Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 180, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 9 August 1918 — Carl Leatherman is Beginning to Receive Letters From Home. [ARTICLE]

Carl Leatherman is Beginning to Receive Letters From Home.

Carl Leatherman, who was the first conscripted man drawn from Jasper county and has been over to France for the last six months or more, has written several letters that have been received by his father, D. F. Leatherman, and other relatives here in the 'past week: Nantes, France, June 26, 1918. Dear Father and all: This is Wednesday p. m., and I am at the docks, but as we are not very busy at times I am taking advantage of it by writing to you again. I don’t know very much to write though, not having heard from you yet. I don't understand why I am not getting some mail as several of the other boys that came here with me have been getting mail, addressed here. I an> still at Nantes and doing the same work as at first. Now there is considerable more work than at first but there is also more men to do it A short time ago about 200 Chinese laborers were brought here; they are enrpiloyed by the U. S. government. Besides these the U. S. government has employed some of the French government, so altogether there are a good many "Chiniks” here, besides a company of colored troops of a labor battalion. So you see there is considerable work to do here. Just now the "Chinks ’ are loading supplies from the warehouse into cars. The wea'her has been good here for some time now. Not too hot nor not cold. Jufet comfortable. I don’t believe it ever gets as hot here as it does there. But I have not seen any real heavy rains here or thunder storms. Well, it is nearly the Fourth of July. I suppose I will celebrate at the docks. There may be speaking in the evening at the < M. Cl A., but don’t know yet. A Belgian refugee that is giving French lessons to ue would like to pull something off. The 14 th of July is the Independance Day of France, and the 21st the Independance Day of Belgium. It would be niee if arrangements could be made to cele-

brate at the same time. Thursday eve. I did not get this finished yesterday eo will write a few lines more tonight. To day has been a nice warm day. I have not been very busy today as I am- some days. It is a nice evening and I shaved and thought I would walk up town to the Y. M. C. A. as I want to get somb soap and shaving cream, but the fellow that Is going with me is doing his washing and it looks like be wasn’t going to get there until it is too late. Well, there isn’t much more to say except I am fine and dandy, and cannot complain of conditions except Idqn’t think we are getting as good feeds as we should. It is beans'or stew every day and it is beginning to get old. It is not on account of shortage of food for there are piles and piles of food supplies in France. .But I think it is poor management of the mess. As to the war n6ws, I suppose you get as much of that as we do. At present things are looking very favorable for the allies. I think the tide is turning. The ' Italians have won a great victory over the Austrians acording to our papers, and I suppose you get about the same news. Well, I wi,ll close for this time, and I hope to hear fro-mi you before 1 write again. I am as ever, . Your son, CARL. Depot Quartermaster, Base Sec. No. 16, Depot No. 2, A. P. O. 701, A. E. F.. Nantes, France. p. s.—Write as often as you can for mail would be a big help to me. Tell the rest of the folks to write. I wrote to Sarah Tuesday.

Nantes, France, June- 30, 1918. Dear Aunt and all: 1 read your letter of June 5. Received it last Thursday. I also received one from Sarah written the 6th. So I feel much relieved by having heard from you and Sarah. That is the only mail I have received to date. I hope to get more soon. I probably will get my back mail before long as I wrote to A. P. O. 727 about two weeks ago to forward it to me. Today is Sunday and there isn’t much doing. I was off this a. -me and went to services at the Y., so this, afternoon the corporal in charge ot the docks is off and I am in Charge of the docks whenever he isn’t here. There is only one car loading now. When it is finished I think that will be all. There are no ships in now and we may have it pretty easy for a few days. Last Tuesday some of the sailor hoys were swimming in the river and one of them was drowned they searched for his body, and worked dragging the river for a long time, but could not find him. So yesterday morning he came up about one-half mile farther down the river and was seen by a Frenchman. I saw them take him out. He was buried a short distance from here in an American cemetery. He was from N. C. He was a wireless operator and did not drink, smoke or chew, so the other sailors say. 1 aeard a strange story yesterday of a couple of boys that grew up together and were chums, enlisted at the same time, were wounded at the same time by the same shell, taken to the hospital and died at the same time and buried at the same time.

Sunday evening. Will try to finish this letter tonight. -1 just finished writing one to Sarah. Hope I get Helen’s and Aunt Mag’s letters and all that anyone else has written. I think 1 tolrl you that I had written to Aunt Mag once. Will have to write again soon. I don’t mind Writing if I gel mail myself once in a while. Hope 1 get the Rensselaer papers, too. Believe me it would seem good to see a home paper now. Was glad to hear that Lt. Yeoman was back there and gave a talk on conditions of which he had to deal. J have heard so many fellows talk about the front lines that it seems that I have been there too. I think 1 have a good imagination of conditions up there. I have often wondered what had becom© of him and where he was, never thinking that he bad been sent back. He isn t the only one that hasn't any love for the Huns.

I, too, am surprised to hear that the division at Camp Shelby hasn’t moved' yet and so many are being sent over here with so little training. Sarah said that one of her brothers and two more boys that 1 knew were at Washington, D. C., ready to cross. He wasn’t even called when I left the States. She said that Earl Burling and San. Brenner of Remington, whom I knew, that were with me at Camp Taylor, were at Long Island ready to start across. Yes, I get to see the paper nearly every evening. I guess we get about the same news as you do. The Americans have took everything they started after so far. The Germans say they are too firey, that they haven’t been in the game long enough to get cooled down yet. 1 think they will be sadly disappointed if they expect them to cool down. I heard of the excitement off the New Jersey coast. Glad to hear that the crops were looking so good. I hope there is a big crop everywhere except Where the Boches can get it. Yes, I can get some fruit if 1 want it here. There is nothing that I want or need now. I think I will get along very well for some time anyway. Have only drew $7.50 of pay since January—five months —-that was last month. There is or has been much trouble in the paying of soldiers in France. Unless you were with a regular organization it was hard to get any money. But now according to a new system each soldier can draw $7.50 each month no matter if his service records are with him or not. That will be plenty for me. Ido not need much money as I don’t run away very much. Some have not been paid for over a year. Glad to know that Dad has sold my horse, so he has that oft hie hands now. Speaking of the scarcity of Wheat flour, you ought to see our ware-

houses here. It looks like enough to feed the world for a year. And nearly every shi-p that conies in has some on it. A few weeks ago one of the cranes that was working unloading the ship dumped twenty 100pound sacks ot .flour in the river. That would have fed one family for a long r'me. Well, this will be all for thistime. Will write soon again. As ever, your nephew, CARL. Same address.