The New York herald., 1921-06-22
Is Private Paul Dead?
His Mother Puzzled by Discrepancie:
in the Reports.

To THE NEW YORK HERALD: / am
writing to you to ask that you publish
this letter as 4 news item in hope OF
finding my son, who is reported by the
Government to have died in France Sep
tember 90, 1918, but whom 1 believe to
be alive and wandering somewhere,
either in this country or in France, and
who is probably deranged OF mind and
cannot identify himself: or, If his mind
Is restored. he cannot remember any
thing of his past.
My son. Private Albert j. Paul. en-
listed in May. 1918, and was sent to
Camp Hancock at Augusta, Ca, where
he was placed in the Second Casual
Company. Second Regiment. on June z,
1918. He was transferred to the Twen-
ty-sixth p. o. d. Company on June IS,
1918. and later to the Third Company,
Ordnance Repair Shops, of which COM
pany the Government says he was a
member at the time Of his death. Still
another report says that he was MEM
ber of the Twenty-ninth p. o. D. Com
pany at the time of his death
The main facts upon which l base my
theory that my son is still alive are as
follows: In July. 1918, he arrived in
France and 1 received letters from him
from time to time after his arrival, all
of which were marked with his return
address in the upper left hand corner
Twenty-si;sth p. O. ID. Company, Box
I'll, A. E. +.
On October ., 1918. L received tele-
gram from Washington saying that my
sen. Private Albert j. Paul, died in
France on September 20. 1918, of bron-
chial pneumonia. and gave his company
as Twenty-ninth r. o. d. Company.
Knowing that my son was in the Twenty
sixth p. o. ID. Company / thought that
there was some mistake, so / wired the
War Department for verification of same
and received the same reply as before.
l then wrote e letter addressed to the
commanding officer Of the Twenty sixth
p. o. u. Company and in about two
months received a reply from Capt.
Fred ]. Gilbert of the Twenty-sixth
p. Q. D. Company saying that my son
was transferred from his company, but
did not say to what company. So far
as he could ascertain, my son took sick
while on this troop train and was taken
of and was sent to q hospital, where
he died OF pneumonia.
Being still dissatisfied, / then wrote a
letter addressed to the commanding Off
Ger OF the Twenty ninth p. 0. d. Com
pany, the company in which he was
supposed to have been at the time OF
his death. In about q month received
{; reply from Capt. Frey as follows :
Owing to the short time your son was
in my company, and was on detached
duty and away from his company at
the time of his death, I am unable to
give you any definite Information con-
corning same"
Now If. according to Capt. Gilbert OF
the Twenty-sixt,, my son died while en-
route between the Twenty-siXth and the
Twenty ninth P. o. d. companies, then
does it not sound reasonable in that
case that he would have never reached
the Twenty-ninth p o. ID. Company?
Consequently Capt Frey of that COM
pany would have never seen or known
him. Then why does Capt. Frey say
that my son was in his company but q
short time, which indicates that he did
not die on the train, but reached the
Twenty-ninth p. o. d. Company alive?
What has become of him? Is this not
a most extraordinarily peculiar circum-
stance?
MEs PAULINE PAUL.
10 John street.
EVANSVILLE, Ind, June 90.