Evening Republican, Volume 20, Number 205, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 26 August 1916 — INTERESTING LETTER FROM LIEUT. HEALEY [ARTICLE]

INTERESTING LETTER FROM LIEUT. HEALEY

Tells of Conditions on Border and Life of American Soldiers.—Tells of Home Llano Grande, Tex. August 21, 1916. The Republican: A busy person I’ve been ever since our arrival here but each week my work seems less hard and more systemized. I am in charge of the regimental commissary and the officers’ mess of our battalion. Besides this I must see each morning and evening that eighty-six mules are fed, curried and watered. Yesterday was the first time I have had a chance to ge away from camp for any length of time, so I took a trip to the border with Lieut. Garland, Sergt.-John Robinson and Corporal Labon Wilcox. Before I tell of my trip I will mention of the storm which visited us Friday and Friday night. We received word "Thursday night that a storm was coming. Tents were fastened and everyone was thinking that a false alarm had been given. Everything looked bright Friday morning and the troops went out on their regular Friday hike. At about eight o’clock the storm started. The rain came .in torrents and the wind blew. The “hikers” came in about noon and were soaked to the skin. The storm lasted all afternoon and most of the night. During this time a number of tents were blown down, but our regiment withstood the storm better than most of them. Sergt. Albert Dunn, who is stable sergeant was up all night with the mules. He is proud that none of his mules got away while he cornered fifteen from other regiments. The sun came out strong "and in the evening you could not tell that there had been a storm. We know that we were not hit nearly as hard by the storm as other parts of southeastern Texas. . Now for our border trip and a little idea of what the “border” is like. We left camp horseback at about six o’clock Sunday morning and went directly south. About two miles from here we crossed a lake on a ferryboat and continued our journey over exceedingly muddy roads. ((We have had so much rain lately that the" water stands in puddles where the drainage is not good—and it is only good about the camp.) Once we lost our way from the main road but we understood from a Mexican, (who no sawe Ingles), that we were on the

wrong “camino.” On the right trail again we went directly to a little place called Progreso. It was here that three American soldiers were killed in a raid last year. The place of Progreso consists bf two good brick buildings, a church and a number of Mexican dobe huts, most of them vacated. There are nine cavalrymen and twelve infantrymen all regulars stationed here and make good use of the brick buildings for storehouse and sleeping quarters. The church, which is also of brick and in good condition, is closed. In front of the churtjh is a large new tombstone. It was placed there about two years ago and bears the name, of Santz. The and wife by the name of Santz. The couple were quite well-to-do dnd thinking that the Mexicans would come across the border and kill them they had the tombstone made and set in front of the church which they had also built. But the couple have moved away and are still living while their tombstone stands. From Progreso we went directly to the Rio Grande river. It was about a mile and all the way through tall weeds and shrubbery. TJle river was quite high from the recent rains and we could not get very close because of the wet clay on the bank. But we looked across the river and saw' Mexico and felt satisfied. No huts were along the river in this place and nothing could be seen on either side of the muddy Rio Grande but tall weeds and shrubbery. There is no cultivated land for a mile back from the river and then very little. Our return trip consisted of a round-about trip back through Progreso, Mercedes and back to camp. Outside of the soldiers we met on the trip we only saw two Americans until we got back to Mercedes. All Mexicans here are very friendly. They are almost afraid of soldieis and when you find one that can talk English nc always says he wants “the soldiers to clean up Mexico. _ . . Our trip was about twenty miles. - n all and we came back covered with mud and somewhat vired but surely enjoyed our trip. _ We took a number of pictures along the way and hope to send *Bome home. It is getting time foT me to go to bed as 1 have worked hard today and am tired. Sergti Wynegar left Saturday for