The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1915-10-15
TRINKETS
M ADE BY
TROOPERS
French Fighters Find Time Between
Shots 10 Make Many Curios Of
Material Picked Up on
BattIelields
BY WILLIAM PHILIP SIMMS.
(U. p. staff correspondent


by mail.J-If you need fad and
would like to become a collector
iere is a free suggestion; Start a
objection OF trinkets made by French
troopers on the firing line
Starting with finger rings in the
| pring there are a few things the war
riors are rot making between bayonet
charges and lodging big shells, alum
mum, brass, copper and nickel in the
'erman shells hurled at the French,
Usually are the raw materials" /"
Bullets, empty shells, shell-clips,
coins, buttons, insignia, buckles belts.
hand grenades, also are used.
The most popular curio is the alum.
mum ring. Scarcely a soldier is With
| out at least one. These are made by
| 'utting off a cross-section OF the alum
| mum fuse-tubing inside German shells
nd whiting or filing it to desired
| esign These are numerous and some
IRE OF beautiful workmanship, en-.
raved with professional skill. Some
'f the soldiers are, of course, jewel
ers.
4 popular design is the signet with
crown, cut from the Prussian
iuard's brass button, inset. These
ings are much sought
Other are serpents wearing the
piked German helmet, the French
var cross in copper inset, the Cross
Lorraine, the thistle of Alsace, etc.
lnkstands made from hand grenades
With crossed cartridges as pen racks
nd mounted on shell fragment are
ashioned, while inkstands made from
he time-fuse cap of the famous
oxiante quinze shells are nifty souve-
lirs for women at home Cartridges
lade simply of American special
larbed wire, cut from entanglements
ire quite au fait. as fashion writer's
Vt home say
One of the incest articles is break
asst gong made of the brass bases of
hells of large caliber Suspended on
/ woolen cord like bells, and tapped
hey give forth very pleasant tone
Watch fobs are made of leather
rom German officers belts with a
sold plated button for fob or a bob
made of bronze, brass, nickel or alum
mum, any desired shape.
Aeroplanes care made of German
cartridge-clips with pfennigs for
wheels. Beer mugs in miniature are
made of cartridge Shells and a dandy
paperweight is fashioned Of shell
fuses or hand grenades with grape
aden vine growing out of the orifices
rhe vines are made of telephone
wires, the grapes from shrapnel bull
It's.
From the mud of the trenches sol
lier-sculptors are making all sorts Of
statuettes, humorous and serious.
The busts of Joffre and Poincare;
miniature Venuses and Mercuries and
omie crown princes and kaisers are
avor,tes
rainty picks, shovels, rifles. cannon |
md the like are made of brass or
'ther metal They are polished and
inished TO point where any jeweler
night handle them with pride.
There is no limit to these made in
he trenches" articles. The tools vary
much as do the objects. Some Of
he men have a pocket knife. Most,
however, have managed to get hold o.
At least file and a piece of emery
cloth
Sometimes, instead Of merely filing
a section of aluminium the metal is
nodded after melting The original
ines were made this way. A raw
lotato was cut in half and a mold Of
he desired object made Then the
wo halves we're put together and the
molten metal poured into the strange
mold through an aperture. From this
rude beginning some of the men have
'eveloped complicated arrangements
two or three metals are com
lined to form all sorts OF patterns
me upon another
The soldier isn't trying to make
money with these things II is rarely
le will part with the proofs of his
rgenuity. He makes them in his
eisure time between battles or watch
ng at loopholes on the lips Of the
The work occupies his mind aud the
roduct usually finds its way to wife
weetheart. mother. father or children.
luch devotion. almost life blood,
oes into the trinket for not infre-
uently its manufacture is the last act
the soldier before he gets to death.
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