Shoshone journal. [volume] (Shoshone, Idaho) 1884-1931, 1918-08-16
Row After Row of Crosses in
Sleepy Village Symbolic
Spirit of France.
Y AMERICAN DEAD THERE
Woman strewing Flowers Upon the
Graves of Yankee Soldiers Mourns
the "Pauvres Garcons"-Amer-
lean Describes Visit TO
Cemetery.

New York.-An American officer
with Pershing's army in France has
written In a letter to his wife this
moving description Of a visit to a
French cemetery:
Come with me, then, TO this little
village on the banks Of the -, a
sleepy little village nestled in the
broad valley through which the river
flows. In ordinary times a village Of
a few thousand inhabitants, it is NOT
almost empty because most Of the peo-
pie who could afford it have fled TO
safer places, tasting for the second
time since 1914 the bitterness OF the
war as it affects the peaceful civilian.
1T is late afternoon, warm and sun
ny. We stroll down the main street
together past the old church, once
handsome structure but now badly
weather worn and almost in ruins
Further ON we pass the ruins OF an
old Roman wall which marked the linn
Its of the city in Caesars time. Our
footsteps turn US to the right into a
little lane which leads out 10 the
country up the gentle slope and to-
ward the front. After passing under
the railroad bridge the lane branches
OF abruptly to the right. It soon dis
appears through stone gateway and
we find ourselves in the new GENE
terry. called new because the demands
OF this terrible four years struggle
have been so urgent that the old ceme-
terry is overpopulated. II was large
enough for the normal population Of
the village, but death has stalked often
through the streets these last four
years and its victims must have room.
"A little gravel path. laid out with
mathematic straightneSs, runs through
the cemetery. First, there are few
civilian graves huddled together at the
near end as if they had been crowded
TO make room for the other tenants
Then on the right row after row or
graves of French soldiers marked by
huge wooden crosses, and for the most
part covered with those hideous bead
work floral pieces that the French use.
On seeing them, one understands how
Jean Vatican recouped his fortunes.
You remember the story, no doubt.
There were graves OF infantry, cavalry
and artillery, and once in a while that
of an aviator, but wherever one goes
it is always the infantry that pre-
dominates. Here is the grave of d
Chinese worker, there that of a Mo-
hammedan, but all bear the well-known
phrase which means so much: Mort
pour Ia patriot
Graves of Americans
"As l wandered along through row
after row reading the names and won /
dering who their owners might have
been 1 was startled 10 see on the 9TH [
err side of the path a single row of
graves, at the head Of each a prim /,
little cross, different somewhat from I
those across the way and painted in I
Khaki. Then / knew who these new /
Corners were. There were % Of them, 4
each bearing little round identiica- 4
ton tag. l instinctively reached up TO /
feel ii mine was still around my neck. 4
These %, among the first to give up
their all for the patrie so far across
the sea. were arranged in perfect 7
alignment like platoon in drill
couldn't help saying TO myself:
"sWell, when the Master of the
Great Unknown commands-'Heroes,
Attention to Muster" you all will ana
swer here.
They were plain little graves. hid
sous almost in their newness and nary
4 sod TO cover them. But had they
been forgotten? No, indeed; for on
zach lay little bunch of flowers, put
here by the kind hands of the women
;f the village. These people are so
lind. so thoughtful. They. at least.
viii never forget. Even as 1 stood
here thinking about all these things a
came up. very poor she seemed
o be, yet she carried huge basket '
HE'D with flowers, wTfseh she carefully |
distributed all along the row. AS she I
anne up to me l heard her say, al
most to herself and thinking probably
hat did not understand: l.: