Cresco plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1913-1945, 1918-08-02
FRENCH CEMETERY
Tells war TALE
Row After Row of Crosses in
Sleepy Village Symbolic
Spirit of France.
q 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 visit to
French cemetery: - A ~
"Come with me, then, to this little
village on the banks Of the -,
sleepy little village nestled in the
broad valley through which the river
flows. In ordinary times village Of
few thousand inhabitants, it is now
almost empty because most Of the peo-
pie who could afford it have fed 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 lim-
its Of the city in Caesars time. Our
footsteps turn us to the right into
little lane which leads out to 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 a 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 Gene
terry is overpopulated. 1t 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 q few
civilian graves huddled together at the
near end as IL they had been crowded
to make room for the other tenants.
Then on the right row after row OF
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 while that
of an aviator, but wherever one goes
it is always the infantry that pre-
dominates. Here is the grave Of a
Chinese worker, there that Of Mo-
hammedan, but all bear the well-known
phrase which means SO much: Mort
pour la patrie!'
Graves Of Americana.
"As l wandered along through row
after row reading the names and won
dering who their owners might have
been l was startled to see on the 9th
er side of the path q single row of
graves, ut the head Of each q prim
little cross, different somewhat from
those across the way and painted in
khaki. Then I knew who these new
corners were. There were q Of them,
each bearing a little round identifica-
ton tag. I instinctively reached up to
feel IL mine was still around my neck.
These %, among the first to give up
their all for the patrie so far across
the sea, were arranged In perfect
alignment like q platoon In drill. /
couldn't help saying to myself:
swell, when the Master of the
Great Unknown Heroes,
Attention to Muster!" you all will an
| swer here 4r
'"They were plain little graves, hid
eous almost in their newness and nary
q sod to cover them. But had they
been forgotten? No, indeed; for on
each lay o little bunch Of flowers, put
there by the kind hands of the women
| Of the village. These people are 60
kind, so thoughtful. They, ut least.
Will never forget. Even as I stood
there thinking about all these things q
woman came up, very poor she seemed
| to be, yet she carried huge basket
filed with flowers, which she carefully
distributed all along the row. As she
came up to me I heard her say, al
most to herself and thinking probably
that did not understand:
"'Pauvres garcons, lis sont venus de
81 loin!'
Il couldn't help 1t, I went up to her
and shook her by the hand and
thanked her in the names of those
sleeping there and in the name of their
mothers and sisters and sweethearts
back nome. II knew where to write,
would write to those % mothers and
tell them that their boys are being
we'll looked after.
Before 1 could say anything more
to the woman she was gone. She said
she must keep one bunch OF flowers
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