Evening journal., 1919-07-26
20 TO- @0-YiEEAAR-OOLD YEAR BOY
IN Marine BATTLE
Eugene Cantot. Youngest
Hero, In They Shall
Not Pass" Band
ENTIRE FAMILY
KILLED BY HUNS

Eugene Cantot, aged "a years, said
to be the youngest soldier who fought
in the French army at the immortal
first battle Of the Marne, 4 years ago,
has found Wilmington a pleasant place
during his three days stay in the city.
Picked up ~ an auiomobil.st Elmer
Lynch, "Wednesday night, while trudg-
ing TO this city. along the Concord
Pike, Eugene found a friend in Dlmitrl
AIN. OF the Motor Service Company,
Eleventh and Orange streets.
The French consul. IN Philadelphia,
today traced the lad TO Wilmington.
and informed Mr. An that the boy
had run away from an institution in
Frazer, Pa, under care Of the Catholic
Childrens Bureau. where he had been
placed by the French Government. He
came to- this country some time ago
as a stowaway on a transport with re-
turning American soldiers and was put
in care Of the French consul. The
cunsu. c0anrmed his story OF having
fought in the French army for four
years.
As ne Is not OF age. the French Gov
ernment will have charge OF him, and
he Will be returned. probably today
10 the Institution he left The boy is
much older than n S age in appearance.
looking f. years or IS years. and this
accounts for his being allowed in the
French army al 10 years old After
four years Of nghtng. he very natural
ly finds civilian life tame, and restraint
and routine OF an institution extremely
irksome His perfectly understandable
rcstlessncss was shown today when NO
left the employment he had beer given
at the Hotel dupont after a few hours
OF service.
This fllr-haired French boy has cap
tlVaied everyone who has met him. lie
is now under the hospitable care OF the
Red Gross canteen. \ gay crowd or
young canieen workers and American
soldiers took him 90 the movies last
nght. lie enjoyed the pictures greatly
and understood them
His English Is good but ne has 20
speak slowly and has not a large VOcab-
uary. lie cannot understand the rapid
English Of those who talk 20 him. The
Joke. however was upon the American
soldiers who undertook TO talk 10 him
in The French they had learned overseas.
The French boy could not make head or
nil Of the soldier Partisan.
Eugene Cantot has had experiences In
the past four years which ouiriyal any
movie he might witness. lie has touch
ed the heights Of thrilling romance and
The depths of tragedy ON his neck is
a scar from the cut ~ a German bay
One,. and on his arm another deep
scar from the enemy.
he received These two wounds In that
battle Of the Marine. where the French
held on grimly with their men falling
by the thousands, and for the first time
checked the onrushing Hun hOrdes and
saved The world
His father was Killed In battle His
brother was Killed at Nerdun. that place
where the French spoke the undying
words. They shall not pass
And they did not either because Of
the death Of this boys brother and
thousands like him.
But the Huns were not content 10
take the men of the family and wound
the i0-year-old child In the northern
part Of France there was happy little
home in Lille before the war When
The enemy criminally devastated
France and turned Lille into piliful
ruins. a bomb from German air
raider destroyed the little home where
Eugene Canlot had lived. His mother
and ihree-year rold sister were killed
by the bomb that DESTROYED their home.
With their death, ne lost every MEM
ber Of his family. killed 10y the Ger
mans.
70 is no wonder the boy is restless.
with such memories. Who could settle
down after four such years? The story
seems incredible. but it is confirmed by
the French consulate
There are thousands Of such stor-
les i'm France" said Mr.. AN. who is
French himself, in o grim voice. our
allies over here cannot realize what the
French have gone through.
ut is only when the presence of This
bright. charmingly-mannered wistful-
eyed lad. with The prematurely old face
comes among ms. that Wilmington
glimpses the crushing horror Of the
great war