The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1930-09-03
Gold Star Mothers From Red
wood County Visit Famous
American Cemeteries
PRAISES GOVERNMENT
Many Interesting Side-Trips
Taken by Women as Planned
by Government

Mrs. w. X. Cloudy ana MRS. aug
ust Fredriksen, Redwood county's
Gold Star Mothers, returned last
week from France where they visited
the graves of their sons. Mrs. Cloudy
in the last letter of the series, con-
tinues her description of the places
visited and of the return trip:
Before launching on the descrip-
ton of our last days in Paris and the
home trip, wish to say few words
about our American Cemeteries IN
France. AS for myself, never knew
before our arrival in France, that
the sites for these cemeteries were
purchased by the United States Gov
eminent. l had heard from several
sources how beautifully kept were the
resting places of our soldier dead IN
France.
They are beautifully kept by Amer
lean Superintendents and their help
ers. The United States Government
built a beautiful home at each of the
cemeteries to house the Superintend-
ent and his family. The grounds
around the homes have been beautl-
fled by the work of the Superintend-
ent the same as the grounds Of the
cemeteries.
These cemeteries are marked off In
blocks, blocks being marked A, b. Z,
etc. The rows in each block are
numbered. The number is in black
on a small piece of white mar
BILE, which is sunk in the ground at
the beginning of each row. Thus II
you have your block and row, it is
very easy to find a grave you wish
to locate.
Snow white marble crosses inscrib-
ed with the name of the soldier, his
company and regiment, and date OF
his death, are placed at the head OF
the soldier graves. Over six thous-
and of these decorate the last resting
place of as many of our boys at Disc
Aisne, where my son is one. The IN
scription on more than seven hundred
of these crosses in the Disc Aisne
Cemetery read thus, Here Rests in
Glory, Soldier Known Only to God"
Here and there among the crosses is
seen star on an upright slab OF
marble. We were told these marked
the graves of Jewish soldiers.
There are crews of men, French,
paid by the United States working on
all of our cemeteries over there, COM
plotting cement walks, erecting a
chapel opposite the entrance and in
closing the cemeteries with high
stone walls. Standing at the en-
trance of the cemeteries and looking
over the sea of white crosses is an
awe inspiring sight, that seems to
fill your soul with feeling of peace
and contentment before unknown.
General j. j. Pershing who chanc-
ed to visit the Disc Aisne Cemetery
at the same time of our last visit, is
devpting the remainder of his life to
seeing to the erecting of monuments
and chapels in memory of our Ameri-
can dead in France. At the reception
given us he said he was next to the
mothers to feel the loss of our boys.
Our government also purchased Bel
leau Wood, our Captain told US. He
said the reason for this purchase was
that the bodies of more than fifty OF
our boys are somewhere In these
woods. He said the work of recov-
ering the bodies was slow on account
of mines and other hidden dangers.
MY last communication to The Ga
zette was written on Monday fore
noon, August 18th. After lunch on
that day Miss Helen Klemer, whom
/ have mentioned before, called to
take Mrs. Fredriksen and me on
little shopping expedition. We took
taxi to visit stores in different To-
calities, had refreshments a couple of
times and thus whiled away very
pleasant afternoon. Things are very
high in Paris. The only things we
found reasonably priced, were per-
fumes, toilet articles and gloves.
Tuesday morning at nine we climb
ed into busses for our last day of
sight seeing. We were taken to YER
sailles, an immense Chateau, which
was established by Louis the four
teenth, and was at one time the home
OF NdpOicon the HiSe. AooiS iuhPPS
transformed it into French Histori-
cal Museum. We were escorted
through the gorgeous rooms, a young
girl acting as our interpreter, our old
interpreter having had to begin his
work with a new group that day. The
Chateau or Palace comprises three
principal building; one in the cent
er and two wings bending back into
the tagged court which cover nearly
ten acres of ground.
The most notable room is a gallery
of mirrors, which is two hundred and
forty-five feet long and thirty-five
wide, and the arched ceiling which is
very high Is decorated with paintings,
Continued on Page Ten)