The New York herald., 1920-01-04
By JULIAN HARRIS,
Special Correspondent of the Herald.
[ Copyright, 1920, By the Neto York Herald
Company-AH Rights Reservcd.J

lN~f'8s syWtt LV.~V, w osN Wv 80" - ~ -
Company-AH Rights Reservcd.]
PARIS. December 2O.-An incomplete
understanding OF the law of amnesty is
preventing a considerable number OF
French soldiers in Germany from return
ing to France. After the signing OF the
armistice certain number Of men In
German prison camps stayed on In the
enemy's country because OF liaisons with
German women or because Of inertia, OF
as the result of habit. AS time passed
| they became afraid to go back home be-
cause they were told by Germans or by
ignorant comrades that II they returned
they would be shot. This condition has
been brought to light by the strange and
affecting story of French mother who
went in search Of her son from whom
she had had no news since the close o1
the war
Nine. Bach, whose tale Of her wander
ings is a modern Odyssey. is marke
woman at the Paris Central market
After the return of several of her letter:
to her son. Eugene Plazanet, Of the 1C2t
infantry, she gave him up as dead ane
mourned him accordingly. But one day
last October the mother was approached
by soldier who asked. Are you the
mother of Eugene Plazanet who was II
a prison camp at Merville after his cap
ture by the Germans in 19l4?' On hel
| reply that she was, the man told Nine
Bach that her son was alive and that HI
had seen him only few days previous
and ended by showing the astonishet
and joyful woman a photograph of littl,
girl who, he stated, was the child o.
Eugene by a German woman
But why does not Eugene come home? ?
asked his mother in surprise.
He Is like many other French soldier:
In Germany. He wants to come but he II
afraid to, because the Germans have tolt
him that because he did not return a
once he will be shot Therefore he pre-
fers for you to think him dead, SO HI
does not write"
A PeriIous Journey.
Nine. Bach then wrote to her sor
through the channels of the War Depart
ment but even this letter was returned
So, on the advice Of some Of his friends
she determined to seek him out in per
son. She obtained a passport to Sarregue
mines and on arriving there she got on,
to Mayence. She was about to set out fo
Frankfort from Mayence when she wal
told by French soldier to whom sh'
had confided her mission that she would
be returned to Mayence if she left thu
station at Frankfort. So he advised hel
to cross the tracks on getting out OF thu
train and to- wait by track No. <, upor
which pass the trains to Berlin. This sh'
did and had the good luck to board thu
train without being detected. Arriving at {
suburb of Berlin, where she had beer
! told she would find her son, she alightet
from the train at two O'Clock in the morn
! ing.
! She passed the long hours before dawr
| on a bench in the station, dressed in hel
! costume of Paris market woman, wear
! ing wooden shoes and a Handkerchief
tied over her head. AS matter of pre-
caution, she held a German newspaper
! in her hand. At dawn she left the sta
| ton and wandered about the streets, no
daring to address anybody. but finally
when on the point of giving way under
the strain of her situation, she encoun
tered a young man whose appearance in
spired her with confidence and whom she
addressed. After moments hesitation
he replied in French. He. too, was q
| French soldier who had waited too Ions
to repatriate himself and. mraculously
| he was able to tell the poor woman tha
her son was no longer in the Berlir
suburb but had gone to Fulda.
| Again Nine. Bach set out on her periloUs
way, resorting to new ruses. and at mid
night arrived at the town indicated, where
she found her son in mean lodging. i
was now her task to persuade him tc
return to France, for his mind was
haunted by the fear of being shot. After
much persuasion and reasoning tn