The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1920-08-18
LEGION SEEKS KEYS
TO MANY MYSTERIES
Deaths and Disappearance Of More
Than Two Thousand American
Soldiers and Sailors.

New York, Aug lS.-Ihe American
Leg on is carrying On the search for
solutions to more than 2000 individual
deaths and disappearance mysteries
among soldiers and sailors of the Am
erican eXpedItionary forces. These
are cases where official action has run
its course and terminated with the al
ways brief and sometimes conflicting
reports OF missing in action, "killed
in bat le' or presumed to be dead. ="
In each case it is claimed that definite
or detailed information has not been
received by the family of the soldier
or sailor in question.
How many more than 20O0 such
cases there may be is not known, but
the American Legion Weekly has re-
.ce.yed that number of letters from
he kin and friends Of missing men
There are instances where it appears
that men sailed for France and
straightway disappeared from the face
of the earth. No conclusive word ever
has been received Of their fate. There
.ale cases by the score OF men reported
wounded or slightly wounded and
no other word, until mon hs later.
the curt Official announcement Of pre-
sumed to be dead Cases are reported
.of men reported dead, then wounded,
later missing, later returned 10
'du y" But the men have not come
home. There are cases where men
have been reported dead on certa n
date, bu members of their families
receive letters written by their sol,
.dier kin's own hand at later date.
There are cases where families have
received official report that their sol
dier kin was seen alive after the date
of his official demise
BY far the largest class OF letters,
however, are hose from gold-star
mothers seeking word from a cCmrade
who was with her son when he fell.
The war department-w which, consider
ing everything, has been remarkably
accurate in accounting for casualties
has reported the date and place.
Mother desires simply such details as
will enable her 10 reconstruct In her
mind--so many write-the scene ii
which her boy made the great sacri-
ihcc.
The Roll Call depar ment in the
/ American Legion Weekly where these
communications are published is the
most poignant personal column in the
world. Every item carries its bur
den of human sorrow or breathes a
| hope that viii not die. 1t is column
which, in bald brevity, sums up the
heroisln Of the manhood Of America
land the riais Of those who stayed
bch nd and day by weary day carry
len he search for these who did not
lcome back. The greatest human in
fterest stories in the world are told in
Iscant paragraphs such as these
J 9ith Aero Homer Key
Box ll6, Holdenyile, Okla, would
+ like 10 hear from someone who knew
/ Lieut. Raymond j. Saunders. and who
lcluld give details relative to his death
lin France and where he was buried
( Las seen in combat with II enemy
planes over Breullis, about IS miles
nor Invest Of Verdun, October -
l19l9.
John Hotz, formerly 36th Co 1926
repot Brigade, Camp Upton. n. Y
Who knows whether he went t.
/ France and was killed or pulled
through Address Miss Gertrude
lyotz, l55 Second street, Brooklyn, N
*.
Missing in Action Priya Leonard
] jne'bert Phlo 95th Co, 9th Marines
Repor ed wounded in scissors dry
July 10, 1918, In September 1919
mother received notice that "PhiC
! Leonard had died and was buried IN
France She does not believe it j.
her bcy Comrades are reported tC
have seen him alive and we'll in tht
Ifall of 1918. Address his sister, Mrs
II Johns, l07 Glenwood avenue
.BattleCreek, Mich.
309,h Infantry Co. M-Lieut Dun
can Campbell wounded November /
1915, died November 4 no news afte
leaving first dressing station. In
lorma ion wanted by wife, Mrs. Camp
bell. l9 W 9Th street, New York City
l0lth or 194th T.. A. Bat F.
If the parents of Joe II. Johnston viii
communicate with |. NJ Adams, 1.
Eas Victoria Avenue, Pleasantville
n. J.. they may receive a Testamen
and three snapshots belonging :,
Johnston which were found on
BATTLEFIELD in France
35Sth Infantry Co M.--Wll the sol
dier who was with Sergt John w
Smalley, when he charged a machine
gun nest and was killed near Vilcey
France, September II, 1918, writ
Florence L, Berney, 404 Walnut street
Alexandria, Ind?
126-h Infantry, Co. will the SCI
geant who was saved by Private Hon
er Whistler on October 3, 1918, a
Romagne write TO Whisler's mother
Mrs. Mary e. Whistler, Hilsboro, o
r. +. d, II? Information concerning
her sons death wanted by Mrs. Viii
Ter.
55th Nurse Unit-Ruth G. Morgan
last heard of on way to France Au
gust 1918. Information of her fat
desired by e b. Bauman, Box 36I
Flemingsburg, Ky
Missing in Action-Priyate Arthu
, Hill, 36lst infantry, wounded in OctC
q Der in Argonne and seen walking OF
the field A buddy saw him in no.
, pital in France, Since then nothin
z has been heard of him. Family fear
he is mind case in some hospita
, and has heard runners that he is unde
treatment in the United States. A