Mexico weekly ledger. (Mexico, Mo.) 1855-1956, 1921-09-22
CAUTHORN FAMILY
SECURE DETAILS
OF SONS DEATH

The funeral of Robert [. Cauthorn,
Audrain County boy, who was killed
in the battle of Afgonne Forest
started from the home of Mrs. Bolts
in Woodlawn at 1880 Friday after
noon.
Three years of anxious inquiry on
the part Of Cauthorn's relatives and
friends have resulted in but little
knowledge of the details of his death.
Mr.. Cauthorn, who was the youngest
son Of Theodore and Elizabeth Cauth-
orn who live near Molino in company
with his elder brother Thomas Cauth-
orn were chosen and went with the
second draft contingent of Audrain
County boys to the training camp
near Fort Riley, Kansas. There the
brothers were separated, Lewis being
assigned to the 35th division and
Thomas to the seth,
While in training, Lewis developed
heart trouble and upon being given
the option Of discharge or regular SER
Vice, chose the latter. He was then
assigned to Company r. 13Tth In
fantry,
He was reported missing, then
wounded slightly 4 then dead, cause
and date unknown It is not known
Fin what source the army officers got
their information btu in the records
at Washington now appears after his
name, killed in action near Exer-
mont, France October 2, 1915" The
record Of the. chaplain shows that he
was buried near Exermont October
Is. fit
Before these records were available
the family had Instituted inquiries
through the Red Gross but that or
ganfzation could find no hospital
record. From that it was inferred he
was treated on the field for slight
wound and re-entered the battle. No
personal effects except his identified
| ton card were found on his body,
1t is a historical fact that the Ar
gonne Forest was one of the most
! deadly fortified areas in the entire
war. The S5th composed mostly Of
Missouri boys was almost decimated
there gfff@
Three comhades of Lewis, Claude
! McFadin, Roy johnson and Charles
! vanlandinghana; neighhor boys who
| survive, report that they never saw
him after the 29th Of September
They had all entered the battle to-
gether, on the 26th. On the 29ti
/ johnson was wounded, and on recover
/ ing consciousness, saw Lewis, will
i Others who had been with him, still
advancing under a whitening rain o.
shells and machine gun fire. Vanland
ingham also saw him the same day
attached to different command from
their own, all lying fiat on th'
ground for shelter from the rain O.
bullets, awaiting orders to charge
That Lewis called to him and tol'
i him that he had not been hit so far.
L These young men all agree tina
much of the forest through which the!
were fighting was filled with machin
gun nests and every kind of deatl
trap that the Germans had been abl
| to contrive in the four years that the.
had held it ard that much of it hal
not been raked by artillery fire in ad
\. vance, 30 that they we're subjected =
every conceivable surprise. that reg
n iments and companies were broke
up into squads Of d few men In eaci
with orders, IL they were lost fror
their own commands, 70 join an
comamnd they came across and con
4 tinue the fight to the end Of the as
3 ton, and that Lewis was undoubtedl
} fighting with some other compan
than his own after the twenty-nint
Eof September. They state too, tbs
!, the losses Of the division, or at leas
their aprt Of II were SO heavy ths
!, they were ordered q retire and tbs
J. the ground that they had taken wa
Q for q few days, re-oecupied by u
Germans.
From thess facts the inference
. clear that Lewis met his death be
' fore the retiremans. that the German