Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1917-04-18
Thousands Appeal to King Of Spain
For Help in Learning Fate of Loued
Ones at Front; Wives Ask For Their
Husbands And Mothers For Sons

Of this poor boy have already died on
Charles is dead we have no more
sons. A weeping mother puts her SUI
preme hope in Your Majesty"
A wife made this simple appeal:
"Seigneur, ! appeal to your Kindness
for my husband, missing the 9th Of
September before Souchex."
Little Girl Wants Brother.
A little girl wrote this letter:
Monsieur. I have the honor to ask
in agony and my mother Is very sick
and cannot be consoled. Will you give
us news. Here is his address,"
Another wife wrote: "If at least
] could only know that my husband
lived. I am the mother Of a 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
h niceties Of diplomatic communi-
cations. Some of them are on rough
paper bought at the country store.
and are in trembling handwriting Of
old persons. Gut the king does not
see these defects. and his greatest sat-
isfa is in sending a personal tele-
gram to some mother OF child telling
Of the successful result Of his search.
When a long telegram Of gratitude
came recently, the king himself an
swered:
Thank you for your Fluctuations.
I am very happy that my efforts have
been satisfactory"
Hard to Convey News.
1t Is not as easy to convey the news
when a son or father has been killed.
Usually the official report 10 brutal in
its brevity-"todt" on the German re-
n@Sts 1~1 - "->->A
But the king, to avoid a shock to the
family. hal adopted the delicate
formula Of first sending notice Of q
death to h mayor Of q town. asking
him to adopt suitable means Of con
veytng the news to the family. The
letter in that case reads:
I regret to inform you that &C
cording to a letter received from the
ambassador Of his majesty at Berlin,
despite all the efforts to gather in
formation concerning--. they
have been able to learn only that he
Is dead, in offering his life x%loriously
for his country.
will you kindly convey this sad
news with all the delcacy possible
to-- and at the same time,
IN the name Of the king. express his
thy"
Thers are some 10000 Of these
dead and untsacable missing in these
palace records-an army greater than
Napoleon's army at Waterloo. To
mark he solemnity Of these 10000
cases. h king has placed above the
records a gold framed scroll. a
wreath Of laurel leaves entwining a
cross
Many Investigations.
h king has attached to the staff
0f the 6noNfah A~oho~~x, ~ D>~1s- Ra-
ty. persons who are making these in
in all parts of Germany.
It 10 growing 30, that another seven
teen will be added soon The same
kind OF inquiry is being made in Aus
trta. Italy and France and other
countries.
There are two large maps Of Ger
many and Austria which the king
comes IN often to inspect. They tell
at a glance. by means Of hierosiyph-
les. the exact state Of each Of the
many prison camps. Those in Aus
tria indicated by q star. are almost
all good. Many Of those in Germany
indicate, by a hollow square, that the
condition is bad.
There are many notable names in
these records. One of them is Nine.
member Of the ministry. She was de-
ported and imprisoned at Berlin, re-
fusing to accept any favor because Of
her husbands high position. But
King Alfonso interviewed, and it was
through his efforts that she finally
was returned to her husband and
children after months Of imprison-1
ment.
One Of the outgrowths Of the sys-
tenn is the establishment Of something
like a bank at the palace, where many
thousands Of francs have been sent
from families to civilian and military
prisoners. In all the details Of this
work King Alfonso takes a
personal interest. following I'D the
more urgent cases day by day, and
often framing the letters Of inquiry
ana Information. While most of the
other rulers Of Europe are devotinR
their energies to the work Of war.
rare. King Alfonso rules over a coun-
try at peace. and which he believes is
to remain at peace, ana It 10
MS creates satisfaction that this has
brought him the opportunity to direct
this extensive work Of relieving some
OF the misery which the wal is caus-
ing.