Show WIDOWS F FACE ACE DILEMMA Wives of Dead Soldiers in France Hard Hit HitI I b by r La Law Lawin in 11 a M c. c 1 luti Uli t e International ct C e r Correspondent Paris Feb Fell T. T i Al About About out wl widows oz of or French soldiers reported missing during the war wor now find themselves In Inthe Inthe the tragically trag peculiar situation of or beIns being being be be- ing Ins neither widows nor nOl wives In the theeres eyes eres of or the law Until the d death of their husbands IB is I legally leg entered re upon tho the records books I a process requiring from two to thirty years ears the they can neither r. r remarry inherit I I it th the tho property of their dead husbands nor sell any of or his hh effects Members of or the chamber of or deputies are studying study study- III ing methods of or ameliorating their sit sit- More ore th than n French soldiers were listed as missing at the finish of or the w war r. r In thousands o 0 01 cas cases s deaths were practically proved pro b by the testimony of or fellow rellow soldiers who saw men blown to lo hits bits b by shells or witnessed witnessed wit wit- ne sell their death behind tho the enemy lines line In thc these e cas cases s tho thin widow must obtain the testimony o of oC their witnesses s and ancl accompany It with h a certificate of I birth of or her dead dead husband In itself often oHen a a. process lusting lasting several months month Then she r receives a n. stating that her husband I Is legally leg dead dad But so IO man many mans applications for these documents have b been en received at nt the ministry of war that 1200 occupied occupied oc oc- almost exclusively with this question find themselves s The ministry hopes to dispose of or this class of oC cases within el eighteen months but It I Is h by no means certain that it Il will be able to do O so The cases ses of women whoso whose husbands have hae simply vanished without trace are arc much more difficult to untangle The Thelast Thelast Thelast last parliament voted oled a measure providing providing pro pro- viding that all ml missing soldiers should bo be declared dead after a period of or two years ha had elapsed since formal notice ha had been nerved served of or their disappearance But It was further provided that no notice notice notice no no- tice could be served until six months after the cessation of ot hostilities It Is IR recalled that the l last t missing soldier of tho the war of was not de deI declared declared de- de I legally dead dea until 1890 so slowly did the government hind and nd legal machinery machine machine- I r ry move |