The Topeka state journal., 1919-12-25
10th XMAS, 1918
How Topeka's Soldiers Spent
the Holiday in France.
Made History for Little Town
of Dieue That Day.
CHRISTMAS TREE FOR klDDIES
Don Longenecker and Keim Cut
Down a Big Tree.
Entertainment Under Guard to
Make Villagers Happy.
TREE FOR KlDDIES
BY SAN FARRELL.

hote OF reVeHle- II was just dnOther
bleak and cherries day to them and
lthe only riffs in the clouds were a
later reveille and no gun drill In
buildings half wrecked by shell fire,
in barns that had withstood the raw
ages of the centuries, the Kansas artil-
lerymen were housed among their
cooties.
Articles about turkey and all the
trimmin's were utterly without
foundation that day, as the men
lined up with their mess-kits and re-
ceived their ration. which was the
best slum-mixers could sling together
under existing circumstances. There
was snow on the ground and the sun
did not penetrate thru the bleak
clouds.
But to say that Christmas, 1918,
was an empty day for the both would
be a fallacy, at least as far as the
Topeka contingent was concerned. A
few miles away lay the village of
Dieue, which was attacked with less
ferocity in the Verdun battle OF 1915
and to which its former residents were
flocking back. Refugees who had
wintered the war in distant parts of
France, returned to their desolate
homes and the first feeble efforts at
renovation began Immediately after
the signing of the armistice.
Among the returned villagers were
nearly 100 children, to whom Santa
Claus was a myth not to be believed
in. In their lonely lives, the bare
necessities of living were hard enough
to obtain and Christmas was like any
other day in the year to them.
A Fund for Children.
Under the direction of Lieut.. Rich
ard Conant, of Littletown, Mass.
resident of Paris for several years and
an ambulance driver in the French
army the first part of the war, fund
was raised for the entertainment of
the Dieue children Christmas after
noon. An enormous Christmas tree
was obtained (without leave from the
French authorities, by the way) in
the Foret de Monthairon. Corporal
Harvey Keinl, and Buck Private
I,ongenecker, both of Topeka. -hewed
and brought it into camp in four
gon.
The old town. hall-Hotel de Willie
Of Dfeue was practically intact. sex-
cept that an obtrusive shell had taken
away one chimney. The mayor was
benign sort of fellow, readily gave his
consent to using the hall for a child
ren's Christmas party. For several
days the boys worked like beavers be-
hind closed doors, whetting the curl
osity of the villagers, especially the
youngsters.
Beerbohm in Charge.
Supply Sergt Fred Beerbohm, of
battery A. familiarly known as ''Coet
Quidan Fred" was in charge of dec
orations. assisted by Sergt. Thomas
H Parry, who was shortly to break
his leg in a. football scramble between
non-coms and privates. Pvt. Ralph.
G. Morgan, the most accomplished
promoter in the regiment, was given a
message to Garcia" he was told to
police up the Christmas tree trim
mings. which he did in his most
polished manner.
Miss Irene Dayton and Miss Eliza
beth Marshall, of New York, attached
to the regiment in the .'Y'' service. lent
their assistance along culinary lines.
The 3rd battalion detail quartet, COM
posed of Sid Patton and Edward c.
Amidon, of Kansas City, Kan, Don
Tweedy, of Topeka and Perry Whita
ker, of Wichita, cancelled an engage
ment to warble at Nancy in order to
be present.
Hall Was Opened.
At o'clock in the afternoon the
hall was opened to the children and
their parents. Lieut.. Dana T. Jen-
nings, of Topeka, was bribed with
cup of hot chocolate and a piece of
Miss Dayton'S cake to act as guard
and keep curiosity seekers Of seven
allied armies from jamming into the
place. One can imagine the delight
and amazement of these poor French
| geously decorated tree and long tables
| lined with dainty edibles.
For full moment they were silent
and then all broke forth with the
rapidity of a Browning machine gum
One hundred children, some of
them too young to remember their
| last real Christmas five years before.
were having the treat of their young
lives. The 130th field artillery made
history in Dieue that day. For gen.
erations the town records viii contain
the details of the event and the affair
will be truly legendary in the years to
come.
Several pretty mademoiseIles had
been gathered in to assist at the
tables. Corp. Marion Smith was in
charge of the detail selecting the for
tunate ones. and his judgment was
warmly commenced by the men
present. Hot chocolate, homemade
candy and cakes. cookies, etc. were
placed before the hungry children.
who devoured the "eats" with a yigor
Edward A. Kiene in his palmiest days.
Conant as Santa Claus.
A program followed the meeting
Lieutenant Conant was Santa Claus
despite his slender build. and every
child there received a present, thanks
to the ingenuity of such policers as
Morgan, Ed Bell, Jim Caraahan and
Wound Stripe Bili'' Rees- Then the
mayor. Monsieur Jean Grymaisen. de-
1ivered an address in French, which
was translated into Swedish by Floyd
A. johnson, of St Marys, Kan, and
then into English by Color Sergt.
Arthur V. johnson. a wealthy mine
| operator of Usage City. Kan.
/ The quartet done nobiy" The
| clear tenor tones of Corporal Tweedy
| for several minutes stopped the merry
| chattering of the children. Bones
Smith. of Kansas City. did his singing
with his usual ability Col Hugh s
| Brown made a speech. Nobody but
/! the Yanks understood him, but the
| civilians clapped politely Father
1 Paui de GueIdra smoke a fer- ,.rnrcss