The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1919-06-03

two weeks reservation.
Quite we'll satisfied with week
spent in England, our thoughts began
to turn homeward and we left Lon
don for Paris via rail for Folkestone
and thence by boat to Bologne and
rail to Paris arriving In Paris about
6 .. m. on May 1st, which was Labor
Day in France. The street cars. taxis
and cabs were all closed down, not a
store or a restaurant was open. We
got off our train at the station just in
time to see real riot. saw more
than a dozen men with their heads split
open by rocks and pieces of iron
thrown by agitators. Over 400 police
were injured and one man was killed
Labor Day in Paris was more like riot
day. 1t took us two hours to get out
of the station and then thanks to a
| Y. M. C. "A. truck we were safely car
ried to our hotel
We had three days more in Paris
waiting for boat One evening was
very profitably spent as guests OF our
Peace Commissioners and we were
shown the tentative new map of Eu-
rope but further the deponent sayeth
not. stopped at the same hotel for
several days in Paris with Paderewski,
the composer and noted pianist who
is q member of the Peace Commission
and who is the new President of Po-
land. He has had his hair bobbed
and looks and acts more like hui
man being, and will no doubt fill his
position of trust well.
That he is a wizard in music is no
reason why he will not measure up to
the requirements of his political trust.
Thomas Jefferson was violinist and
King David was some harpist. / was
pleased to meet Major Clell B. Perkins
of Centerburg in Paris. He looks the
part. / regretted that I was out Of
the city when popular Maj. Charles w.
Miller of Newark who is stationed at
LaRochelle called to see me. was
also quite pleased to learn the day I
left Paris that our own David w.
Scovell had been promoted that day
to the rank Of Captain. Paul Pratt
of Mt. Carroll, Illinois, who is rela-
tive of the JohnstOwn Pratts ran up
to see me. He Is six foot two chap,
looks like the old stock and is fine
young chap. l was called to Brest to
take the boat day earlier than ex-
pected and did not therefore get to
run down to Limoges to visit the
grave of my nephew Eugene Ashbrook
of Granville which was the only thing
4 planned to do on this trip and fail
ed to accomplish. found the grave
of Dan G. Stone, Jr., a son of my old
soldier friend Dan G. Stone of Mt.
Vernon near Paris, and at Brest l al
so visited the grave Of Clark Marcy,
a son of T. b. Macy of Newark. While
at Brest waiting for the boat was for
tunate to meet about so Licking coun-
ty boys that / had met at Coblenz, who
had been sent to Brest and expected
to sail home in a few days. In addi
tion to the boys mentioned in former
letter met Lieut. Gail Butt and Dan
Green of Johnstown and Donald
Wright a son of the late DR.. j. N
Wright and no doubt by the time this
letter Is In print the boys will be in
the States. Their faces were illum
mated like the morning sun at the
prospect Of going home.
We had to wait a coupe of days
at Brest for our boat and was rath-
er inclined to be impatient until
thought OF the tens of thousands of
boys who had been absent from home
andsloved ones for many months and
realized how impatient they needs
must be and then appreciated my
Inconvenience was not worth while
We came home on the Noordan, a
Holland boat. The Government is
using every one of It's transports to
bring back our boys and engaging
space on all commercial boats fly.
ing other flags to carry as many sol
diers as possible. Last month $4,000
boys were sent home and 1t is expect.
cd that during this month and next
to bring back 100000 more leaving
less than 100000 owe. seas and b,