Dear Mrs. Bowes,

It is with the deepest regret that I write to you that I buried your son this afternoon in the village soldiers’ cemetery.

God’s mercy is shown, although it sounds paradoxical, in taking him away as his sufferings were great and if he had lived he would have always been an invalid.

Your tribulation through this cruel war is very great in that you lave lost another son as well. I only trust that God will give you the strength to bear it. [Your sons] are sure to be found among all these fine men who have given their lives for such a noble cause. They are waiting in God’s great eternal kingdom. We must [wait] patiently for the dawn of that great day in sure and certain hope.

Yours in deep sympathy,

[Padre] Davis