The WW1 diary of Lt. George L. Alexander is neat and tidy -- with writing so tiny that a special magnifying glass was required. This passage reads:
"About all that I want to put on paper about Paris is that it is a wild-wild-place and has N.Y. and K.C. - backed off the board, when it comes to "high life." Any thing else about Paris ------------- just ask me. We spent what part of the night we slept at the Grand Hotel. - Early in the evening we went to the "Casino Ole Paris" -- a show - !! Nov 11 1918 - Well - The War is over - hence a change in my plans. I should have left Paris before this - but everything 'broke loose' at 1110 today when the big guns - fired the 'Peace Barrage" - just outside the city -- so I had to see it thru. [see news article] Kelly, Downey and myself were just leaving one station for another" Transcription made from the original diary. 
Lt. William H. Peel's 1864 diary has thin pages written on both sides, so there is ink "bleed-through" from subsequent pages. This passage reads: "24th,, Col. Hill did answer my note, + will herewith give the correspondence. I had the pleasure of receiving a letter from Mrs. Velma Backner – she wrote from Louisville as she passed through on her way to Dixie." Transcription made from a photocopy.  And bad typing is nearly as unreadable as no typing. This memoir was typed in the 1920s. It is single spaced, 10 pt type with no margins and no paragraph breaks for nearly 30 pages. Once it was re-typed with margins, breaks, 1.5 spaced with 12 pt type, not only was a great story revealed, but a mis-identified heirloom was finally found. Transcription made from an early typed copy. |
