Jasper County Democrat, Volume 21, Number 66, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 16 November 1918 — LETTERS FROM OUR SOLDIERS [ARTICLE]

LETTERS FROM OUR SOLDIERS

Mike Wagner, Though Tired, is Happy. Former Court Reporter M. J. Wagner rwrites quite an interesting letter to his court house cronies at Kentland, which The Democrat copies from a Kentland paper. Mike left Rensselaer last spring with Will Duvall, Herbert Hammond and one or two others, and was stationed at Ft. Hamilton, Brooklyn, N. Y„ for some time before being sent across: 'Here in France, 2d of Oct., 1918. To the Dear old court house bunch, Kentland: —I hereby tender to you my heartiest greetings from the Soldiers’ land of promise—all of you—including the lawyers who practice in your tabernacle of justice. Bert, Art, or Greeley will probably remember that I promised to write the bunch, so here it is. The reason I did not write sooner is that I wanted to gain in experience and wisdom. Since I left your festive hamlet I have had many and varied experiences, some pleasant, some otherwise and now I stand before you nearly a veteran. I have swept floors, scrubbed pans, washed clothes and sewed on buttons, stood inspections and been bawled out, reported court martials and rattled the typewriter, done squads right and squads left, watched for submarines, and saw none, even had to make speeches. At present am trying to parley voo French. It’s a great life I tell you; the only thing I have not done so far is to face the enemy fire, but I expect to do some of that in time. We are located out in the country eight miles from a city. It is a beautiful country to one who has nothing else to do but enjoy that sort of stuff. Now we get up in the dark, about half an hour before sunrise, and have the opportunity, if so inclined, to observe some really magnificent sunrises. We are located, or rather we live in an old mansion, probably once the summer home of some Duke, or something, and it has all the discomforts of buildings of that sort. The nights are very cold here for

this time of year. Now there is a heavy frost on the ground in the morning and shaving and washing is a very refreshing operation the way we have to do it. We take our canteen cups go to the well and get a cupful of nice cold water (whenever the well isn’t dry), .go out behind the house or into the garden off to one side, hang our mirror on a tree or bush, lather up and—well, just shave. I toll you it is great; try it sometime. At present we are having night drill, it is 11:30 now and I am writing this while waiting for my shift. I go on at 12:30, the night is dark—l suppose that is why 1 was picked for drill. It is interesting work, folks, and I would not miss this for anything. The news from the front certainly has been good lately. Bulgaria and Turkey’s defeat and the capture of St. Quentin, this . morning. I guess it will be up to me to capture Metz however. Have been having tough luck, for the last three weeks I have been in quarantine on account of a boy breaking out with measles and we were to be released last night, and now the Spanish Flu, or whatever you call it, has broken out in this part of the country and we are again placed under quarantine so we won’t go out and catch the disease. The quarantine business works both ways. Last Saturday a Sargeant, a Corporal, who can speak French, and I, got a special permit to go to Angers—that city I have mentioned—to buy • instruments for a Jazz band we are forming. I picked up a violin worth two or three hundred dollars in the States for 100 francs—about eighteen, dollars—picked it up in a second hand store. The quarantine does not deprive us of our wine though. There is a farm house near by where they sell wine and we are permitted to go there, this makes things a. little more pleasant. Well, how is old Alkali Ike and how are the checker games coming? I hope that during my absence the formal openings of court will not be discontinued. I suppose Greeley is still writing poetry. By the way, we have a former actor in our s|.ttery, and the other night as 'We were talking he told me he knew Greeley’s son, Capt. George A. Davis, very well. This fellow has played in a good many productions in Chicago. We have a fine bunch of fellow's in our battery and although we work hard we have lots of good times. I want to thank Judge Darroch and Hume Sammons for their letters of recommendation. I do not know whether I will ever get to use them or not, but in case I shall be captured and the Huns find these letters on me they will think I am a pretty good fellow anyway. Well, folks, I do not know what more to tell you now, I am feeling supberb and am enjoying every darn bit of soldier life. Let me hear from some of you, will you? With kindest regards and best wishes, CORP. MICHAEL J. R. WAGNER, Battery F. 70th Art. C. A. C. A. P. O. 733, Am. E. F.

