The Leavenworth echo. [volume] (Leavenworth, Wash.) 1904-current, 1917-10-26

Chantilly, France.-In his big cha
teRu here where for more than two
years he had billeted upon him as
guests dozen French officers attached
to the staff of General Joffre, Elliott
Fitch Shepard, the American million
aire, has established a convaleseent
home for sick and wounded American
aviators andnAmerican ambulance driy-
ers.
Shepard has resided at Chantilly
SINCE the beginningoo of the war, except
during the fleeing visit of the Ger
mans just before the battle of the
Marine. Then the Shepards drove out
tof Chantilly toward Paris in their big
touring car 20 minutes before the first
troop of Uhtans entered into Chan
tilly from Senlis, which they had just
put to the torch.
After the battle of the Aisne, when
warfare stagnated into intrenched pO-
sitions, General Joffre selected Chan
lilly as the seat of his Great Head
quarters. The &c. Q. Co." as the
French abbreviate 'Grande Quarter
Gel erale," remained at Chantilly for
1 more than two years. or up to the time
thdt Joffre was made marshal and Cen
erdl Nivelle took his place as COM
mdnder in chief of the French armies
in 1.-THE field.
Turned Over to Refugees.
Then came the German retreat TO
The Hlndenburg line and refugees from
the devastated region evacuated by
the Germans began TO pour into Creit
lSehlis and Chantilly. Shepard turned
OVER the rooms so recently given up
by the officers attached to General
Joffres staff to the refugees and took
Il 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
wds emptied except for the family.
1t was then that Mrs. Eleanor
| shepard decided to open GONZALES
cent home for sick or wounded Ameri-
cab 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
ave rage of sixteen American youths
asher 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
Though being under continuous bonn
| bakdment. In most cases the illness
| oil 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
20 under fire in the most terrible war
the world has ever seen, with no pre-
lliihinary preparation. 1t is only neces-
saty that they be able to drive motor
cabs They have not the military train
ins, and drilling and incubation 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
lbden 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
| stbmach, l send him packages of food
/ every week. | send him wheat bis
cults that he can eat instead of the
whr bread. and rice and preserved
| vegetables that we put up here our
solves. and occasionally, when there is
al automobile going up TO the part of
die front where they are stationed, we
can send them fresh meat and poul-
try
Il 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
10 their posts at the front.
Richard NJ. Atwater Sd, of Scars
dale. the youngest member of the
American field service-he is just siA-
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 Is
cadrille, who was wounded by machine
gun bullets when fighting German
biplane near Lens, has just gone back