Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial. (Wilmington, Del.) 1878-1928, 1918-05-16
RED Cross HELPS
FRENCH SUFFERERS
Miss Katherine Thompson Writes
an Interesting Account of Her
Work in That Country.

Following are extracts from letter
received by Mrs Henry b. Thompson
from her daughter, katherine, n Red Cross
worker. written Easter Sunday. kath-
crime is now with Miss Kitchener, sister
OF Lord Kitchener, at Dinant. looking
after the refugees who have been sent
from the evacuated districts in northern
France. The estracts from the letter
follow:
Easter, March 81, 1918.
Hotel Nernet, Paris.
Yesterday | went To the S.are de Lyon
to work in the Nestaire DIES Repatries,
where they give out clothes to the refugees.
/ unpacked old clothes, etc, and helped
strengthen up. Mime. Pclettc, who works
there all the time, had been there all
night, giving things Ia the poor evacues,
as it is from that station they go TO Nice,
Cannes and all points south She Is too
sweet and wears the blue vcil and cape
of La Croix Rouge FransCalSc.
| worked there IN the afternoon until
about four: II is the basement under the
canteen DIES Repatries and across from
II is the Mushroom for the poor people
to fix I'D in. As YOU may imagine, hum
lrctis of them are passing through from
tmiens, Compeigne, etc. some having
been evacuated for the second time.
OF course, they can only take what they
can carry with them and only had Jew
hours notice to get ready IN. Most OF
them have little dogs on strings Today
one old rouplc had \ baby lamb that drank
milk from n botl and sat IN the old
womans hap all afternoon. Ono man
had a goat | gave 1t some water and IT
drank lot and then ate some bread.
II had the real old-fashloned smell. Two
old women had one yesterday too; It
l:,v beside them in the dinIngroom, Just
hike n dog | save all the uncaten meat
for the dogs and feed them, rs well rs
the people.
With the exception of the Red Cross
workers. who number about three or more
women and three men, the cantccn IS
run by French women, who are really
marvellous. Most. or rather several of
them, have not slept for two nights
They are always cheerful, gentle, sym
pathetic and most capable. They wear
white clothes and aprons, with little
red crosses on them and white cnlis.
one of the head ones was so touched by
all the thing the Red Cross gave them,
that Just because | was American and
had been working there she put her arms
around me, kissing me on both cheeks
and said we were 50 good and All they had
they could wish for: then she showed me
a lot of old women sitting there and SAID
weren't the Americans good 70 come
over and work for them and give them
SO muChH' forgot 10 SAY she WAS weep
ing the while. IL was a very touching
scene. but. as you may we'll imagine.
4 bit embarrassing for me.
The Red Cross arc really wonderful
They have fixed up big waiting room
with beds, are supplying chairs, tables
chocolate. crackers clothing. tea towels,
IN fact everything that Is nec,it'd
You would he very much amused If
you could hsve seen me pushing little
wagon ito haul trunks on through the
station in my blue apron, with no hat on,
with a large French lady walking beside
me. We had 70 go from our canteen
way around through station and baggage
room Ia the military canteen TO get cider
and bread | had lunch IN the military
canteen. by the way, but no soldiers were
there then although II WAS full IN the
morning when | got the cider, We serve
bolnllon, beans or potatoes with piece
If meat. bread, cider, beer, coffee milk
and cheese and eggs 10 children or sick
people. There Is also An infirmary there
to take care of the children, babies or
sick people One poor man came up 10
me with wild look and SAID, Mella
J'ai envie de vomir' Fortunately one
OF the r. c. men came by SO | turned him
over to him. m getting very handy with
children and can stuff milk and bread
down them quite naturally now. We
fed so many today could not begin 10
tell YOU how many.
The Boche began 10 lombard the hos
pital at Compeigne, so the sisters brought
the people in IN big automobiles to the
station. They were the Oldest people
have ever seen. Some couldn't even
walk. The big cannon has gotten Its
second breath and Is going again since
Friday II hit "a church Friday AT 20
and Killed 90 Yesterday II went about
every 20 minutes, but only three times
today, / think II doesn't scare me 3
bit, but perfectly hate it just the same
The avions you can see and hear, but
this Just arrives anywhere at any time
without warning or noise.