The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1918-11-16
From Lieut.. w. p. Beaubien
Company z. 4o7th Blu. S
Am. Elk. Force. France.
Paris. Red Cross Hospital No. 3,
1910

September 80, 1918.
Ny Dear Mother:
Well. here am at the above hospital.
having been transferred from Base Hos
pital No. Is awaiting duty behind the
lines. as my classification read Tempo
rarily unit for front line duty. in six
weeks will be examined then for other
duties. Have had a long enforced rest
and now am feeling fine 1t IS true one
IS kept in a military hospital much
longer than in civilian one 1 rode up
here on a hospital train laden with our
wounded was a most interesting trip.
talking with the men who were in the
St Nihiel sector, hearing of all sorts
of wounds some very bad. some very
funny and others sad 1t would take
too long TO write OF them. We didn't
lose many men at St Mihiel but PERISH
ing surprised them. liberating $50 50.
mi. OF French territory which had been
under German control since 1914. They
are gradually giving up; the linden
burg line is no longer strong hold
over 100000 prisoners taken since July
Is. These prisoners now filing the
roads buck Of the lines. there is no
monkey business" with these Ameri-
cans Well. here I am in Paris again
and today being beautiful I. with a
wounded marine rode over the grand
boulevards and "rues.' seeing this won
derfuI city Starting at Hotel CONT
mental. drove down the Rue De Rivoll
into Place de la Concorde, where we saw
the famous Egyptian Obelisk with its
hie-oglyphics close by the beautiful
French government buildings, the Cham
Der of Deputies. ETC.. visiting the latter
and was pointed out where Victor Hugo
rI,a hsG aSix hafnQ
marked with a brass plate. This senate
is much more beautiful than ours being
in the Luxembourg palace. We drove
down the Champs Elysees to the famous
Napoleon Arc de Triumphes, over Rue
Henry Martin, Rue Pres. Wilson, Rue
De Boulogne. crossing the Seine over
several beautiful stone bridges. 1 was
really very much excited and awed with
the magnifcence and felt very petite"
We went over to the Eiffel tower, there
saw the big German tractor artillery
cannon" taken by the German 4th
army near Albert. We saw the Troca-
dero, beautiful colored brick building,
but the Louvre and L'Opera are closed
and sand bagged and am sorry I will be
unable to see the many world-faned
works Of art here. However, have been
fortunately able TO visit the Notre
Dame Cathedral, Hotel De Invalides. the
Luxemborg gardens and Palace. the
Tuileres. the opera and many places of
which you have read about
1t is remarkable the number of beau
tifuI monuments supporting great fig
ures in sculpture all over the city. IT IS
indeed hard to describe in letter the
beauty Of this great place The cafes
have tables right out on sidewalks and
I enjoyed sitting here and watching the
crowds going in every direction on the
Place de L'Opera. Am now quite
familiar with the Paris metro" (the
subways). and am getting along quite
satisfactorily in my French and find ii
much easier to get about In Paris
when shell lands IN the streets the
people passing by look in and mutter
"sans fierean," interpreted. lit can't be
helped"
I visited the Chateau OF Blols. having
been the scene of the assassination OF
the cardinal Of Lorraine and the Duke
of Guise. this was the rendezvous OF
four French kings. Francis I. Louis I.
III ". The walls. fire places and con-
etruction are Of the Renaissance period,
the tapestries. decorations. sculptory
and all furniture very odd and grand.
The cathedral at Tours is beautiful. 1
mounted the CATCQl6I SUBWAY Al OlC
Of the towers, from the top of which l
could see for miles the city and the
views along the beautiful Loise river.
when I returned to the hospital had
The pleasure of meeting Ex-Ambassador
page. 7 was in conversation with Mr..
Walcott Of the states when he came up.
we had q pleasant chat and Mr. Wal
eott took your address and viii write
10 you as he is leaving tomorrow. I
gave him a bead necklace / bought to-
iay for Eleanor which he very kindly
offered to send to you on his return. Be-
lore I came here 1 had fine trip to
bijon In an American truck, fine city
With two wonderful cathedrals. the ride
look us over three battle1elds of 1870
when the Germans invaded this terri
Tory I stayed over night at the Red
Cross canteen. Many Americans COM
ing and going all the time and real
honest to goodness" American girls
ire in charge For dinner we had beef
roast. mashed potatoes, wheat bread.
selery salad and fine jello pudding,
Tor dessert all this for a france and a
aalf. about csc.
The Red Cross Is doing wonderful
work behind the lines as we'll as in the
trenches. DO all you can for the Red
Cross and Salvation Army. the latter is
positively doing the great personal
work unheard of till the boys in the
trenches were getting hot coffee dough-
nuts and pie. right under fire too. From
few Salvation Army workers in the
beginning they are now thought more
Of by the American boys than all
other organizations put together. They
sid not advertize their plans. had no
publicity committee and very little
slnds- but you could not imagine what