Evening Republican, Volume 20, Number 1, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 1 January 1916 — IS ANGEL OF MERCY [ARTICLE]

IS ANGEL OF MERCY

Alfonso of Spain Busiest Monarch in Europe. He Conducts Clearing House for Information About the “Missing” In . the War—Every Inquiry Receives Attention.

Madrid.—King Alfonso of Spain is perhaps the busiest sovereign of Eu-, rope these days, although his country is not at war, nor likely to change its policy of neutrality as long as the war lasts. That strict and continued neutrality, without any political reasons why either side of the belligerents, desires to have Spain -change it, gives King Alfonso the privilege of appealing to any country at war for news of soldier husbands, brothers or sweethearts. He is doing so for all the women of Europe, receiving and replying to several hundred letters every day. They come from French countesses, English servant girls, from Austrians, Germans, Russians and Belgians. They are so numerous, numbering altogether about 50,000, that one whole floor in the royal palace? in Madrid has been given up to a post office, where the king has installed numerous secretaries familiar with the various languages and adept ing every variation of handwriting. It all started some months ago, when a young lady of France, acqainted with the king’s gallant character, appealed to him to discover the whereabouts of her fiance. She understood he had been made a prisoner of war, but her own government could give her no exact information. She had written to the German government, but as her communication had not passed through the proper channel it, of course, was never answered. “gire: A desolate lady asks yous protection. Spain is the land of chivalry, and your majesty is the greatest Hidalgo of Castile, and I feel certain will hear me,’' she wrote to King Alfonso, relating the steps Bhe had already taken without success to learn if her fiance w’ere still in the land of the living. The letter reached the eyes of the king. He was touched by its appeal -and at once wrote to the Spanish Ambassador 4n Berlin to see what could be done. He was soon able to report the good news that the soldier in question was safely housed in a prison camp near Leipzig. The telegraph carried the happy tidings to the royal palace in Madrid, and from there to Paris. The whole investigation had taken two weeks, and the grateful little Parisienne was so wild with joy that she told everybody. Dozens, then hundreds, of other desolate ladles followed her example, and their servants followed theirs; the story went from country to country that anyone could write to the gallant king of Spain and he would certainly discover what was the address where letters could be sent to the fhfssing soldier. Not long ago the wife of an Englishprivate received a long communication from the king, written in reply to her letter. His majesty took just as much pains with this letter and sent it off with just as many indications on the envelope that It had come from the royal palace as if he had been replying to a royal princess. His secretary wrote:

“Although his majesty’s embassy in Berlin is charged only with the interests of France and Russia, his majesty, being desirous, nevertheless, of demonstrating his interest in British subjects, has graciously aeceded to your request, and has communicated with the Spanish ambassador in Berlin, cojxtmanding him to communicate with Great Britain’s representative there—the United States ambassador —in order that the necessary investigation may be made. ’ His majesty earnestly hopes that these inquiries mby be the means of procuring satisfactory information for you.” In this case, it was Ambassador Gerard who served as the first cavalier to the distressed English wife, passing the news on to the Spanish ambassador that the husband’s health was excellent and that he was safely interned along with his comrades, not particularly enjoying “war bread,” but hoping for better times. -. j The king has thoroughly organized this labor of mercy, and every letter received la Immediately acknowledged.