Sequachee Valley news. (Sequachee [Sequatchie], Tenn.) 1896-1952, 1916-11-30
FROM
THE BORDER
CLYDE McCollum Writes of
Interesting Happinings
of Camp Life.

The following letter from Clyde No
Collum, son of J. L McCollum. of
PikeviIle, which was published in the
Pikeville Biedsonian. will be Of inter
est 10 our readers. He is a member Of
Troop B, Tennessee Cavalry, who are
stationed at Fl. Bliss, Texas. doing
patrol duty on the border line. He
will be remembered as visiting here
in camping trips. The letter follows:
FL Paso, Texas.
"Will try and tell you something of
this country and conditions here now.
It is SO cold at night you nearly freeze
to death, and in the day you can hard
" stand the heat, though it hardly
ever rains, and we are not bothered
with the dew in the mornings.
81 was over to Ell Paso Sunday
morning, down on the banks of the
Rio Gran1e. It is a sight to see the
people from the Mexican side taking
their Sunday morning bath. Both men
and women, regardless of sex, and
with no thought of the absence of
bathing suits. are seen, which goes to
show they are hardly more than saw
ages.
Gel Paso is the most interesting
! town | was ever in. You can find all
phases of life here, and it is beau
tiful city. Some Of the most fash
ionable barber shops are run by jap
anese women, and they are really good
BARRIERS. The town is full of Indians
and MeEicans. They swarm across the
river 40 day long to do their shop
ping.
part of Ell Paso is strictly Span
ish, such as signs. names, etc. The
Catholic church is the prevailing
church here. The other churches are
not of much consequence. Some of
the Mexican girls look very attractive
in their Sunday costume as they go to
mass.
"Some of the. boys write interesting
letters. but a great deal of the stuff
they write is exaggeration As to the
large "skeeters" you spoke of, there
are absolutely none. haven't seen
the least sign of one. However, will
say that the flies here are awful. They
are here In black swarms! / know.
for am in the kitchen today, getting
Sunday dinner
"We are getting along fine with our
horses. ! am really becoming a good
rider. and have the "swellest" little
horse you ever saw. He and l are
great "buddies" now. He will follow
me all over the place.
"We experienced the worst sand
storm we have ever had day before
: Yesterday. We were out on our horses
when it came up, and it was so thick
that it was impossible to see the rider
ahead of you. It was something awful
and piled up against things like a
snow drift.
~ heard the first guns of real fight.
ing two days ago across the border
You can see into Mexico from our
camp. That's how close we are. and
YOU can throw rock across the Ric
Grande river anywhere.
''It is getting little too chilly al
night for horned toads and rattlers,
but there are still plenty of tarantula'
aud scorpions. The hunting would bt
fine here for prairie chickens anc
grouse, as thele are hundreds of item
around our camp. went to the tar
get range last week, and that rifle SURE
does kick some. A shot gun isn't IL
it, MY shoulder is still sore from thu
effects. We. shot first at three hun
t bred yards, four hundred and then fiv'
hundred yards. guess we will star
, shooting again Monday"