Cavalier County farmers press. (Langdon, N.D.) 1920-1921, 1921-05-26
Son REPORTED
DEAD MAY live
Mothers Heart Still Hopes for
Return Of big Nike
BULLET MAKES MIND BLANK
Mix-up In Names Leads Woman to Be-
Iieve That Son, Reported Buried in
France, Wi Be Restored TO Her
Tales OF Buddies Give Reason to
Think He Is Wandering Around the
Country, a Victim Of Lost Memory.

Hope that springs eternal in human
breasts sent its thrilling message to
the mother heart of Mrs. Lettie v.
Michael Of B%onosboro, Nd, when the
mail man handed her an official photo
graph Of the grave in France where
her blue-eyed giant soldier son lay,
sleeping with the heroes Of the great
war.
Across the card ran the legend, "Al-
vim A. Michel, killed in action, Oct.
II, 1918," but her sons name was
Austin G. Michael. And in that mo-
ment there was born to the brave
hearted woman a hope time alone
could kill that she would see again
the six-foot, curly-headed youngster
who marched so gaily out to battle
when his country called.
Writes but Knows No Address.
Perhaps you who read may help
her vision to fulfllment. For there
may be wandering somewhere in the
country a lad from whose mind the
impact of a German bullet swept the
ties Of memory, yet who writes al
ways to a mother he knows not how
to address.
Mrs. Michael has carried her search
far, and here and there has found
tales of "Big Mike" as his ''buddies"
knew him, which filed her with tear
full pride. But also she found conflict
ing accounts in the official records Of
his death and burial and strange re-
ports at hospitals she visited of q
patient long treated and whose de-
scription tailed closely with that of
Tom Hinnegan."
big Tom," too, has vanished, and
until she has found him Mrs. Michael
will not discard the hope that he may
be her son, his identity lost in the
crash of the bullet that scared his
head.
Boys who fought with big Mike
told his mother Of the great hike
In France, when man after man top
nled over from exhaustion, and final
ly big Nike himself went down in
jangling pile. When they examined
him, they found the rifles and equip
ment Of a squad Of men strung about
his huge frame, carried to ease weak
er comrades.
Struck Down by Bullet.
They told her, TOO, of the night
when a bullet struck him down, but
here there vas a difference in the
tales that set the mothers heart
strings futtering anew. Some Of them
said Big Nike had laid two days
under a blanket, there in the heat of
the battle, given up for dead. But
later signs of life were seen, and he
went back on the weary road to the
hospital.
At one hospital officials thought
they recognized a photograph of big
Nike shown by the eager mother as
that of big Tom,'' who also had
stopped a bullet with his head. It
was big Tom," they said, who wrote
endlessly to his mother, but knew not
where to send the letters.
And in Washington kindly officials
poured over the records to aid the
search. They found a queer tangle,
showing that big Mike" apparently
had been twice buried by regimental
chaplains. Once in the honor grave
yard at C~onsenvoye and again at
Meuse.
There was a difference, too, in
Identification numbers, and the moth
er came home, weary, detected, but
still with high hope in her heart that
time would give back her son.