. wreath Of laurel leaves