Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-08-11
GERMAN UNIFORM
HID FRENCH HEART
Alsatian Killed Boche Officer
and Joined the Repub-
lies Army
BY HENRI BAZIN

SpcCfdt correspondent OF the Evening Led
ger IN France
PARIS, July II.
T HAVE made a pilgrimage to the most
l. French portion of France-Alsace. 1 spent
three days In It's reconquered sections as
the guest Of the French War Office. under
personal escort of courteous officers, and
in the company of NJ. Henri Poncot, chief
Of the press service in the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs. to whose personal kind
nesses the EVENING LEDGER and myself
have become deeply indebted during the
past year.
l found this land OF Rouget de Lisle and
the Marseillaise, this country of which
Louis XIV said that one family, that Of
Reinach, had furnished more generals for
his army than all Picardy, this soil that
was the birthplace of File, of Kelermann,
of Kleber, that holds the proud record Of
more names In native sons engraven upon
the Arc de Triomphe than any other two
> departments of France, true to its ancient
traditions.
1t is French to the very core and beyond.
1t has remained so during forty seven
weary years Of trial and enforced Ger
manic domination. 1t senses this July day
realization Of Its near-half-century prayer
that all the area Of the provinces of both
Alsace and Lorraine Will In but a little
while. as time goes. become reunited to its
own, member of the Family Of France
Geographically compared to Alsace itself
the area reconquered is relatively small, but
1t voices sentiment existent throughout
the provincial boundaries. 1 may not mem
tion the names Of towns and villages WIS.,
tied, villages and towns and hamlets under
German fire and the French flag since early
August days of 1914, nor the names of peo-
pie In all classes. upon mountain and In
valley, with whom l was freely given oppor-
tunlty Of speaking, since these things word
either be infraction Of military regulation
or rebound In added misery to relatives
stu within German lines. But that which
l heard, witnessed, felt, experienced. typify-
ing the true. loyal. always F'rench-Alsace.
Is in part here recorded.
A Story of Alsace
In an ancient town Nesting within =
lovely valley the pine and beech clad Vospes
| surrounding II as II p~otectingly 7 arrIve1
as the sun was sinking in the west. After
| presentation to the colonel commanding the
place" l was billeted with lodging in a
| house that had been designed by Kleber
the architect ere he became Kleber the gen
| eral IN Napoleon's army. II lay at the ex
| treme end of a picturesque cobbled court
| and in Its very outline spelled past a CEN
tury. Close beside 1t. indeed, most as n
pait seeileu tndt Wnlch might In seVeritv
be classified as barracks, but which was
| told had formed portion of a convent wbera
| tradition says, Catherine of Russia receiyea
early training. Within the house NV bost
esses told me this story:
There were two sisters in the early tbir-
ties, Their parents were dead. These had
remained true to their France desnita ths
| Treaty OF Frankfort, had instructed thair
children, these two girls and a Younger
| brother. to know and reverence her e.
the war began the brother was mobilized II,
the kaiser's army with number of his nov
hood companions and old playmates rbs,,
1 all wore German gray over French bearts
these boys who had made but a trip or two
over the new frontier ere forced To aid In
the invasion OF France And at the Are,
opportunity after. when In charge of a c,er.
man offcer and while assigned to natro,
| duty before French lines their brothar,s
| plan to wear the uniform of France yvss 20 n,,,
into action. He separated IN seeminy,,, ~ ~,
nocent fashion his lieutenant from ths na' ,.',
troll. killed him with weil-directed bavona,
thrust and crawled toward the Frenoh
trenches When well across no mans 10 nd
he rose to his knees and cried .Kamarad =
but with moro meaning to the word Than ~,
boche could conceive possible. ~''s
once q prisoner. he told his story 49,
| time and II was corroborsted. ~. .s-.'..
was chanesd from . prisoner az ws. sss
ne wan Permitted % voiuntser In ths .,'s's' s'u
2oe9 - ~ s'lqI g. .ps1s