The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1916-07-11
WRITE FROM EAGLE PASS.
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night the dogs raise a great row when
ever anything stirs and patrols find it
| hard to move without arousing a ca
| nine battery.
Nearly all the men of the regiment
have received colored goggles. While
1t ls very hot in the daytime the
nights are not uncomfortable. There
has been plenty of ice thus far and
the food is good. He spoke of getting
Reformer that was five days old but
| finding much to interest him in it.
| In letter written at Eagle Pass,
Texas, July 4, and addressed to the
| clerks in Houghton & Simonds s store
John Atkinson, who was clerk there,
declares that he never was in better
health than he is at present and can
see no reason why he should become i'll
/ If he takes reasonable care of himself
He writes that no work is asked of
the men during the middle of the day
and that they are told to sleep after
dinner. He does not mind the heat.
There is plenty of ice for cooling wa
ter, and although there are several
/ places near the camp where soda water
may be bought the men have been adj
vised not to patronize them because of
/ danger of poison.
The boys frequently climb low
ridge, from the top of which they are
i able to look across the river into Mex
leo, but none of the Americans are
permitted to cross TO the other side
i The hardest work the men have to do
is to keep their guns clean, for the
j dust and sand constantly fouls them.
Like DR.. Taylor, he speaks of the
4 Mexican children who loiter around
camp at meal times and eat anything
the soldiers throw away.
Il From letters written by A. J. Ex-
ner, dated July 4, the following ls
! taken:
1--WE have at last reached camp af
! ter long time on the road We Sruck
camp about 1890 p. m. tired, hot and
/ hungry. Our camp is right in des-
ert alongside the railroad tracks and
near the Rio Grande river. There is
not a blade of grass in miles, but lots
!, of cactus plants. Saw lots OF eagles
) on our way. There are about 5000
men here and more coming all the time.
; There are small camps all around us
j for miles along the border and many
cannon and field guns. Went down.
Ito Eagle Pass Yesterday and it is a
lprettv little town of about 5000 PEG
2le, mostly Mexicans. There are palm
trees on the street and you see many
pretty sights. They have a fine post
| office and depot We have sand storm
levery night which lasts about an hour.
They are terrible and make us look
, ike ringers. One struck us last
night just as we were leaving camp to
guard outpost, where we were put on
duty. We were loaded down with bul-
lets, as trouble was expected, but moth
ing happened We are all well and
only drill! two hours dny-it is too
hot The river is low and muddy. The
Mexicans were quite near, but have
been moved back. They are teaching
me to be a telegraph operator on the
firing line. >
q A letter has been received By
friends of Heary Robbins, dated
: Eagle Pass, Texas, July f. containing
the following; There is 20 yegeta-
= tion here whatsoever, no grass to be
n seen except on the lawns of the pri-
! waite houses. and those have 70 be
q watered continuously or the sun would
r burn them brown The only trees ara
/ species Of the willow, palm tree, cac
!. tus plants and few poplars. The
q soil is all clay and small pebble stones
. like a desert The darkies and bur
ros feed on the cactus leaves and
the leaves of the willow. There is III
farming country here whatsoever
y some ranchers here have to pay $l0C
an acre and then cannot get thei1
IS money back in lifetime. There are
not many kinds of business here bu
k banking meat markets and few res
taurants, such az they are, and they
j are making great money these days.
II Everybody is taking it easy for {
time We were on outpost duty las
ie night, but there was nothing doing
!. so we laid in the sand with uniforms
E, on and kept one eye open. We hav,
IL sand storm every night, hardly evel
earlier than o'clock and not latel
i than S.30 lasting about an hour ant
G resembling our snow storms with the
wind blowing about 50 miles an hour
l. ana the sand covering everything
: about one inch thick. The troops
number about 10000 now, and severa
= companies of regulars with field guns
r rapid machine guns and motors.
"Col. Reeves has given out order:
today that every man sleep one hour
after dinner, which is greatly appre
> ciated by everyone. We all admir-,
;, Col. Reeves. He is certainly a wonder
Il full man. Accommodations are very
y good
Chaplain John NJ. Thomas of tht
e First infantry, Vermont Nationa
& Guard writes the Free Press from
II Eagle Pass, Texas, under date of July
a as follows:
+ Copies of the Free Press of June 9!
n reached camp this morning. | had tt
It allot only so many to company a.
they would have been gone in tn,
o first street Fright from Vermont
n the boys said, and some even shghte(
r their breakfast to pick out the home
news.
The Grst has begun actual WA
!, service, being the first national guar,
:, regiment of the division at Eagle Pas
: to take part in the real work TIL,
third battalion, under Major Ashley
!, bad tho bopor Tbav war.a seut oS al