Evening Republican, Volume 22, Number 78, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 4 April 1919 — WAR MOTHERS ENTERTAINED [ARTICLE]

WAR MOTHERS ENTERTAINED

AT HOME OF MRS. ORA T. ROSS IN HONOR OF MR. AND MRS. SAMUEL DUVALL. J The Marion county War Mothers delightfully entertained Thursday evening at the beautiful home of Mrs. Ora T. Ross on Park avenue in honor of Mr. and Mrs. JSamuel Duvall, whose careers during the war days in Europe were so exciting and sensational as to be the topic of general conversation and newspaper comment during the past few weeks and whose exploits have been heralded as among the most interesting of the entire war. During the evening many people called at the Ross home to pay their respects to the Rensselaer boy and his little French wife, a tertimonial as to the esteem in they are held by our citizens. The extreme modesty of the pretty little French girl was a delight to the guests and cativated her in the hearts of all. Mrs. Duvall knows of the vicissitudes of war, of the suffering that the peoples of warring nations are forced to undergo and what it is to be in the hands of the enemy. For four and one-half long years she fervently prayed with the rest of her people that her little nation might be saved from the loathsome Hun. For thirty months she looked forward to the day when the Allied troops would enter the French city of Noyon and rescue her from the hands of the Germans who were holding her and thousands of other French citizens. Hers has been an interesting, through horrible experience, and now that it is all over she desires to quickly forget the dark days she passed through and to turn her attention to the wonders of a new and happier country where there is no war. However, Mr. Duvall gave a decidedly interesting talk, graphically describing many battles in which he participated and occassionally touching upon- some humorous incidents which cropped out despite the awfulness of the enviroinment. - He vividly described the picture of a battlefield strewn with human debris and accoutrements of war following a battle and of the many interesting sights of warfare. He told of having left here in June of 1917 and of being placed among the front line trenches as early as September of the same. year. The speaker also gave a thrilling account of the retreat of the Allied armies following the onslaught of the German drive of March 21, 1918. Everywhere the French and English were in retreat and the Allied cause looked hopeless when the Americans started dealing out telling blows, gradually stemming the tide and ultimately stopping the enemy. During those days, said Mr. Duvall, the Allied morale was at lowest ebb and the French forces appeared helpless, and the helplessnesse was shown in the eyes of every Frenchman who had fought so bravely during the trying days evidently to no avail. Many felt at that time that three days would see the German army marching triumphantly into and the outlook was exSamuel was with the Blue Devils, a famous French division, until gassed, after which he was sent to the base hospital in Paris. The speaker also touched upon the almost super-human achievement of the American forces in their march to Chateau Thierry which consumed two days and a night and during which time they had very little to eat and less water. The march was made with but little sleep on the part of the men and they arrived at the battle front in anything but a fresh condition; but they stopped the enemy and continued to stop them in the determined American fashion until the Allied reserves could be brought up to relieve them. From that moment on the defeat of the Germans was assured and the effort on the part of those brave Americans was the turning of the war’s tide. Samuel recounted many incidents of bravery on the part of Verne Davisson and praised him in the highest terms and told of the wonderful part he played in the winning of the war. He also related a humorous incident which occurred while he and Verne were carrying a wounded officer to the rear. Under heavy shell fire they made their way to the front with a strether and tenderly placed the officer on it. On their return journey they were forced to go through a cut which was in plain view of the enemy. A shell Exploded at, the side of them, covering them with mud and water; another exploded -in front of them repeating the performance of the first shell. Tt was then that they placed the stretcher on the ground and scurried for the protection of a shell hole. Arriving there they found that the wounded officer had beaten them to it. His talk was intensely interesting and in s closing it he recounted his capture of the German with a monkey wrench, familiar to all Rensselaer people. During the evning dancing was indulged in, the music being furnished by Horton brothers, accompanied by Pau| Beam on the saxaphone. .It was the best home talent music ever fur- . nished at a social event in this city ."and added immeasureably to the evening’s enjoyment Light refresh ments in the way of punch and cake were’served, and those who were sc fortunate as to be present felt thai the War Mothers had entertained ini

manner that icould not be surpassed. Mr. alid Mrs. Duvall will leave this evening for Indianapolis where they wall meet the State Liberty Loan Chairman and receive their booking for the coming Liberty Loan drive for which they have extended their services. A