Evening star., 1945-05-21
Cinderella
Continued From First Page.)

mixture of fear and hope
for what I might find. But the
suspense didn't end. Some Of the
townspeople said they thought the
grandparents, Mr.. and Mrs. Helm
rich Schroeder, had moved to Leip-
zig with my daughter several years
before. simply had to wait while
the battle Of Germany dragged on"
The oath rolled through Ludwigs-
hafen, then turned north to help in
reducing the big Ruhr pocket. Leip-I
zig was heavily pounded by the Al
lied air forces. Maj. Samuels read
of super -blockbusters of II tons,
which had been dropped there.
Got Illegal Seven-day Leave.
AS the Oath neared the end of its
Ruhr task Leipzig fell. Gen. Ma
loney issued seven-day leave
illegal as hell, but very kind"
according to Maj. Samuels-for the
latter to visit the big city in Saxony.
1t. Anton Viditz-Ward of Astoria,
Long Island, accompanied Maj. Sam
uels because he knew Leipzig init
mately from student days. Gen.
Maloney gave them a Mercedes Sc
dan, booty of the battlefield, for
the trip.
Maj. Samuels took along docu-
ments which established that after
serving in France with the 1st Divi-
sion in 1918, he had become medi-
cal corpsman with the Army of Oc-
cupation; that a few months after
non-fraternization rules were re-
scinded in November, 1919, he mar
ried Gerda Schroeder, daughter of
Trier jurist. Their only daughter
was born in Columbus, Ohio, In
1925.
Il was very shaky as we drove tc
Leipzig" Maj. Samuels said. 81
didn't know whether I might fino
Elaine Marilyn dead or horribly
manned. I had heard a lot about
Nazi practices for German girls
The prospect was terrifying. ]
prayed lot on the way to Leipzig. >
Stunned With Happiness.
Within the ruins of Leipzig, Mai
Samuels found an American Mill
tary Government Office and report
ed. He waited there while 1t
Viditz-Ward went alone to find il
| anything remained of an address or
Steinstrasse, last known residence
| OF the Shredder family.
"An officer had just told me I'o
have to clear out of Leipzig" Maj
Samuels said. MY permit for leave
there was no good and I was a
blamed nuisance. Then Anton came
back. He had been gone only 4s
minutes. With him was the sweet
est young girl I had ever seen in my
life. She took one look at me and
was in my arms. I guess l was
stunned with happiness.
1t. Viditz-Ward explained that
the Schroeder house was the only
one still standing in the neighbor-
hood. The grandparents. both ir
their 70s, and their grandchildren
had escaped injury in seven heavy
air raids.
| On the door to the house was a
name plate-"Elaine Samuels-
American"
Daughter Shielded From Nazis.
Well said Maj. Samuels, "tht
next thing was to have Elaine Mar.
1lyn examined by our counterintel.
llgence. I wanted that as much a.
any one, for her sake. The repor
showed that her grandparents hat
carefully guarded her from contact
with the Nazi system. They had al
ways insisted that the Nazis recog
nlze that she was an American girl
She had all her papers with her
too, a certificate of citizenship from
the American vice consul in Leip
zig In 1910, her Ohio birth certifi
cate, and copy of her parents
marriage license"
This interview with Mai. Samuel,
was interrupted by the appearance
of a lssome, dark-haired, brown.
eyed girl Of 19 in a flowered silk
dress.
My daughter" Maj. Samuels sale
proudly. 1T was a sort of a Gin.
derella story finding her among the
ashes Of Leipzig, but now it's as i.
everybody in the Oath Division con.
sldered himself to be her father
We have family suite in the Divi.
sional Hotel. At our mess she was
served the first eggs and orange.
she had eaten in four years anc
the first chocolate candy she'd hac
in six years."
Smilingly shyly about her broker
English, Elaine Marilyn said study.
ing English was the most important