The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1920-04-23
Question Of Bringing the Bodies Back
to America Has New Light Shed
on 1t by New York
Banker.
FRENCH PEOPLE PROUD
In One Town Peasants Made the Lit.
tie Burying Plot Where Rest
American and French
Soldiers.

\ Whether to bring the bodies of
4 Americas dead home, TO leave them
lin French soil they have helped to
tconsecrate, has been a question that
has vexed statesmen and parents and
RELATIVES alike It is brought home
Ito Keokuk people through the fact
4 that many of them have sons who
lsleep in little cemeteries in the land
tof the tricolor
| Benjamin Strong, governor of the
federal reserve bank of New York has
written the following in the New
York Times anent the subject:
Since the war ended articles have
appeared from time to time in the
daily papers relating to a project to
bring home the bodies Of American sol
diers who were buried in. France
had wondered how the plan had orig.
mated, and have been told, although
! it may be that the statement is some
what exaggerated, that there is some
element of commercialism in the sug-
gestion. Difficult as it, is to be-
Ilieve, it is said that this agitation
comes from some who hope by reason
of their business to gain for them
selves some commercial advantage or
Iprofit.
1t has led me to think that it may
be of some interest to the parents
and relatives of these, boys who gave
their lives in great cause to read
of an experience which l had last
summer in motoring along the front
in France.
Before sailing for Europe, I had re-
cefved a letter from an associate
whose only son, a lieutenant in the av-
iation corps, was killed in the region
of ChateauThierry in August, 1918,
asking if 1 could conveniently visit
the cemetery where his boy was bur
/ led and advise him of the conditions
which l found there.
| l left Paris on August 2, 1919, driv
ing up the valley of the Marine to Cha
lteau-Thierry. After passing through
part of this beautiful country, just
beyond the city of Meaux, we left the
main road to make a short detour to
! the village Of Jouarre, where my
friends son is buried in the grounds
of the Chateau de Pereuse. 1t is a
ground, overlooking one of the most
delightful scenes in France. The
chateau had been occupied by the Ger
and used for military purposes. 1t
was not damaged preceptibly and was
recovered by. the French. who used
it as hospital My friends son was
brought there after being shot down
and died at the chateau.
Need Have No Anxiety.
l was particularly interested in sat
isfying myself that the parents of our
boys who lost their lives abroad need
have no anxiety as to the respect and
affection with which these burial plac-
es are cared for by the French. And |
what I found at the Chateau de Pc
reuse found likewise at three other
cemeteries that I visited.
We were met at the gate by the
daughter of the caretaker of the place !
(the family being away. She took |
us at once to a little field on one side |
of the chateau, which l Judge had for |!
merly been an orchard, and here were !
buried seventy-two French soldiers, 10 |
American soldiers, 1 French officer |
and one American Officer-the boy |
whose grave ! went to see. This lit I
tie graveyard was laid out with the !
most painstaking care. Gravel walks
surrounded each grave, and eac>
group Of graves, and had newly plant
ed borders Of lockwood.
At the time of my visit the flowers
were in bloom and every grave was
covered with a mantle of towering
violets.
The graves of all Of the French sol.
diers were grouped at the left, the
American soldiers at the right, and
between, lying side by side, were the
graves of the two boy officers-F'rench
and American Over the grave of
Galland was a cross, with
the tricolor and a little tablet bear
ing the following inscriptions:
Sous Lieut.. Galland,
70. .. Theodore,
= = Hath Infantry,
5th Coy.
Mort pur la Fral,.e.
And over my friends sons grave
was a cross made of the blades of the
propeller of his machine, to which
was affixed the American colors and
a. small aluminium plate bearing the
following inscription: a.
Lieutenant
list Aero Squadron.
Killed in Action
August 1, 1918
. We took a number of pictures, but
the real impression l brought home
was that given in conversation with
he caretaker and his wife and daught-
ar.
AS we were leaving they asked us
% step into their cottage for few
visit. l thought it was a !
simple act of courtesy with no other
object. Ny companion, however, '
who had been an officer in the French {
army, after a few minutes converse L
ion with them drew me to one side /
md asked if this boy was a relative |
If mine. I explained that he was