The Celina Democrat. (Celina, O. [Ohio]) 1895-1921, 1917-10-19

kueStS u uOASh fItlCH oilNeIS uAluNhtu
TO the STAFF of General Joffre, Elliott
Fitch Shepard, the American million
alre, has established II conyalescent
home for sick and wounded American
aviatOrs and American ambulance driV-
ers.
Shepard has resided at Chantilly
since the beginning of the war, except
during the fleetlng visit of the Ger
mans just before the battle of the
Marne. Then the Shepards drove out
Of Chantly toward Paris In their big
touring car 20 minutes before the first
troop of Uhlans entered into Chan
lilly from Senlls, which they had just
put to the torch.
After the battle of the Alsne, when
warfare stagnated into intrenched po-
sitions, General Joffre selected Chan
tilly as the seat of his Great Head
quarters. The sc. Q. c." as the
French abbrevlate "Grande Quarter
Generale," remained at Chantllly for
more than two years, or up to the time
that Joffre was made marshal and Gen
eral Nivelle took his place as COM
mander In chief OF the French armies
in the field.
Turned Over to Refugees.
Then came the German retreat TO
the Hindenburg line and refugees from
the devastated region evacuated by
the Germans began to pour into Crell,
Senlis and Chantilly. Shepard turned
over the rooms so recently given up
by the officers attached to General
JOffTes staff to the refugees and took
21 under his roof the first night. Grad
ually the French authorities shifted
the refugees to the south of France,
and then once more the Shepard home
was emptied except for the family.
1t was then that Mrs. Eleanor
Shepard decided to open a GONZALES
cent home for sick or wounded Ameri-
can youths serving with the aviation,
the Red Cross or any other branch OF
the service. Since she has started her
enterprise Mrs. Shepard has had an
average of sixteen American youths
as her guests at all times. Some have
been suffering from wounds-mOre
and more American ambulance drivers
are being slain and MANNED by shells
since their number increases with ev-
cry arriving ship. Others have the
dread malady known as ''shell Shock
when the nerves are literally set on end
through being under continuous bonn
bardment. In most cases the illness
of the ambulance drivers is traceable
directly to nervous Indigestion, caused
by the tremendous excitement under
which the boys work.
No Preliminary Preparation.
For these youths, averaging from
seventeen to twenty-One years, come
direct from schools and colleges and
go under fire in the most terrible war
the world has ever seen, with no pre-
liminary preparation, 1t is only neces-
sary that they be able to drive motor
cars. They have not the military train
ing and drilling and inculcatlOn Of
discipline which fits the soldier for
the life of the trenches.
Mrs. Shepard is aided in her work
by her sister, Miss Mercedes Terradell,
formerly of Trenton, N. j., who has
been in France doing war relief work
for more than year. She gave valu-
able aid to the French authorities last
March when the refugees were dumped
into Chantilly by administering first
aid to the tiny babies who formed
considerable proportion of the motley
collection of suffering humanity that
the Germans left in their wake.
Feeding the boys regular American
food prepared the way they have been
accustomed to having it at home is the
principal factor in making them well
and strong again." said Mrs. Shepard.
Americans are not used to eating the
coarse brown war bread which the
French use, and they are not used to |
living on soup and stew, either. After |
boy leaves here, if he has a weak |
stomach, send him packages of food |
every week. / send him wheat bis |
cults that he can eat instead of the |
war bread, and rice and preserved |
vegetables that we put up here our
selves, and occasionally, when there is !
an automobile going up to the part of
the front where they are stationed, we
can send them fresh meat and poul-
try"
Take Up Golf.
The Shepard chateau faces the Chan
tilly race course, and just behind it
are the Chantilly golf links. Shepard
has plenty of clubs and near all of the
convalescents learn something about
golf before they are considered well
enough to be discharged and go back
to their posts at the front.
Richard NJ. Atwater. 3d. of Scars
dale, the youngest member of the
American field service-he is just six
teen-has just left Chantilly to re-
turn to the front with his ambulance
section. James Norman Hill of Col
fax, Ia, attached to the Lafayette Es-
who was wounded by machine
gun bullets when fighting German
biplane near Lens, has just gone back
to take up flying again after cOnva-
Iescing at Chantilly. G. Wyman Steele
Of Easthampton, L. l.. has returned to
the United States after spending sew.
eral months with the Shepards, follow
Ing his discharge from an army hos
pital. Lester B. Scheide of Hartford, !