Show j 4 Identity of Soldier Dead J NATHAN C. C COOPERMAN of Philadelphia elphia is more moret t 4 assertive than Mark ark Twain was when the rumor reached him that he was dead fark Mark Twain said the them m report was greatly exaggerated Cooperman sw swears s he heis r t j is alive and working at athis his trade as coppersmith on Hog f Island notwithstanding a 3 photograph has been bee shown hown II him of a grave surmounted fud by byn bya a n. Vo wooden den cross r ss bearing his name In spite of pf this prima facio facie evidence that Cooperman's body lies in a grave of or a French cemetery Q hu lie stubbornly refuses to be convinced He admits he lie lC lCj j was vas over there and th that t he lie was wounded in July i itus 08 near Belleau Wood but further than that he be diametrically diametrically dia dia- Y metrically di disagrees with the time government authorities Q The fact that such instances are t to to- tobe be found demonstrates demonstrates demon demon- Ii strates that the work of the war department with th res respect cl i to identification and burial of or our soldier dead was not nott t infallible The s stem of identification t tags S which 9 2 every ery soldier was required to wear around the thc neck was largely responsible for or the fact that there were not t Jt mistakes The personnel of the so called graves registration bureau followed the fighting lines a as as possible verified the identification and rei removed re- re i moved the bodies to temporary cemeteries In cases tf itt where even the board hoard crosses could not be erected the t j soldiers soldier's rifle was as thrust into the he ground as a n. headboard J or or his steel helmet laid Inid on the mound together tog with i 14 St such ot other e means of identification as would ouId help thin the u r. r registration bureau Afterwards when the smoke of j J battle had cleared away the bodies were transferred from frum v tL beir cr scattered graves gracs to three central cemeteries which a t Tance rance had ad designated as American fields of honor honor- g at Romagne in the heart of the Argonne Meuse-Argonne battle w r ea a at at Thiaucourt for the St. St Mihiel and aud Beau Beau- jj m ht it Ion on tho the road to Sedan g S. S cI ic It is possible there may be further mistakes made in inE inI inv v E the great undertaking of removal of these bodies from rom I p the tho c cemeteries in Franco to their homes in America yet 5 such is to be the policy of the government t to the thc extent jg at least of complying with ith the tho wishes of the parents fj ft or next of r kin But with the hc s same me care are or even en greater care which ma may bo he c exercised in In this work because of of h mth the deliberateness ss with which it jt may duty may be bc done and the f ample appropriation made inane by Congress to accomplish it there should be little danger dang of increasing the number Dumb r rl j z l o of mistakes in identity Those who arc are charged ged with 5 the duty should be impressed with the sacredness sacredness' of 1 the transference and make no mistakes at all |