Jasper County Democrat, Volume 21, Number 74, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 14 December 1918 — Nephew of Mrs. Russell VanHook [ARTICLE]

Nephew of Mrs. Russell VanHook

Wounded and Gassed. The following letter was received by Mrs. Russell Van Hook from her nephew', Perrin C. Miller, who was wounded and gassed at St. Mthiel. Young Miller was a $1 a year man at Washington, but volunteered in the Marine service last April: November 17, 1918. Dear Aunt Alia: —I have -made up my mind to get at least one letter off to you while I am in France. I do not recall if I have written- you, before—events have followed on another pell mell, which have prevented much writing and have confused my memory as to what I have previously written. I am sure we are all grateful that peace is here again and I trust that it has come to stay. The continuous strain of war is worse than the actual fighting itself. In my comparatively short service in France I was in two big offensives, the battle of St. Mihiel and the battle of Argonne. The latter was by far the worse of the two. We were there attached to the French army corps on the Champagne front; exposed on three sides by a salient which we had forced into the German lines, we were shelled generously and continuously. I received a slight scalp wound from a splinter from a 150-mm H. E. shell. Within fifteen minutes at least 100 shells fell within 1000 yards of me and

five of them within 100 feet. I’ll never be able to figure out how I came out alive. It would seem like a paradox to you if I stated that one fears less when on the 'front In the most danger, but it Is nevertheless true. I thought the odds were ten to one against me, and the greater the odds the less hope you have for yourself naturally; and the less hope you have for yourself the lees you give a damn, paradoxially. Usually the sound of the shell coming is the most demoralizing factor, but in this case there were so many shells coming from so many direc» tions, one close on the tall of the other, and my ears were so deafened that I was spared this usual suspense. Part of the time we were carrying a man on a stretcher and it made it impossible for us to hug the . groujQjd- I wish you could see the craters they made and the volcanoes of dirt they threw up. I had been exposed to Intense shell fire many times before but I had never had to walk through it, __ But, here I am, safe and sound, and the war apparently over. 1 shall leavb here shortly, but as to. where I shall go it is only a wild guess. It is certain that if 1 go back to my regiment I shall find very few that I know, for they have fallen in action, my lieutenant and gunnery sargeant among them. I may stay to France, go to Germany, return to the United States or go on board a man o’ war with a marine detachment. My love to you all. PERRIN. Base Hospital 202, A. P. O. 797, France.

Vern Davisson Writes Since Armistice Was Signed. Mr. and Mrs. iTarvey Davisson received the first letter Wednesdayfrom their son Vern since the armistice was signed, in which he says: On the Front, Nov. 11, 1918. Dear Pa and Ma:— Received your letter dated October 14th. Glad to hear from you. I see you had a dandy trip to the Rio Grande; that’s fine. Well, the war is over, and there was sure some big demonstration pulled off all along the front, cannons, rifles, star-shells and everything imaginable, but our troops are still following the retreating Germans, and will for thirty miles inside of Germany. They are leaving everything behindj guns and all. I never was so happy before in my life. Do not know when I will get home, perhaps in two or three months. The message was flashed from the Eifel tower in Paris at 5:00 o’clock this morning to the U. S. I guess big celebrations are taking place over there now. It is simply wonderful to come home without a scratch on me. I have been cited again for some work rescuing some Belgian civilians from death in a little town on the line a few days ago, which will add another star to my war cross. It was mighty dangerous work, but I got out O. K. and that’s enough. Germany is so desperate that the U. S. will have to feed here until she can take care of herself. I sure would like to be in Paris today to see the big celebrations, but there is plenty of it going on at the front. The civilians came out of their cellars and migled right between the two armies of allies and boche. The last gun was fired at 10:30 today, It does not seem possible that all of ths machinery could be stopped so suddenly. “SUPREME NEWS.” Hope to see you all soon. Your loving son,

V. C. DAVISSON.