Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-08-06

MRS. AGNES SCARLETT
Too much can not be said for the
wonderful work done by the Ameri-
can Red Cross, both in France anu
at home" was the statement made
this morning by Mrs. Agnes Scar
lett, who returned last evening To
her home, 1880 Green street, after
serving overseas for almost nine
months as a secretary with the Red
Cross.
| Mrs. Scarlet landed in New York
Sunday, on the George Washington.
aboard. One OF the things which
particularly impressed her on the
homeward trip was the manner i'll
which her sister workers met them
at every stopping place, thus assur-
/ ing the safety of the returning girls.
Leaving this country November
20, 1918! Mrs. Scarlet first went to
| Paris where she stayed for three
weeks. From there she was sent to
Brest remaining until July %. III
speaking of Bre.t, she stated that it
! is one of the greatest centers for
Red Cross work in France. With
four hospitals and five canteens, it
carries son a truly remarkable work.
The canteen at Pier 5 Brest is cleim-
ed to be the finest in that country.
Built by the Army and given over to
the Red Cross, it contains every con-
venience possible for the comfort of
the men. The rest rooms are most
home-like. On record days, this
canteen has sent through $4,000 re-
turning boys, giving each "a gift OF
socks or u comfort bag filed with
phnnnlDta cookies nipDIat n
gum, tobacco and cards. In ad-
dition, each man was served with
hot coffee and sandwiches.
One of the important pieces of
work carried on overseas was that
done by the Home Communicating
centers, established by the Red
Cross, which sent out searchers TO
seek for any information desired by
the folks at home about dead or
wounded soldiers. The boys, in turn,
could receive word of their families
through the same source. Mrs.
Scarlett, who was with the Home
Communication people at Camp
Pontanezen, near Brest. said that
the work was most pathetic.
At Camp Pontenezen, where the
! old barracks used to shelter Ma
! poleon's troops still stand, as many
as $4,000 American boys have been
cared for at a time. 1t is there that
Camp Hospital No. 33, the great
distributing center, is to be found.
Mrs. Scarlet, who was in warehouse
No. 4, in charge of Captain Earle ].
Smith, said that as high as 5000
sweaters socks, and scarfs, all made
by American women, have been dis
tributed at one time, and that the
/ hundreds of crates stored there, fill
ed with sweaters and every other
sort of comfort Imaginable, present
wonderful illustration of what the
American women can accomplish at
short notice.
Every effort was made to give the
| boys a home-like place in which to
spend their leisure hours. Huts
were fitted up where they could play
all sorts of games and chat with
American girls. Dominoes, check
ers, chess, and puzzles were sup
piled at all these places, being sent
from this country by the Red Cross
This organization also took excel
lent care of the boys in the hos
pitals. Two or three times a week
chocolates and cigarets were dis
tributed to the patients, and every
effort was made to attend to all
their needs But the work did not
stop there. When a soldier died at
Il hospital a Red Cross girl always
attended the funeral, which was con-
Quoted most tremendously. The
boys We're laid to rest beneath Il
draped flag and Il chaplain read the
! funeral service. Sometimes there
was a band and again just the bug.
ler who sounded taps. Flowers were
| placed on each individual grave and
the Red Cross girls sent a few of
the blossoms to the family back
home with an account of the death
and burial.
The day before Memorial Day,
/ all the girl workers at Brest went to
the huts and prepared bouquets for
! the graves in the cemeteries around
Brest. Similar preparations were
made throughout all France.
For the people in this country
who wish to locate the grave of
someone ''over there" a Grave
| Registration Bureau has been es-
I tablished and information can be
given as to the exact grave number,
plot number, and section number.
A movement has been started to
bring all the bodies that have been
buried in scattered districts into
two great cemeteries, so that all
who wish to visit them can do so.
The one at Rouen, it is claimed, will
be the largest American Gem etery in
F, France.
The French people are adopting
the graves of our boys and each
day or two you can see them placing
flowers on the little mounds. They
write their names on the cross at
the adopted grave, beneath the
name of the soldier resting there.
| The Grave Registration people are
also attending to the plots and the
condition in which they are kept IS
remarkable.
Mrs. Scarlett said that every boy
IN France had good word for the
Red Cross. She added that every
where the women workers went they
received the best of treatment from
the. boys. In fact, the soldiers were
not able to do enough for them and
at times 1t was with great difficulty
| that they kept tome appreciative lad