Crittenden record-press. [volume] (Marion, Ky.) 1909-191?, 1918-08-15
Row After Row Of Crosses in
Sleepy Village Symbolic
Spirit Of France.
Y AMERICAN DEAD THERE
Woman strswlns Flowers Upon tho
6raVes Of Yankee Soldiers Mourns
the "Pauvrss oareons"-Amsr.
lean Describes Visit to
Cemetery.


with Pershing's army In Fnnce 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 Wiley through which the river
flows. In ordinary times q village Of
q few thousand Inhabitants, II Is now
almost empty because most OF the peo-
pie who could afford II have fed TO
safer places. tasting for the second
time since 1914 the bitterness OF the
war as It Affects the peaceful civilian.
ut Is late afternoon. warm and sun
ny. We stroll down the main street
together past the old church. once a
handsome structure but now badly
weather worn and almost In ruins.
Further on we pass the ruins Of IN
old Roman wall which marked the lin.
IL Of the city In Caesars time. Our
footsteps turn Us to the Right into q
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
Oh abruptly to the right II soon dis
appears through stone gateway and
we find ourselves In the new Gene
tery. called new because the demands
Of this terrible four years struggle
have been so urgent that the old ceine-
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 nre a few
civilian graves huddled together ut the
near end as II 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 mos'
part covered with those hldeous bead
work floral pieces that the French use
On seeing them, one understands how
Jean Vatican recouped his fortunes
Yeu remember the story. no doubt
There were graves Of infantry, cayalr,
and artillery, and once In while thai
Of On aviator. but wherever one goei
Il Is always the infantry that pre-
dominates. Here Is the grave OF
Chinese worker, there that Of o Mo
hammedan, but oil bear the weli'knowI
phrase which means SO much: Nor
pour Ia patrier
Graves Of Americana
As I wandered along through roy
after row reading the names md won
derlng who their owners might hav
been I was startled to see on the 9th
or side Of the path u single row o
graves, ut the head Of each prir
little cross. different somewhat froi
those across the way and painted !
khaki. Then l knew who these new
Corners were. There were % OF then
each bearing u little round Identities
ton ting. I instinctively reached up
feel II mine was still around my necl
These q, among the first to give U
their oil for the patrle 40 fur acros
the sea. were arranged In perfe'
alignment like platoon In drill.
couldn't help saying to myself:
swell, when the Master Of u
Great Unknown commnnds-"Heroe
Attention to Musterl" you all will n
swer here
"They were plain little graves, hi
eous almost In their newness md naI
a sod to cover them. But had thu
been forgotteni No. indeed; for I
each lay little bunch OF flowers, ~
there by the kind hands Of the wom'
Of the village. These people IRE
, kind, % thoughtful. They, Mt lea'
Will never forget. Even as ! sto'
there thinking about all these things
woman came up, very poor she SEEM
10 be, yet she carried n huge bnsk
filled with flowers, which she careful
!, distributed nil along the row. AS s.
. came up to mo ! heard her shy,
! most 20 herself and thinking probat
thut | did moi understand;