Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1916-08-10
CORP B|NKssEN
PERSONAL LETTER
OFFICER OF CO. G WRITES TO
FRIEND ON COURIER STAFF
ABOUT LADS ON BORDER.

|
! Texas, forbidding any officers or enlist
; ed men from sending signed articles
about camp life to newspapers at home'
does not forbid writing to personal
friends about the life on the border
Taking advantage of the right to use
these personal letters, a member or Inc
Courier force having received breezy
batch Of news from Corp. PM blnks'
! an employee Of The Courier BEFORE the
! mobolizatiop. order was issued and un-
| til the ban was placed on correspond
ence the personal representative OF me
Courier In military camp both at Des
Moines and Brownsvill2, permits the
, letter to be published as follows:
Brownsville, Texas. Aug. 4, 1916.
Dear Friend: ...
The members Of Co. G have been very
busy clearing off large tract OF lana
which will be used as drill and parade
grounds. The work Of clearing on the
land Is very hard because Of the cactus
and musquite brush. Each battalion Is
! assigned to a certain amount TO ciear
off. There has been large tract clear
ed In the rear of the regiment for close
and extended order drills. &
The members Of the three Iowa regl.
ments will assemble tomorrow at 7:So
! o'clock to pass in review before General
Parker on the drill grounds OF Fort
| Brown, which Is located near the banks
Of the Rio Grande. This review will m
clude all the troops stationed here, in
Guiding both regular and state soldiers.
! Matamoros, the sister city Of Browns
Vile Texas. which lies across the RIO
Grande river is a place Of much inter =
! est to the boys here. We are not al
lowed to cross into Mexico but have
viewed it from the International bridge.
The city has many pretty buildings put
the old time mule car Is still In exist
ance.
| There is one Mexican church located
in the city Of Brownsville, Texas. the
! Mexicans with their two wheeled carts
and burrows are a sight OF much inter-
est to US boys. They are used to denver
wares and water to the civilians OF
Brownsville
! A large flock OF goats review us at
nearly every home in the outskirts OF
the city on our morning hikes. Texas
ponies, burros and goats seem to be
very numerous in this part OF Texas.
We were issued new equipment today
and more is expected before long. Re-
quisition has been made for plenty OF
new uniforms for the boys.
One Of the best OF numerous jokes
which are pulled off in camp. was a
snake skin around rope. The boys
|
beds after they had retired for the
evening Thinking it real one they
would waste little time in reaching the
company street. ,s.u -s.r
Water was a little scarce and Corp
Lowe Of the third squad rustled up
pan full and intended 1t for his owr
use. Upon his return he found three
men, armed, guarding it; but the aauf
pura had seen the face and hands OF
! h hi hofOre
he arrived there. The regimental chap
lain is visiting his squad-they sure arc
| pious tonight. -, sg s-
| wish you could see the scramble fol
the mail when it arrives at camp. 1t Is
most generally ava iting the boys wher
they return from the field in the morn
ing and afternoon. They shout IAN!
mail?" Well, the fellow who distributes
the mail can hardly And room to breath
until it Is all in the hands of the own
err All who receive a letter smile. but
the rest live in hopes until the nex'
time. D.
The Mexicans live in very poor quar-.
tiers in some parts of the town. Many
matched houses are seen along the way
and a plastered house is seldom seen II
these quarters. The streets are poor II
this part Of town and not very wei
drained owing to the low level OF the
land. The streets running toward thu
river are named after our presidents
Cleveland, Roosevelt, Taft, Mckinley
Wilson and many others. One thins
that is a great help in rainy weather
us that it can rain in the morning ant
liz a nice afternoon the roads will be al
most dry by the next day.
Sergt. CHERRY has charge Of the san
Iitation and policing Of the compan.
streets and tents: also the care Of thu
mems clothing which means much TO-
ward the health of the men. Sergt
Fielder has the hospital report and tn,
men on the sick list. Sergt Tollifsor
has charge Of the rear and laundr.
quarters Serst. Johnston has charge o
the kitchen including the stores from
1.-The time they are issued from the regi
mental commissary until they arr
served to the men. Each man is allowed
1903 cents a day for maintenance ant
you buy through the commissary de
|partment on a price list basis, much tn
! same as q Wholesale house. You cal
buy IN TO the amount figured for eacl
man. We have been using sixty-f1ve t.
eighty pounds OF beef and sixty pound
of bread in two pound loaves. This i
ISSUED dailv 1t takes twelve to fourteen
1oaves to the meal. Potatoes will figur
about two pecks and one-half. butter
four pounds and one gallon of strip t.
the meal. We also have in addition tt
this either prunes. rice or canned frui
which varies to the meal. Prices on
few Of the staple articles are as fol
lows Potatoes. rs cents a pound; fresl
beef, 10 cents a pound: butter, 32A
cents pound: flour. 2.71 cents
pound: beans 1875: bacon 22.62 cent
pound and coffee at 1872 cents. TIL
boys are allowed a certain amount a
the mess and II any remains they ar
given another he1Ding
We have visited a number Of tn
Mexican curio shops on the east side o
4 Brownsville There are many prett.
and interesting articles to be found
Many Of them are made in the prison
Of old Mexico.
| An inspection is made Of all tn
equipment and condition OF the camp il
general every Saturday. We are inspect
ed by the colonel or ma Tor.
Lieut.. Nelson Is at TT. Brown for tw
weeks instruction under regular arm
officers.
The other dav a number Of shots wer
ibeard on the Mexican side Of the Ri
! Grande. Company G was on guard an
the only sound that could be heard wa
| ~ .to st he ri 7,