Iditarod pioneer., 1915-09-04
STUPID PIECE OF SHRAPNEL"
 MAINS SEATTLEITE AT FRONT

Many of the war letters received from Europe and published in American papers are scarcely even of local interest but here is one from a Seattle boy which is a little out of the ordinary, and well worth re- printing. It may be that some of our citi- zens may know the writer, as he went to school in Dawson. The letter is from Aimar Auzias de Turenne, who was wounded while fighting with the French forces and is taken from the Seattle Post -Intelligencer It is as follows
 "As dear Mrs. C., whom 1 had not met again since my school days in Dawson City, wired you, a stupid piece of shrapnel made in Germany for your good son went through my right eye on April 27 at Ypres, after seven days battle, amidst gas, bullets black marias, the deep mud and many devils who surrounded us, but whom we repulsed in the end
 "An old cart with some kind of apocalyp- tlcal horse took me to the rear ambulance, where they extirpated what was left of my eye and sent me to the Cambridge hospital where, to date, five different operations have patched me o. K.
 Cousin McLennan was literally blown up on his gun, next to mine-a splendid death ] A black maria exploded on his gun and sent it up fifteen feet in the air, coming muzzle down deep in the mud. Cousins Le Mesurier were all wounded the three of them, and when Uncle S--- came in the hospital and saw the four of use he sadi: What blind jackasses are you, to get hurt all at the same tmep But his voice meant something else, we knew, and when he left he said tCoJ bloce hoI-o ,lopo ,,,oIl
 When lying in the hospital l thought that l was dreaming thinking of year ago when we were all at grandfather's Manoir, at the Nominigue. And today am in Cambridge, England, where before I was in Cambridge, Harvard. We'll, one learns in these days that life is brief and death the real life l have grown up older some what, as you see.
 T met quite number of my French kin. l was very much struck by the silence and the determination of the poupious. And they do sing Tipperary' with slight diff ference-'It is long way to but we will get there And if you look at their faces you, too have no doubt
 "The Germans fight splendidy but they cannot be filled with the same battle lust that maddened us when we saw Belgium poor, heroic Belgium. I have seen it's peas ants, good people, who wanted only peace l have seen them fleeing by hundreds with wives, their children, babies and dogs, and always some handkerchiefs, containing the pitiful souvenirs of the foyer domestique, their home, burning behind. l have seen women killed by shrapnel when running after the babies. I wish I was there again to help and fight And it is the same in Northern France.
 I've had sometimes some very funny hap penngs at the front in the midst of all that suffering. You heard, no doubt, of Captain Hercule Barre of Quebec. Barre had be leved all his life that the best French and the best English in the world was spoken in Quebec. We'll, he was arrested one day in the English line by little shrimp of cockney,' said he. Your English is very lame said the headquarters officer and your accent is worse 'Hellp said Barre, my accent is the accent of one hundred million free people on the other side of the pond. Come across the Canadian line and there you yourself will be arrested as spy on account of your lingo
 Later Barre was again arrested, but this time by the Frenchman; You must be a Boche your accent is quite heavy
 "'Whatr said Barre, my accent again? Tordeu de veratr
 Stop! said the Frenchman. I see that you are Canadian, all right; my poor grandfather used the same kind of swear ing
 Barre is now in hospital and studies diligently English and French with 8 de- hghtful little nurse
 Tell mother not to worry. I will be