The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1909-03-31
BATTLE ON
 WASHINGTON'S BIRTHDAY
Spirited Account Written by a Detroit Boy to a Pupil of Waltersville School of This City.

Waltersville School of
 This City.
 une of the public schools of Detroit written in reply to a letter from pu- pill of Miss Julia Moynihan's room of ! tho Waltersvi1le school of this city gives . graphic description of a Wash lngton's Birthday snow ball battle in which tho writer did not have all the best of it. It will prove interesting reading even for those older scholars whose snow ball battles go back many years and are only dirnly recalled to memory. The letter is a part of the int>rschool correspondence which has been carried on by the Bridgeport pu- pfIs for a year or more in the practi- cal application of composition work. 90S Mack Ave,
 Detroit, Fab. 2s, 1sos My Dear Andrew: Received your postal and was very pleaaed to hear from you.
 i On Washington's Birthday I had a fine time. The first thing in the morn ling had to chop wood and I played the wood pile was a cherry tree while Bmy brother tried to chop down big tdead hickory tree next to us and of icourse did not succeed. When came up and saw what he had done print ed sign and pinned it on the tree it Iran thus: "Washington's work, only he found the cherry tree too large to cut kdcwn." I had noticed early in the kday three boys with a fort on the next corner 10 got 1t into my head to at- Itack them single handed so took two enowbal1s and attacked their fort but to my dfsmay found the fort had a E1rrfeon of seven boys instead Of three. But fired few snowbaIls when the Ewhole of them charged me and took Ito my heels, with them in hot pursuit. managed to get within our yard but they heseieed the yard and 1t would have gone hard with me if had not got out through the back and ran over to my friends house and got him to help me beat them of. On going back we met Bill Shiar and he joined our great army with me at their head, we charEed their fort but found it empty and thaee the enemy had been reinforc- cd to twenty men and that they were beseigfug fort, the commander of the Hort which was nothing more than an kaddition to Eastern High school was great friend of mine so we with great haste went to reinforce him. When he saw us he shouted for us to kharge,s we did so. which was nothing k1ezs than madness for the other side Twas seven to one of us, we had to re- Jtrea< with the loss of Billy Shiar who Twas captured but as he is as Timber end quick as a deer he escaped and
 
 bw we could get their flag. Well af- er a little debate we decided to go
 o1nd the High and come out the Oth-
 side. As Willie was the most linn
 T. of the three it was decided when e made the charge he was to grab he nag and run while we protected i'm with our snowballs. We charged ut when they saw us coming ten or aem drew up in front of the flag Fe poured volley into them and Eey parted a little and Billy as quick
 lightning grabbed the flag and we treated amid the ringing cheers of ms not to be very long because the tg was not fastened on very tight hd in our retreat it fell off and was cked up by the other side and placed fot1feop Shiar, Billy's brother coming
 wn the street. He was not as linn er as his brother but was brave and Id all the good qualities of leader esiGes he could throw a snowball with 1rprising speed and accuracy. So I hi1ed him and he came because he is rtend of mine When he came I re- gned my position as Commander-in- lief and gave it to Rye as we call rn We then asked him what we
 ouId do, charge from the front was s command. we obeyed, Willy dash
 Id ran with all o6r might. At the
 he time one of the men from the fort
 captured again we charged and
 ptured him. The captain of the
 with three picked men joined our
 band. Again we charged hoping
 capture the whole of the foes but
 tead three of our best men were
 blurred. Gutlieop was furious he IIed us base towards he also told us
 charge and recapture our lost men nd some Of our foes, we did but our oes were too strong and I jumped 70 a lower room and the rest fled
 side and Rye was left alone de-
 ding himself. He then called Hen
 Henry, where are you. quickly krf up the steps to him he wanted me 1f3 himself to fight them alone but I nanazed after long debate to tell |fm how absurb it would be for two to [ttack 10 times our number. so we went out side where the rest of the hand was Rye then said I'm going o charge who is with me? I'm with lou | said and so did the rest. We Harred our tflinned numbers were all eptured to the last man. 1t would fort would have helped us In first of the conflict Rye was sur unfed by five foes. I, seeing his dan rushed to his aid I threw one foe ainst a brick wall but immediately
 was surrounded and captured. But fhen T seen how badly my compan- b31s were treated my very blood boiled, used all my strength and nung my oes against the wall. hit one of Kye's 1pturers in. the eye. Half dozen oes went for me, saw them and nsaned out the door the only one who 1s not captured. then made a res ztffons to free my friends or die in the Etempt, my plan was very simple. <1w1ed around to the back door on my 1l1ds and knees to avoid being seen 6ut as was going to dash in the door SaW Fred Jones who had just es- 11>ed, with him I dashed in the door Sed the captfyes charged our foes
 forced them to surrender. In the
 @<uoon we went to a show which
 very good.
 Xour truly affectionate friend.
 HENRY MASSWICH.
 Billy Has the flag flying over
 m fhaf he captured
 l no in H,tdEepprta Read the