April 8, 1918 - Don Martin takes a break in Paris, learns of Commodore Bennett's serious illness

April 8, 1918 - Don Martin takes a break in Paris, learns of Commodore Bennett's serious illness

Don Martin diary entry for Monday, April 8, 1918:

Came to Paris today. Left Neufchateau in auto with [Henri] Bazin [Philadelphia Public Ledger] at 8 and took a train at Gondrecourt at 10:30. Train late arriving. So heavy movement of troops. Went to Crillon Hotel – got my hair cut and went to dinner with [Burn]Price [Paris Herald Manager] at the Chatham Grill. Got about a dozen letters including a note from the President [Wilson]. Stayed in the Paris office until 10:30 reading the papers.

The Commodore [Bennett] has been very ill with pneumonia which explains why I haven’t heard from him.

Weather rainy but mild.

Regrettably that note from President Woodrow Wilson to Don Martin has not survived. One can only wonder what it was about.

This is the first record of Don Martin learning that James Gordon Bennett, the owner of the New York and Paris Herald, was very seriously ill, at his villa in Beaulieu sur Mer. He would live just two more months.

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About the Author

James Larrimore, creator of this blog, had a career in the nuclear field, starting in 1985 in international safeguards at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and as consultant. His continuing interest in nuclear nonproliferation and international safeguards is the basis for the posting in this blog starting in May 2025. In the earlier period 2017-2018, this blog was used to document the writings of James's grandfather, Don Martin, WWI war correspondent. James spent hundreds of hours searching out and transcribing every trace he could find of his grandfather Don Martin’s life and work. He also went to many of the places mentioned in Martin’s diary, dispatches and letters to his young daughter and family. This blog makes the fruits of his labors – including Don Martin’s remarkably vivid accounts of his experiences traveling to France and with the American Expeditionary Force on the front there – available for anyone interested to read. Enjoy!

Aknowledgements

This compilation of the work of Don Martin has been made possible by the availability of scanned copies of the 1917-1918 New York Herald newspapers on the website www.fultonhistory.com. Thomas M. Tryniski of Fulton, New York 13069, is heartily thanked for his tremendous, continuing work in developing that website with all the New York newspapers. Don Martin’s 1917 and 1918 diaries, along with letters from and to him while he was in Europe, became available to the author in the papers of Dorothy Martin Larrimore upon her death. A number of photos in the blog are taken from Wikipedia. Thanks also go to great-grandchildren of Don Martin, Corinne Larrimore Shaddock and Mark Larrimore, and to great-great-grandchild Thomas Shaddock, for wonderful assistance in the layout of this blog. Completion of this effort has been greatly assisted by careful proofreading and the continuing patience of my wife, Irene Larrimore.