The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1919-04-18
YANKS IN FRANCE
SOUVENIR CRAZY
PAY HUGE PRICES
Iron Crosses for SIS, Helmets
for Five Francs, "Gott Nit
UnS" Belts and Hun BayO-
nets Are PLENTIFUL.
BY VICTOR

@FN'HNNFF - " cay llk AElG u
the effect that France entered the great
war to protect her soil from the in
yader, that Britain was Influenced by
a desire to maintain her commercial
and maritime supremacy, and that Amer
lea came in for souvenirs. This Is not
a French jest; II bears the American
label and Is based upon shrewd OBJ
servation of a national trait.
one Of our New York cartoonists a
few weeks ago made a picture OF a
pathetic figure Of a %doughboy, coming
home without any souvenirs at all. His
kid brother was frankly disgustted, his
father was annoyed, and even his gem
tie mother vas disappointed, On his
chest he wore a military medal. award
ed him for distinguished conduct on the
field, but no one paid any attention to
that A fig for the medal; where was
the German helmet he should have
brought?
The fame Of this cartoon has spread
all over France, and wherever you find
4 d%oughboy, or an American army Of
ticeT, or a sailor, or an officer of the
navy, you will find an American who
IS determined not to ~disappoint his
friends.
Prospective tourists probably win be-
gin to grieve over the likelihood that
France win be swept bare Of souvenirs
before a very practical state depart
ment Will issue passports to them so
that they may take their turn at soour-
Ing the battlefields. There Is some
ground for this; the trophies are being
snapped up. very fast. However, there
may be a crumb OF comfort in the
knowledge that as the old ones dis
appear, new ones may not cost so
much. h represent market price of iron
crosses, for example, is about rs francs,
or SIS each. AS soon as a new factory.
IN Metz begins capacity production, It
Is quite likely that an iron cross fan
cier may give himself a treat for a
franc. And as for boche trench he'll
NETS, a foundry in Paris is getting
ready to turn them out al a rate that
viii make Henry Ford Jealous.
Newspaper Men Hunt.
We shall now proceed to a strictly
veracious tale Of the experiences OF
a group of newspaper men, who came
to France from various high motives,
and who have lived up to some OF
them. As might have been expected
and feared, they have also Yielded to
the temptation to get some souvenirs to
take home. 80 that they may prove to
their friends how horrible wal can be.
The curtain first rises on the village
OF Chateau Thierry, about s. miles
east Of Paris, now famous as the spot
where the Seventh machine gun bat
TALON Of the Third American division
held the bridge over the Marne against
ne whole Hun army, and stopped the
drive on Paris. ~
We discover our group Of journalists
outside the Hotel du Cygne CHotel of
the Swami awaiting the call to mid
day lunch. Small boys gather. They
have a vocabulary of but one word
IN English, but that word suffices for
Americans. 1t Is souvenirs" pro-
nounced with an inquiring infection.
| The marty mAka giRuu n1antfaafip1 tn
terest.
The boys scamper away, and quickly
return with a boche helmet, well per-
torated. The head salesman illustrates
me history of the helmet.
"Z-i-i-i-n-n-g!' he exclaims, making a
noise k a bullet Then he starts to
IAN over backward, Just as the poor
boche may have done. The helmet is
snapped up at five francs.
close examination of the perforations
brings a gnawing doubt as to their gem
uineness; They are not round, unfortu2
nately, but the captain says that a
shell splinter might have made them.
The party has hardly started on mad
ame's b~eaucoup omelet, when back
come the boys with another helmet,
The journalist nearest the door and
the captain go out to inspect 1t. No
bullet holes this time; just q plain,
honest helmet with a sweat band, a
| YUM hAldH anu everything Five francs
buys II. Then one Of the boys digs up
a finger ring taken from a German
prisoner. The German had made II him
self from aluminium, with a setting Of
a small imperial crown in gold and
red enamel. A bargain at -four francs.
Helmets at SIS Each.
The scene changes to Barbecue
pronounced barley-duke). This city is
a railroad town OF some Importance,
and many Americans pause here while
passing through. 1t Is Sunday evening.
In the cleaning Of the dlmly lighted
streets, two Americans may be discov-
cred prowling around IN search OF
trophies; say a couple Of patent leather,
brass-bound dress helmets, the erst-
while property OF German officers. A
party OF d~ouEhboys, unwilling to sell the
helmets they have accumulated during
the day, refer the strangers 10 the NJ.
,. olllce just across the bridge. The
NJ. P,'s have three helmets, which they
would part with, reluctantly. Of course,
for $50 francs, All, but they're good
traders, NJ. P.'s! Says the cartoonist;
We'll give you Is francs each for two
Of them" Very sadly the NJ. P.'s hand
over their treasures.
Won't Harve and Lem be sore when
they see What we've got" demanded
the modern Tom Sawyer of the present
day Huck Finn. AS an after thought:
"of course, though, we'll help them get
some like ours"
In the railroad transportation office
over by the depot, more souvenirs are
to be had. so thither plod the two shop
pers. The r, 7, 0. doughboys bring
out for inspection some more of the
patent leather helmets, two German
hayonets. a German belt buckle in
scribed "Gott Nit Uns," a field-gray
German cap, piped in red, with colored
buttons on tho front, an Austrian knob
Kerry, which Is a brutal looking club
with iron studs all over II, q white
patent leather officers belt, and other
desirable things.
How much for the patent leather
helmets2' demanded Tom Sawyer,
Fifty francs says the doughboy
inwardly at tkeir hasty folly in paying
rs francs for the same darned things
only five minutes before. But they
brighten up In the presence of new
opportunities and buy widely Mt low
prices. In no time the belt buckle, the
German cap, the kn~ob-kerry, and one
Of the bayonets are theirs, Also an
Iron cross. which Tom Sawyer gets fol
SO cents instead Of Is, when he tells q
the helmet. The day before, Harvey
had bought an iron cross from a Ger.
man prisoner for ib francs.
Presently Harvey and Lem walk in
ach carrying proudly a patent leathe,
met, How much did you pay fol
M" demand Tom and Huck in
9TH. Fifty francs" they reply hap
In concert, to the accompaniment
more inward o Of shame.
M. P. Cleans Up $4,000.
There are tales Of an NJ, T. a veri.