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Show . Aged Warrior Passes On J. vV I MPN I LT 1 L L k - n I ' - 1 I ! , .j.V h , j t ... If . " ' v jf ' y W h " "ml I w MARSHAL FERDINAND KOCH Chief Of Allied Armies In World War Is No More Great Military Strategist Loses Fight With Death; Business at Standstill in Paris When News Is Known. PARIS, March 20 (UF) I-ielcl Marshal Ferdinand Foh, supreme commander of ths Allied arr;ies in the World war, and probably the world's most brilliant modern military strategist, died at his home here today. He was 77 years old. The mild little Frenchman who never before had known actual defeat, surrendered to death only after he had battled to the last ounce of strength in his slender, shrunken body. Heart trouble and complications which developed into uremia caused his death. Dies at 5:55 p.m. Only a short time before his death, priest had been sent to give him the last sacrament. Death came at 5:55 p.m. Earlier :r the day it had been announced an-nounced that cne" marshal passed a more comfortable nig't but that his heart had proved troublesome after weakening considerably "u'.' some days. His lungs apparently were clfc'ar, the morning bulletin said, with his temperature 93 and his pulse 92. The generalissimo of all the Allie.l forces in the world war fought valiantly val-iantly against the great adversary, death, until the final moment. Not until all hope had finally been relinquished re-linquished was the priest summoned summon-ed to administer the last sacrame'nt. As soon as the news of his death became known, crowds began, gath-! gath-! cring outside the house to pay silent tribute to the dt'ad war leader, lousiness at Standstill At first, only a few intimate friends were appraised of his passing, pass-ing, but gradually the word spread, carrying with it the deepest mourn- tng". Busine'ss was practically at a 'standstill as shopkeepers and public pub-lic alike mourned. The priest .vhi? had been summoned sum-moned arrived and stood at the bedside bed-side for only two minutes. He" turned and walked out, shak'.. his head. "It's too late," he said. . "He is dying." He had given absolution and then departed from the house. Observers saw the priest enter the marshal's home and leave again several minute's later. Almost simultaneously sim-ultaneously the announcement sped out to the waiting world which has for several months watched news dispatches anxiously for signs of improvement in the' great soldier's condition. The' window blinds of the house, which during the last fev weeks of the marshal's illness had been drawn but half way down, due to the old warrior's insistence upon sunlight, where drown to the bottom bot-tom sash shortly aft:'r 6 o'clock an'd '.he shutters were closed upon the house of death. |