Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-01-26
BY MARY MASTER NEEDHAM
Widow of Henry Beach Needham, Former
of Washington. D. c., Killed
While Flying in Europe.

While Flying in Europe.
Special Correspondent of the American Com
mittee for Devastated Franco
PLOISY. the hisne. France, Janu-
airy 10.-Anerica , did not choose
France as a attIefield-neither did
France America, when the fighting
ended. was just beginning to realize
something of W hat it means TO live
in = country at war. Americans can
never know tbecause France expert
euced the knowledge for herr what
it means to live IN the country IN
which the greatest of all wars has
been fought. :
Nine Defante and her family suf-
fered that some American family
night be spared
In 1914 M and Nine. Louis De
fante lived in gray stone house
in Il village in the Aisne. AROUND
their home were eighty acres of rich
land Belonging to them. which they
cultivated The land had belonged
to the father of NJ. Defante. and be-
fore him to his father. When Louis
was twenty-three he married Marie
Segur daughter of u neighbor- N'th
her dot they furnished the home
-,
ems. Two children were born
Georges and Jeanne. The parents
worked hard. They saved for the
dot of Jeanne, for the inheritance
of Georges, that he might be able
to increase the property, and that
they might live their declining years
in peaceful dignity.
Nine. Defante had never been to
Paris; monsieur. but once. They had
no desire to go far. They loved their
own land of which they knew every
plant and every stone. All they need
ed they bought at the little village
mile away. where the children went
to school and attended church. They
lived in their own principaiity, bene-
fitting by the institutions of coun-
try of which they were a proud part
Husband Called to Colors.
In 1914 came war. NJ. Defante
was called to the colors. HIS
wife did not finch. She was a true
daughter of France She thought OF
her father. who had been killed IN
the previous war
Think not of me- she counseied
him. Think not of the children.
will care for them. Remember ls'o-
think of France
So-he went to the war. She and
the children--ten and eight years old
could find only one man. too i'll to go
to war. and boy who was lame to
help her. The children looked after
the cows. sheep and chickens and she
helped the man.
Then the Germans came. They set
tied in the village. Four of them
settled in her house. They took her
cattle, her grain. her food. They
forced her to work for them. They
sent her children, not to school. but
to the fields to work under and for
the German soldiers. They grew
white and thin and stopped. They
grew afraid. And the mother could
do nothing. No word came from her
husband She could send no word to
him. They Were under German domi-
nation.
This lasted two years and half.
while she and the children grew
weaker. Then came the lombard
ment. when she and her children fed
to the cellar. She grew too ill to
work. For this reason the Germans
didn't take her with them. but ordered
her to leave with the children. She
was ''yerboten" to take blankets,
food, anything.
They suffered hardships and cruelty
on their pilgrimage. bat finally ar
rived in a village far from their
home. They were put in house with
ten other refugees. 1t was cold; no
fire; but little food. She could not
buy the little that was for sale be-
cause she had sent her money to her
sister for safe keeping.
Madame Finally Gets News.
But at last, she had news of her
husband He was we'll. but two of
her brothers had been killed. With
money he sent her she joined her
sister in a town nearer her old home.
They had to sleep four in a bed. She
thought it would be better for the
children If she could rent two rooms.
necessities. First, a stove. There were
only two or three to be had in the
town. The cheapest cost $50, and had
only one burner One such as she
needed would cost from $50 to $50
Couldn't the orekeeper order one
for her? He smiled. Didn't she know
that but few stoves were being made?
There was no material for stoves.
Beds? He couldn't get them at any
price. For one month he hadn't been
able to buy coffee pot He couldn't
get knives or forks or spoons.
few a little later, but very expensive
Nine. Defante looked contemptu-
ously at the linen. Cotton, 1t was.
Why, no French woman could have
thought it possible to sleep in cot
ton sheets before the war. And these
COSI 20 d SHCcI lOT d. Ueu. soap
was scarce and cost an almost profib-
tive price. No, she must stay at her
sisters until the Army would let her
go back home.
Like every one else in France they
were on bread cards and sugar cards
Sometimes there was butter in the
market-not often, and it cost 81
pound.
AS for fuel, most of the coal fields
of France were in the hands of the
Germans, and most of the forests were
gone, too. destroyed by the Germans