Jasper County Democrat, Volume 21, Number 23, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 19 June 1918 — LETTERS FROM OUR SOLDIERS [ARTICLE]

LETTERS FROM OUR SOLDIERS

Jesse Wiseman Writes From Nation* * al Capital. Jesse E. Wiseman l of Virgie, who "is stationed in a camp at or near Washington, D. C., writes home to his folks under date of June 9 and says: Dearest Home Folks: Well, how are all of you? I am O. K., never felt better. We sure are having some real summer weather here. It is a fright here in the day time but at night it gets cool enough to sleep 'under two blankets. ° I suppose Esther has gone away to school by this time. Did you have a good time at Chicago? 1 sure would have liked to come home before I leave here but I guess these is no chance. We leave here Monday or Tuesday, that Is the last report. We do not know where we will be sent from here, but it will be somewhere on the coast, where we win be held up for about ten days, getting our last shot fend vaccination, also the final exam, before going across. I had my picture taken the other day but have not gotten them yet. I saw the proof last evening and they are. fairly good. They will be sent home to me from the studio. There are three of them. Yow may give Beth and Indus one and keep one at home. I will have to get some more taken for the other kids, I have never gone to Baltimore, as I would have to get a day’s leave from camp and we can not always do that as we have to be here moaning and night for roll call. I hor-a the strawberries are bearing good. I sure would like to help pick th m-. We have them here at camp M;uite often. Well, I will try and finish this letter now. I started it this afternoon but had to quit for retreat and supper. They have had us locked up all day today, that is, we do not dare go outside the post. I will be glad when we are out of here as they sure have been giving us a workout. I was on guard for twenty-four hours last week. We took three hikes of about eight miles, carrying full pack and rifle.

I have only been on the rifle range once since I have been here but 1 made better than an average score. The war news looks pretty good now. I do not see wherS the Germans have any hopes left of getting anything but a real threshing, and, believe me, if you could see the bunch here and. know bow anx ? ■ous they are to get a crack at the Fritziec you would realize that they mean business. Well, I can not think of any news; the longer I am here the harder it is for me to write a letter, as every thing, is the same each day. I got a box of candy from Bertha and Zelah; it sure does taste good. I am making it last as long as possible as it probably is the last home candy I will -get for some time. Well, I vfrill close for this time. I will write again the first chance I get, probably tomorrow, so goodbye for this time. With love to all. JESSE E. WISEMAN.

Frank McDonald Writes Home From the Navy. , Frank McDonald, a son of James M. McDonald, formerly of McCoysburg but now residing near Des Moines, lowa, writes to Ernest Moi lan, his cousin, of his work in the U. S. navy, in which he has served for the past five years; New York City, June 15, 1918. Just got back from. France, completing my fourth trip in even three months; now that is doing pretty good for us. Our last trip was one of some excitement, and it got quite interesting as the days went along. On May 28 we were about 600 miles off the French coast when at about 9 p. m. there was an English meredant ship suGk within a mile of us. We could easy see the glare of the explosion and hear the report. The next day one of the American destroyers got put out of action in a surface fight with an armed German sub and had to withdraw owing to the Huns plac- | ing a shot through the stern of the destroyer and disabling the steering engine. | And on May 31, at 9 a. m., the I U. S. S. President Lincoln was twice torpedoed and sent to the bottom in just twenty-five minutds, with twenty-seven of the crew of 740 missing. It is the first transport that we have lost. The Lincoln was a big ship with a carrying capacity of 5,000 soldiers.and about 20,000 tons of cargo; was a slow 1 ship and was sunk about 600 miles from 1 France on her way back to I the States. The loss of men was I small, considering the place where the ship was sunk. Along, in the afternoon the German sub came to the surface and took pictures of the crew’ and looked in all of the boats for the captain but failed to find him, so they took the executive ' officer and two enlisted men as their prisoners and sailed out. Don’t think that they got far be- ! cause the destroyed Smith sighted [a sub and run'it down, and after dropping two depth bombs got almost positive proof that the sub’s sides were caved in and she now lies on the bottom of the sea with the Lincoln. * The crew of the Lincoln was picked up about midnight by the destroyers, and on June 2 we got over 700 survivors aboard the destroyer, and on June 5 we sailed for the States, arriving June 12. We make it across and back in sixteen to twenty days, just depends on what ships are with us. When w’e go alone we make world’s records, have the quickest time record yet —sixteen days and fourteen hours fromi New York to , France, and return. \ We don’t stay very long 8n either port and most all of our time is spent on the sea. So far I have no complaint to make ex-, cept that it sure gets tiresome being at sea so much; Suppose you people are all as busy as can be with the work that farming requires, and it won’t be long until harvest time. Got a letter from Tott and they have a new place to live in now; said that she liked the place real well. Don’t know when I will get out that way; would like to pay them all a visit. I always send trinkets and stuff to her nearly every time I make a trip across and back. Was glad that you received the souvenirs and photo all O. K. Guess that I have said about all for this time, so will close.. Yours, as ever, FRANK.