New Ulm review., 1916-09-20
CONTINUED from first page.)

surprised at the number of people at the
station. There must have been three
or four hundred. Later was told that
this was the first excursion that had been
run for the soldiers and naturally the
people were little bit curious to see
just what the soldiers looked like!
Several members of the commercial
club had been sent to Kingsville to meet
us. They distributed little pamphlets
telling us all that stranger should
know. 1t catalogued all the hotels,
restaurants, eat shops, places of interest
and arrangements. We found this a
very good guide.
Corpus Christi is the largest and most
popular city in the Southern Valley; it
has a population OF fifteen thousand,
situated right on the Gulf. Nature
seems to have picked it as an ideal spot
for the tired Northerner to come down
and spend the winter months. Even
tho the storm had played havoc with it's
most popular attractions, the bathing
houses and cottages along the beach, it
still looked mighty good to Henry and
me. AS you can imagine, we were
hungry when we arrived downtown.
The entire city is built on gentle slope
toward the bay. This offers splendid
opportunity for boulevarding and the
people have certainly taken advantage
of every opportunity. All the streets
are paved, creosote being used extensive
ly. AS we approached the downtown
district we could feel that cool breeze
which we had read so much about-it
came up to all our expectations. The
stores and restaurants are peculiarly
southern. The entire front of the store
being open, you can step off the side
walk anywhere and be in some curio-
shop. Mostly curio-shops and restaur-
ants and eat shops-the Northern visitor
is liberal spender, most of the things
he buys being made in the Windy City
or New York! 1t makes me think of
the old saying that you used to tell us
in the Eighth Grade -"You can fool
some of the people all of the time etc.!
That evening they gave a concert for
our benefit. They seem to have the
New Ulm enthusiasm as to going to
concerts. The entire $4,000 people were
there. The people were very courteous;
they were all willing to direct you and
make your stay a pleasant one. That
night we slept in a real-honest-to-good-
ness bed, nough said!
Next day was Sunday and contrary
to expectations we got up early! We
thought we were going to be the first
ones to take swim but there were half
dozen ahead of us. However that didn't
dampen our enthusiasm, it was our first
bath in the Gulf-yes, it's really salty,
Henry and tasted it, we still knew how
it tasted when we left in the afternoon
at four 1--WE both ''sport' mustache, -
Chaplin varietyD The rest Of the
morning we spent in taking pictures
The piers are all down, not boat is left
in which to 60 fishing, the people told us
that it was the worst storm they had had
in twenty years. I mustn't forget the
street cars-they're the puniest little
things I've ever seen and lots worse than
those at Mankato and goodness knows
they're bad enough.
Their shore drives are beautiful, they
were back far enough so as not to be
affected by the storm. The residences
are built in the colonial style extensively,
some were rather in sore need of paint,
perhaps it made them appear more rustic,
perhaps it is style down here, methinks,
some OF our citizens would welcome the
inauguration Of that style at New Ulm!
The time to leave came only too soon
again; we left Corpus Christi at four
o'clock. At twelve o'clock we were
back at Llano Grande tired but we'll
pleased with our trip.
Olncerely,
Elmer Cordes
The following very interesting letter
was written home by Major Nelson of
Fairmont and gives another view of life
on the border.
Monday being labor day, was another
holiday. A number of us hiked to the
border. First Sergeant Hoover, Quarter
master Sergeant Houghtaling, Corporal
Thieman, Barney Hurt, Dowie Brown
and myself were in our party. We left
camp about eight o'clock We carried
rations for our dinner, and also had
guns and ammunition along.
We supposed that we were only about
five miles from the Rio Grande river but
it is good eight miles. On our way we
met Texan who was surveying. He
informed us that Gugenheimer, the
WhiSkey manufacturer. and three Othor