Former Remington Boy Writes HOme From France. George Moorhead, formerly of Remington, but now of near North Vernon, Indiana, sends us a letter from his son, John G. Moorhead, who is now with the American forces in France, and says' that it might be of interest to some of the latter’s old playmates and acquaintances about Remington. George says that the boy tried to enlist' several times, but was turned down on account of being minus a thumb. He was finally called last June and was sent to Purdue for six weeks, and crossed the “pond” in September and they have just lately heard

trom him. “He is somewhat of a bookworm and has had some little experience teaching, having taught three terms district school and two terms high school before he was 22 years old. He had an offer to teach at Remington this winter if he hadn’t been called to the colors.” The letter follows: In France, Oct. 17, 1918. Dear Mother.—How is everyone in the States by this time? I am well and in good spirits. I have had a cold, but am about over it now. We have been touring a part of France and have finally been landed at a Signal Corps school. 1 guess they will train us up to be “expert” operators now’. We are in a nice camp with good clean barracks and good eats. We have pancakes for breakfast several times a week, Which is quite a treat in the army. We sure enjoyed them when we had them at our first breakfast. We had some fine pudding last night, too. I am sending my slip for a Xmas box. I suppose you have received information about them from the Red Cross. I would certainly appreciae some fruitcake and candy and the like. If it is hard to get sugar you might put in some chocolate bars, or Hersheys, or stick candy or something of that kind. It is hard to get candy here. We can get plenty- of cookies of French make; they are sure good, taste like home-made ones. If you have time you might make a pair of wristlets. I was issued a sweater and knit helmet. At the classificaion camp I was in I saw a North Vernon man, by the name of Shinolt, I knew his cousin at Zenas. He came over with Amos Myrick and ..-another Jennings county man and had been sepqjjpted there; He did not know where the two others were. He had been in camp at Taylor with Raymond Huffman’s company. He is the only Jennings county soldier I have seen. I guess we will begin to get our mail now. I heard that there was some already in camp that came from Camp Vail, I am sure anxious to get some mail. I expect a pay day the first of next month, and am expecting to send some home. They are fixing up a system by which we can get paid every month. I suppose you are glad to hear the way the boys are crowding the line. I would like to spend the Fourth of July at home. As ever JOHN A. MOORHEAD, Army Radio Section, Signal Corps No. 1, A. P. O. No. 706, Am. E. F., France,

Tommie Shook Tells of the “Flanders Mud.” Artesian, So. Dak., November 12, 1918. F. E. Babcock. Sir:—l am sending two dollars for my renewal to The Democrat; am also sending a peom for your paper if you have space' to print it. Tommie sent it to us from France, and as he was in Belgium several weeks he knows just how the mud was. He has been “over there’’ since in May and been in several severe battles. The last letter from him, dated October 8, said they were on the jump but could not keep up with “Jerry” on his run for home. Our other and only son, James, has been in training at Ft. Riley, Kansas since August 29. ,He is at a school for cooks and bakers. We had good crops this year and have fine fall weather now, but help is very scarce for husking corn. We are all enjoying good health.—MßS. ROBT. SHOOK. WHO SAID SUNNY “FLANDERS OR FRANCE?’’ It lies on your blankets and over your bed, There is mud in the cover that covers your head, There is mud in the coffee, the “slum” and the stew. Muddy Flanders There’s mud In your eyebrows, There’s mud in your nose, There’s mud in your legging’s to add to your woes, The mud in your boots finds its place twixt your toes. Muddy Flanders Oh! the grimy mud, the slimy mud, The mud that makes you swear, The cheesv mud, the greasy mud, That slitters through your hair; You sleep in the mud and drink it, that’s true, There’s mud in the bacon, the rice and the stew, When you open an egg you always find mud in it, too. Muddy Flanders There’s mud in the water, there’s mud in the tea, There’s mud in the mess kit as thick as can be, It sticks to your fingers like leaves to a tree. Muddy Flanders Oh! the ruddy mud, the muddy mud, the mud that gets your goat; The sliding mud, the gliding mud, That sprays your pants and coat, It cakes in your mouth till you feel like an ox, It slips down your back and Tests in your sox, You think you are walking on cut glass and rocks. Muddy Flanders There’s mud in your gas mask, there’s mud in your hat, There’s mild in your helmet, there’s mud on your gat; Yet though mud is all around us were happy at that. Muddy Flanders Oh! the dank, dank, mud; the rank, rank, mud, There’s just one "guy to blame, We’ll wish him well (we will like And Kaiser Bill’s his name. h—,) 1 1