Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1919-09-26

to have it announced she was going
to help search The girl was not &C.
credited as a searcher, and it was too
preposterous. protested pretty
warmly. The senior searcher. how
ever, had not been Detroit school
teacher for nothing. She was evil
IDENTIFY determined to degrade me to
the ranks of typist. When the chief
returned, she upheld her in her posi-.
ton, and l told her l could not re-
main except on the footing of the
other searchers as regards the use Of
typist.
l wrote Paris to>this effect, asked
for my release, and was Immediately
granted it, / came up to Paris, spent
two solid weeks tipping my back re-
ports, and then, being very much run
down" and having bad cough. went
to the Riviera on 16-day leave.
After left, am informed, the other
two searchers suffered nervous
breakdown, and later they doubled
the force, having six; but the month
left showed the crest of the wave in
the number of reports on missing
men. / shall always feel keenly the
injustice of being forced to leave the
work loved and honestly feel l did
we'll, under such circumstances.
On my return from my leave.
asked for another assignment as
searcher. Paris seemed apathetic;
talked of the work soon closing
everybody going home; no women
permitted in Germany; two shiploads
of new searchers coming over, who
had to be placed" was puzzled,
but not convinced Half of the A. E
F. was still in France. But finally
asked permission to go home if was
not still needed.
My department released me by
transfer to the personnel bureau
And the personnel bureau asked me
the fatal question, Are you stenog
rapher?" / had to admit it, and was
told that owing to the shortage Of
clerical workers my services would
still be required. And the upshot Of
the matter was, they sent me down tt
Cross representative in the office o
the chief surgeon, closed hospitals de
partment, to answer letters sent b.
the home communication section re
/, garding soldiers who had been at on
time in those closed hospitals who's
records were at Tours.
, 1t was an easy billet, they assured
tv,sr fny a
, thing easy, but / was so reluctant t
+ take anything but my beloved hos
pital searching could have my owl
= time, and Tours was the center o
, the Chateau district. Well. l went
was there six weeks, or until GALE
in by the home service section whe
I it's work ended June 10th; handle
a $500 inquiries in round numbers
p was on the job days, evenings an
Sundays; supcrintended the efforts @
}. the chief surgeons young men i
1 searching the records, which wer
4 continually arriving in boxes as tn
T., hospitals closed, and were temper;
e rily placed on shelves in any kind
i arrangement, just bundles of paper
@ tied up with cord--no file cases, il
h dexes, or any other facilities. | aske
/. for and obtained the services OF tw
r Red Cross searchers who had jus
I been released from work at the ho
d pital there, as typists, and in spite
s our difficulties we were able to al
/ swer a large percentage OF the II
!. quiries we received. These would b
v something like this:
>. This soldier was reported missin
O in July, 1918; but a comrade hf
stated that he saw him in Base Ho
Y pital No -, now closed, in Oct
q Der. Please examine the files OF tn
d hospital and report if possible h
.. present condition and whereabouts
It Present condition and wher
" abouts. If they asked that OF
,. once. they asked il thousand times
r. and the best We could do, from II