The Julesburg grit-advocate., 1918-01-17

marvellous Cathedral. While there, We
met and talked with Cardinal Luoon,
who has never left his church, altho
it has been struck by $40 shells. Then
we went to Verdun, the mere mention
of which makes the blood of every
French soldier tingle with sadness and
man-pride, because of the wonderful
deeds done there by the brave men
whose bodies are ground in to the very
earth of those hills. The day will new
err be forgotten by single American
Congressman who was in that party
Colonel DELAY, the Commandant, led
US to the pulverized and shell pocket
top of Fort Souville, the place where
the French stopped, overwhelmed, and
threw back the German hosts He de-
scribed the battle in great detail
Then with swing of the arm cover
ing the whole hill, he said to US with
a voice that quivered with emotion,
"If all the mer who fell here were ev-
emily distributed, there would be five
dead men to every square meter
(yard) of ground.
Next we visited the American Head
quarters and the American Camp.
There we met the Generals of Per-
shing's staff and saw that magnifi-
cent body of young men who form the
vanguard of the great American army
that is to follow. We saw them in
their training camp, we saw them
building hutments, we saw them liv-
ing in the towns and mingling with
the people, among whom they are
billeted, and they were everywhere
healthy, cheerful and determined 1t
was there that General Sbert asked
the Congressional party to carry the
shell case of the first shell fired at
the Germans back to President Will
son, which we did.
From there we went to the Cham
payne and Aisne country, visiting the
large areas of the devastated regions
of France. No language can ade-
quately describe the wreck and ruin Of
that country. 1t is more than desc
late. 1t is destroyed. We visited the
great battlefield of the Somme where
in three months fighting the Allies
:, lost 9OO,O 900 men and the Germans
100000 men, but which the allies won.
1t is now vast cemetery in which
only the graves of the hundreds bur-
i led there are marked. We stood on
Vimy ridge ard looked across to Lene
still held by the Germans. 1t was
there that we saw one of those wonder
! full battles in the air as we'll as the
artillery duel which progressed near
the ground.
When back in Paris we were re-
eeived by President Poincare of the
French Republic and Speaker Des-
chanel of the House of Deputies. Dur
,, ing this period we were taken about
by Mr.. Henry Franklin Bouillon, who
had visited America and addressed
our ouw House of Representatives a
few months before. His courtesy and
kindness were most wonderful
The hast part Of the trip proved the
most exciting and the most dangerous
because it WAS our trip to the Belgium
front line trenches only 80 feet from
the Germans.
King Albert entertained us at tea
in the evening and we went to the
front trenches just opposite dixmude
early the next morning. Il was there
that the snipers and German machine
guaners fired upon US. It was on our
way out that the big shells fell dan
aeyously near. Luckily we all re-
turned in good health and uninjured
We all realized that our trip had
been remarkable, both in the honors
paid US and the things shown US.
can say that we were shown every
thing that we asked to see. All of
the Government officials of the Eng
lish, French and Belgian governments
did everything that men could do for
US. In fact, the most difficult thing
often was to decide what should be
omitted frem what was suffered us be-
cause of our lack of time. We went
to see the war as it is and our trip
was wonderful success. The Ger