The Bourbon news. [volume] (Paris, Ky.) 1895-19??, 1918-04-16
MRS. GIBSON TELLS Graphic
STORY OF EXPERIENCE.

A magnificent audience greeted
MIS-. Ida M. Gibson, Thursday night
at the Opera House.
MIS-. Gibson is widely known a.
representative newspaper woman,
ana her Confessions of q Wife
nave been read with great interest,
She is now a most enthusiastic
worker In the Red Cross organiza-
ZION and spent the past winter in
europe studying war conditions from
every possible standpoint. She says
she Is the only woman, or at least
the only American woman, who has
succeeded in reaching the trenches.
mrs. Gibson is a woman of won
derful personality, splendid. physique
and magnetism. She tells the story
OF her thrilling experience in a
cnarmingly simple style, yet with
great force and power. Her tailored
cloth Red Cross costume with French
cape is very attractive, and with it
sne wears strong boots and a close
lifting hat with no ornament ex-
cept graceful tassel on the right
and la croix rouge in front.
IN her opening sentence Mrs. Glib
son told her. audience not to let any
one make them think for one moment
that we are not at war with the
German people, for we are.
you have been told that you are
at war with the Kaiser, but I want to
tell you you are at war with the Ger
man people who have been preparing
for this for forty years; and not
only with those over there, but with
the deSpicable Germans in America
who are acting as Spies"
These she denounced in the strong
est language.
Before going to Europe, the speak
er said, she had been told that every
one who goes to this war is con-
WINGED that there is a God-as
sure as He'll"
She said she had learned to be-
lieve there is a Hell-as sure as
God"-for she had seen it, in the
pinched features of starving children
in the helpless look in the eyes of
women, in > the destruction of mag
nificent churches, treasures of art
and wealth, in the horrors of trench
life, in bursting shell and murder
Gus bomb; and she had heard it in
the Internal din of battle, the roar
of guns and the means of the wound
ed and dying.
The speaker graphically told of
her difficult journey on foot, one
dark night, to reach the trenches,
dressed III riding breaches, heavy
boots, a Sammy overcoat and tin
hat, stun ling over rocks and rough
places, al.iost falling into shell
holes, she and her protectors finally
reached The trenches. Here, while
handing out soup from the soup
kitchen to the soldiers bomb ex-
ploded a few feet in front of the
party, wounding several. One poor
fellow had one side of his foce conf
pletely torn away and while taking
his bowl of soup suddenly crumpled
up and died at Mrs. Gibson's feet.
Another who was wounded in the
back of the head came up babbling
in his delirium and thinking the lit
tie hand in the Sammy overcoat was
that of his boy, died holding her
hand and talking of "me petit fills"
Mrs. Gibson gave an interesting
account of the "children's convoy
a long train of French orphans that
arrived in Paris early one winter
morning. The windows were filled
with little faces and every child was
shouting, give la Francei" They
marched to the place provided for
them singing bravely, and when ask
ed about their fathers the answer
invariably was I'll est morte," or I'll
est la guerre." For this is absolutely
true that every man in France who is
not too old or too feeble, is either
in the war or dead because of the
war.
Mrs. Gibson was privileged to have
interviews with General Pershing
and President Poincare, as we'll as
other prominent figures in France,
and quotes them as saying unquali
fiedly that the American Red Cross
is the greatest constructive agency
in the world, doing more good than
any other organization that ever eX-
listed.
The speaker urged every woman
to work for the Red Cross more
earnestly than ever, either sewing,
or knitting or making surgical dress
ings, adding with emphasis and truth
that every woman who does not de-
vote at least a portion of her time
each week to this work is a
Stacker!
The speaker concluded her Won
derful address with a glowing trio
ute to the American soldiers, COM
plimenting them as being the clean.
est, the strongest, the straightest
and the manifest soldiers on the face
of the earth, and said they would
stick to their post just as long and
just as bravely as the French or the
British.
Mrs. Gibson has son in France
and closed with a pathetic yet brave
quotation from one of his letters.
Altogether the address was enjoy
ed as much as any that has been
given in Paris.
Hon. C. M. Thomas presided over
the meeting, introducing the speaker