The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1919-04-17
RICHMOND SOLDIER
SEES CASTLE BUILT
BY ROMAN EMPEROR

I left Gleve6, France, on Marcn z,
with q car full Of food and smokes for
the boys In the Army Of Occupation"
writes Luther Myers, in a letter to
his parents. Mr.. and Mrs. John H.
Myers. Myers has been In France
for the past nine months.
1.-THE first thing of grandeur we
passed WAS . large castle and circular
, tower near place called Sancerre.
This Is supposed to have been built
by Caesar and used as one Of his
strong holds during some Of his con-
quests.
"On March passed through that
part Of the battle front which extends
from st. Mihiel to Verdun and from
Verdun in a northeasterly direction to
small place, Audunle Roman, near
the Lorrain border. Before reaching
st. Mihiel / saw two or three towns
which had been utterly destroyed, and
a network Of barbed wire entangle-
ments. Some of the barbed wire Is
above the ground but most of 1t Is
not more than ten to nSteen inches
above mother earth. l also saw
good many trenches and dugouts, cam
ouflaged roads and bridges which had
been constructed across the river
Mouse. The country is very low here.
and most of 1t was under water SO l
did not see very many shell holes.
City Only in Name.
1.-THE city of st. Nfihiel is now only
In name. In passing through the
place where our train stopped for an
hour or more l was unable to see a
house standing which was not at least
partly destroyed. However, in two or
three places I saw few houses and
a cathedral standing almost unmolest-
ed. This I could not account for in
any way when I looked at the COM
plete ruins about them. All the little
towns on from ST Mihiel were prac-
tically destroyed.
Next l reached Verdun, but it was
almost dark then. 1t is Of course de-
stroyed and the underground city you
hear 80 much about is invisible AS it
was against orders to leave the car
l could not see very much of the
place, but count it something Just
to have passed through there.
"The next morning found myself
in the freight yards at Audun le Ro-
man. This was the last town before
reaching Lorraine, but, as others, 1t
was only a shell. Here saw the most
rebuilding being done, the city being
started on new sight, a hill about q
quarter Of mile from the old town. I
was told most the houses Of this place
had been built between 1850 and 1920.
although some bore dates as far back
as 1896.
Touch MosseIIe River.
From here we journeyed on, pass
oil 70
touching the Moselle river, and in a
region where the battles were never
waged SO no destruction is seen but
all the agencies which tend toward
construction. Along the Moselle riv-
er through Lorraine and Germany, the
hillsides are farmed to their very sum-
mfts, the products being in the end
the famous Moselle wine. After my
car was unloaded at Coblenz, I had
about nineteen hours to wait for the
train to carry me back to camp. OF
/ made those nineteen hours
count. I saw Coblenz, the two big
German forts, and the statute Of Kali
ser Wilhelm the First, also the Fest
halle, big German theatre where the
Y. NJ. c. A. gives its biggest and high
est for the A. of 0.
Il just had extra time enough to
make short trip up the Rhine river
on an extra boat trip given by the Y.
NJ. c. A. that day. Here l saw banks
dotted with castles, towns and vine
yards. One town was founded in the
time of Caesar by the Romans. The
one thing that appealed to me most
was the Lorelei Rock which is the
fairy story basis for the song. Many
Of these castles are, of course, unin-
habited and are falling to ruins. AS
final point of interest we passed the
opening back to the silver mines dis
covered and operated by the Slavs be-
fore the time of Christ.
Morning, the 14th and now aboard
the American special for Toul, France.
On this trip l pass through Luxem-
burg in the Duchy of Luxembourg and
through Metz. The country through
here is much the same as that / have
already described. I've met q fellow
from Bordeaux and found he was well
acquainted with my old pal Lee
Toschlog, SO l had quite an interesting
talk with him"
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