Evening Republican, Volume 23, Number 39, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 13 February 1920 — A STORY OUT OF THE GREAT WAR [ARTICLE]

A STORY OUT OF THE GREAT WAR

The following very interesting letter was written to Ed Cavendish in reference to the death of his broth-er-in-law: St. Louis, Mo., Wed., Dec. 17, 1919. Mr. Ed Cavendish, Dear Friend — JuSt a few lines in regards to your brother-in-law, Jacob Joy. On or about the 2nd day of August, 1918, we landed at Brest, France, there we stayed one day and then we rode three days and nights in box cars till we came into a town named Savoyce. Here I got acquainted with Jacob Joy. We were made automatic rifle men from there (Saveyce) we hiked for over a month till we reached reserved trenches. We stayed ten days in Reserve trenches, then we went to support trenches. Just as soon as we got there shells were —flying thiek all-'ground us. We got busy and dug a hole. We dug all day that day. The next day we carried ties and steel bars and laid them over the top of our hole. By that time it was dark again and we crawled in -our - ’hole and tried to sleep. — - - —- Many a narrow escape we had together. One night I and Jake heard a German aeroplane above us. While we were standing in our trench looking up, an aerial- bomb came flying down about six feet from us (the bomb was about 7 feet long) the jar of its explosion -knocked me down and Joy on top of me. We got up on our knees staring each other in the face. In the light of the moon we could just about see each other. I said to Jake that sure was a dose one and we were both frightened but we had to laugh. When we Raised upon our feet another one busted on the other side of us. It tore a hole in the ground large enough to turn a wagon in. It was then four-thir-ty in the morning for our first stand to the captain came around and said: “Boys, take your rifles, face the enemy and stand to.” In about ten minutes the Germans sent us over an awful heavy barrage. We were quite scared, ■but we still held our nerves. Just about thattMneourtendaysin support were up. We went into the front line trenches where it was fine the first night. From then on it was continuous fighting and shells flying all of the time where we had but a little hole about two feet deep, just room enough for one man to sleep in. He laid two hours while I watched two hours, then we would change about. One morning the captain came around and asked for volunteers to go into no man’s land to see what we could see. Joy and I volunteered to go. We got fourteen volunteers and went crawling in the weeds to the Germans. We crawla valley, and started up the hill, which the Germans were on. When the Germans saw" us they opened up on us. We all got behind trees and shot at everything we saw, but didn’t have enough men with us. AH were killed but five of us. We had to come back. Joy anti I never had a scratch on us. When we got back we reported to the captain that they were too strong for us. We went to our trenches. About one o’clock in the afternoon the Germans opened up an awful barrage. The shells were bursting 10 and 12 feet apart. A lot of our men were lying on the ground killed from the shrapnel and it was -impossible to stay there. At three o’clock in the same afternoon we got orders to go over the top. We started with a heavy barrage on the Huns at four o’clock. We had '<6oo men on our side. By five o’clock we captured the hill and never dost a man. We got 27 machine guns, 50 prisoners-. and abo u t

a hundred dead birds. Well everything was quiet. The captain came around and got five men, which was Jake Joy, myself, Evans, Ford and Dovermont. They put us five’ on outpost and told us not a one of us to close our eyes all night. This was on the first night of O ctober. W e were all squeezed into a little hole without any shelter ajhd it was raining all night long. Me and Joy were just like two brothers, (we were awful hungry) and we had one can of corned beef and a couple of hard tacks. Joy ate one-half and I the other. It was then about one o’clock in the morning. About four-thirty in the morning we heard a little noise in the weeds in front ,of us. The Germans had sneaked through a communicating trench under the ground and opened rifle machine gun bullets all over the top of us. We fought them for about ten minutes and Jacob Joy was struck in the forehead with three bullets. He folded his arms and leaned trimself on the bank of the ground and in a minute was dead. Dovermont and Ford was behind Joy and I. One was shot in the eye and the other in the mouth, but were not killed.

Evans on my left side, says to me, “lets run back to our own men,” and I tbld him not to run, but he was excited and raised up. As he did they struck him in the head and he fell against my left leg and was killed instantly. They shot the shoulder strap off of my coat, also a slight wound in tMe left shoulder, but was not hurt I fired a few more Shots at the Huns and they threw grenades in on us and picked us tfefee up and captured us. They took .Us to the Metz hospital arid stayed until the armistice was signed and with the help of a Belgium overcoat I got back to my company and finally was sent back to old H, S. I sure was glad to get back but to my sorrow my mother and wife had died at the time of Jake’s and my last stand. I , WelL I am married again and am trying to forget the past. my friend, you may tell Ins mother how he died, but make it as easy l to her as you can. Well, I will

bring my short letter to a dose, hoping Gat you will excuse my poor poor writing for if you would have experienced what Joy and I did, I hardly believe that it could be beat So I will eloee for this tame hoping to hear from you again, real soon. ' . 9ofs E Vandere \ ,• St. Loma, Mo. - i f • \'£ it • -JT ' - ‘ -l . “.Li X. .