Evening star., 1923-10-07

he is unsuccessful, the funds go back
to the United States Treasury De-
partment, where they are credited to
the account of the National Sailors
Home. - =.
If an American soldier or Navy De-
partment sailor dies on foreign soil
or water, the military and naval au
thorities supervise the settlement of
his estate and the disposition of his
personal effects. In. the general ac
counting offices in Washington there
is a special tomb room, a vault where
the jewelry and trinkets, treasured
photographs, Bibles. love letters,
fountain pens, gold pencils, rings,
watches. -stickpins, cuff buttons
charms and clirics of deceased SOL
diers are held in storage awaiting
the arrival of refatfvesito take charge,
of the propertssssF sFfvs large steel
lockers are fiillN of approximately.
1000 sealed and indexed parcels, en-
velopes and packages containing the
personal effects of civil war soldiers
who served in the Union Army. These
federal fighters either were killed on
the field of battle. or died in camps
or hospitals. Their missing heirs
have never claimed the personal !.
possessions. Uncle Sam has held
them in his safekeeping now for 8
about sixty years. Unless Congress r
authorizes their sale. the War De I
partment authorities will have to !
continue to act as their guardians. Is
* ~ y x
TN this same morgue of dead mems i
i heirlooms and treasures are eight =
additional stropgboxes of steel cram /.
med to capacity with other parcels,
the effects of soldiers of the Spanish 7
American or world war who died III
the national service and whose rela-
tiyes have. never come forward to-.
claim their keepsakes. Approximate
Iy $500 of these unclaimed estates !
rest in Uncle Sans keeping because
the kith and kin of the deceased /.
boys in khaki have not advised the
War Department of their wherea-
bouts.
What tales of courage and sacri-
fee these keepsakes could tell. Many
of them , were removed from the
bodies of soldiers who were killed on
the battlefield, With reverence and
respect, the writer examined the con
tents of several of these packages
which had been opened officially. One
contained a dozen or more bloob- !
stained, rusted coins. mostly French !
money, and a fountain pen with
which, perhaps, the soldier lad had
IT rf
day before the battle in which he
lost his life. In another envelope
was a shattered watch of gold. 1t
looked as If it had been wrecked by
q. bit of shrapnel or a vagrant bullet.
If was blotted and splotched with
stains, 1t was owned by an Amer :
lean soldier killed in France June Is,
13, 1918.
These priced possessions of some of
our bravest American soldiers are
resting almost forgotten in storage i
when they should be the treasured
keepsakes of the relatives OF the
soldier boys who gave their all that :
posterity might live and prosper &
Uncle Sam has exhausted his re-,
sources in trying to find the heirs
of these relics, which have been res :
cued from dozens of different. battle
fields. 1t would be better TO bury
these trinkets In some special ma
tional tomb with official ceremonies
or to distribute them over the coun-
try for display in public museums,
rather than to ever offer them for
public sale. If they are not claimed.
No matter what part Of the world -
be where the American soldier dies,
his personal trinkets and keepsakes
are Immediately collected unler the
direction of his commanding officer
and sent to the adjutant generals Of
flee in washington. The uniforms and
military equipment may be sold TO
his comrades at the discretion of the
officer in charge and the cash proceeds
forwarded to washington to the
credit Of his estate. The Washington
cfficials examine, inventory and seal
the possessions in a package which
Is. stored in a place of safekeepirg.
They try to locate the relatives BY
the, addresses OF relatives which each
soldier gives when he enlists. Il the
relatives. cannot: be. found asIsr-.a
(Coatinued on Fourth Page)
ri 81 a- 80