The New York herald., 1922-04-02
HUNTS SOLDIER son,
THOUGH In DEADLIST
Brooklyn Mother Believes Boy,
Minus Both Legs, Is Now
Ashamed to Return.
VISITS MANY HOSPITALS
Hope Based on Reports of His
Having Been Seen Despite
L. S. Records.

Army officers and hospital superin-
tendents for months have been listening
with sympathy TO the story of Mrs.
Henrietta Restiano of 1S1 Fourteenth
street, Brooklyn, who in the face of
what appears to be convincing proof re-
fuses to believe that her son. Corporal
Alfred Restiano. formerly Of Battery II.
Seventh Field Artillery, was killed in
France.
Mrs. Restiano. who lives with her
six children on the ground floor OF the
house In Brooklyn, believes that some
where in the United States her son Is
hiding afraid to come home because he
does not want her to see that his legs
are off and that he cannot work. She
has visited most OF the army hospitals
this side OF the Pacific coast and she
is going there next summer il she can
raise enough money.
The army records, which Mrs. Res
tiano refuses to believe. show that Cor
poral Restiano was wounded by shell
In the fighting in the Argonne in the
autumn of 1918. He is supposed to
have died October 81. 1918. in Base Hos
pital No. II. Brest. A nurse at the hos
pital, however. sent the mother the usual
notification card saying that her son was
getting along nicely and would be homo
soon" Later she was informed by the
War Department that her son had been
buried in Grave No. 81 at Nantes. On
September 1e. 1920, body. supposed TO
be her sons. was brought back and
buried with military honors in ST. Johns
Cemetery. Brooklyn.
soldier Loses Both Legs.
Soon after the notice OF the wounding
of Corporal Restiano was received an
nth haf hpan
found necessary to amputate both his
legs Then followed the notice of his
death and burial. Doubt did not enter
Mrs Restiano's mind until two young
men came to her and told her they had
come over on the same ship with her
son. They said his legs were off but
that he was cheerful and doing well.
On February 6. 1920 she received a
card postmarked Washington. which
said simply: "I am Alfred Restiano,
Battery b. The mother went to Wash
ington. taking with her group picture
of the family in which Alfred appeared.
Hen oldest daughter. Anna, aged 20,
said last night that authorities at Wal
fertilization Hospital picked out Alfred in
theipicture They told the mother that
heishad been there several months. but
that they did not know what had be-
come of him after that.
Mrs Restiano Is receiving the bene-
fits of 5000 insurance policy, but she
believes her son had a policy for $4,000
and that he is living somewhere on the
other half. She believes he has ar
ranged with the Government authorities
TO keep the facts from her. She be-
lieves he has managed to fix every
body who might help her find him.
Appeals To u. :. officials.
She has been in this country twenty
eight years but she speaks only Italian.
Nevertheless. she has appealed person
ally to the Secretary of War. to the heads
OF various bureaus in Washington, to
all the Hospitals in the East and to the
commanding officer at Camp Dix. They
have shown her records which ordinarily
would be convincing, but Mrs. Restiano
recalls the postcard from Washington.
which she says was in her sons hand
writing and the fact that several per-
sons said they had seen her son alive.
The other members Of the family share
the belief OF the mother. Besides Anna
the children are: Clement. aged 26; An
gelo, Is: Margaret. Il: Carmine. -. and
Angelina. 2. The father is in Italy.
"My brother said before he went to
war" explained Anna last night. that
if he was wounded he would never
come back. Mothers asleep now. but
lots of nights she stays up worrying
about him. We don't make much money.
hut we're going TO keep on hunting for
him. He's hiding from us somewhere
because he doesn't want mother to see
that his legs are gone and he's useless"