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Show RULER OF SPAIN IS DOIMTIW King Alfonso Effects an Organization Or-ganization to Look for Missing Soldiers. PROUD OF THE TASK Thousands of Aching Hearts Relieved Through His Majesty's Efforts. Special Cable to The Tribune. LONDON, May 27. Describing the great work of relieving some of the suffering suf-fering and anxiety of the war which is being carried out by King Alfonso of Spain, an Englishwoman writes fron? Madrid: The royal palace of Madrid has been the scene of many strange events in the course of its chequered history, and today something is happening there -which may not, in-deed, in-deed, arrest the attention of the historian, but which will leave a lasting impression in many a home throughout the length and breadth of Europe. ... One day, a year or so ago, a despairing de-spairing mother wrote to King Alfonso Al-fonso imploring his help to find her missing soidier son. The king made inquiries through his embassador in Berlin, and the missing son was found. The good deed eouJd not be hidden and letters began to arrive ar-rive from all the belligerent nations and in many languages imploring his majesty 's aid in some sorrow-ful sorrow-ful quest. The king, with his habitual hab-itual generosity, undertook the work of mercy with a right good will and no small success, and the flood of correspondence greatly increased. Organization Effected. In the north-east corner of the palace, under the direction of Don Emilio de Torres, the king's private secretary, an office has been organized organ-ized which, from small beginnings, is ever assuming larger proportions. Spain is charged with the interests inter-ests of all the allied nations except England, both in Berlin and Vienna, ana with the interests of Austria in Rome. No two letters nre alike. The petition mav refer to some officer or soldier o one of the allied armies last heard of on any field of battle from Flanders to the Bukowina, from the Baltic to Mesopotamia: to a missing family in the .occupied provinces of France or Belgium; to a wounded soldier to be released, or a condemned civilian to be reprieved., re-prieved., t Wide Range Covered. 1 .It may ask for news of a long-lost long-lost child or petition for a marriage by proxy; it may be signed by the greatest lady in tho land, or by the humblest cottager; all receive equal attention. Each letter is docketed, indexed, and filed according to the subject matter and tho country of origin, and acknowledged hv return of post. The request is then forwarded forward-ed with full particulars to Senor Polo de Bornaoe, the Spanish embassador em-bassador in Berlin, or to Senor (astro de Casalez in Vienna, and through them to the German or Austrian governments. The reply, as soon as received, is conveyed in a tactfully worded letter let-ter to the inquirer, often anticipated anticipat-ed by a telegram if the news is good and accompanied if bad by an expression of the king's personal person-al condolence; in this case the bad news is conveyed through the priest or the mayor of the parish, so that it may be brokeu gently and opportunely. oppor-tunely. Cost Is Considerable. ' Some idea of the extent of the work may be gathered from the fact that nearly 200,000 letters have already been dealt with from France alone, while the postal and telegraphic expenses are said to have amounted in two months to about $3000. As English interests in Berlin are in tho hands of tho American embassador, etiquette requires that inquires relating to British subjects should be made through him alone, but, whether owing to a misunderstanding misunder-standing or to the strong attraction attrac-tion exercised by the chivalrous character of the king of Spain upon all those in distress, letters soon begin be-gin to arrive from England also. Work Is Exacting. When it was suggested that his majesty might well be excused from i accepting this additional burden he replied: "Not at all, I am colonel of a British regiment; they are all my comrades in arms. J shall do what 1 can for them." And so ho does, the inquiry being forwarded in each case, through the kind offices of-fices of the American embassador in Berlin. The labor entailed by this delicate deli-cate and complicated task is both 'arduous and exacting, but no work in Madrid is more eagerlv or conscientiously con-scientiously performed. The care which Senor de Torres has bestowed upon the minutest details of the organization, or-ganization, the great tact with which he has chosen tho form of words to bo employed in ea'h individual in-dividual case, proclaim at every stage that this is truly a labor of love; and the king 's personal attention at-tention and the go u tie influence of Queen Victoria are apparent at every atago of tho operation. |