The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-07-22
WATERFOWL BOY | SNIPER'S VICTIM | ON FRENCH FRONT Leroy Atwood Killed While
 Repairing Parapet in France | CHAPLAIN PAYS
 TRIBUTE TO HIS
 GOOD CHARACTER Splendid Worker and Fine 1 Soldier, He Says
 Buried in France.


 roy G. Atwood, 20. son of MT. and Mrs. Alanson H. Atwood of the north ern part of town, who was killed in action wi.n the British troops in France June 26, was the victim of a German sniper's bullet, being picked off while repairing a parapet at night, according to letter received this morn ing from the, chaplain of his regi- ment. First news of young Atwoods death came in a cablegram late yeste1 cay afternoon from the London War Office, stating: n "L egret to inform you 1S249-Pri- vate L. Atwood-Thirteenth East Sur rev Regiment, killed in action June 26."
 The letter which came this morning spoke of the young mans soldierly qualities and popularity among his mates in the gruelling times which pre- ceded his death, and reads as follows: June 29, 1916. Dear Dr. Atwood-I am very griev- ed to have to write and tell you that your son Leroy was killed in action one day last week. We can i'll afford his loss-he was a splendid worker and a fine soldier. All the officers and men were very proud of him. ] He was repairing the parapet at night when a German sniper hit him. His death was painless. He was bur- jed by one of the chaplains in a sim gle grave in a cemetery behind the lines. It has been Gods will to take him away very early for other and better work, free from all strife and wickedness and although absent in flesh he is very present to us in spirit. Please accept our deepest sympathy in your sad loss.
 I think it was splendid of your son to come and serve so braveiy his King and country, especially when he might have stayed behind. remain, yours sincerely . Douglas Hoo1e> Following is a copy of Young Alt woods last letter to his mother, writ ten only four days before he met his death and in which he mentions the German snipers. one of whom later killed him:
 June 22, 1916. Dear Mother: 'I received the package you sent on April 22, the other day. I had given | it up for lost but it came through all right, with everything in good shape except the soda crackers, which were smashed up some. don't know what you put in it but got as follows: Six l tins of tobacco, two jars mustard. pep per, salt and pepper shakers, sugar, cake chocolate, three handkerchiefs, shoe laces, two boxes of candy, two boxes crackers. certainly appre- ciated it, although it came at a time when we were under orders to march and had hard job to stow it all away in my knapsack and haversack. We are TOW in Northern France, near the town where the magnifying glass was first made. I suppose you know the name of that place, don't you? We are at present billeted in an cid barn overrun with rats and bugs. but we are used to thim now. We went into the trenches last Friday for the first time and came out on Tuesday. The trenches aren't near as bad as you would think. There is absolutely no fighting going on. was in the first line trench all the | time and never fired a shot nor did anyone else in our company. The only excitement we had was watching the aeroplane fights and the only firing was from the snipers and ma- chine gunners. I was out on \patrol duty one night between the lines and was up within 10 yards of the Ger man trenches and not a shot was fired at me or my comrade. The only ac- ton that takes place is from our rifle grenades and bombs and sometimes the Germans send over few rum jars' as we call them. They are a thin, steel shell flied with exp1 osives ard they come ever and explode, but tlisy make more roise than they dc damage. ''The trenches gre, to my way ot thinking far safer than W hat we had in Dover, with air-raids every day. We had to keep it up all night, but slept during the day. The grub wasn't very abundant the first couple of days but SC on it came around ali right, and plenty of it.
 T haven't seen my motor ambulance since have been in France and there 1 is rumor around that the transport i, was on coming across had sunk; but there has been no official confirmation of this. hope it arrives here soor as I think can do better service fo, the army by driving a motor than can by going inta the trenches. If ii doesn't arrive soon I shall apply fo, transfer into the Army Service corps or tho Flying Corps.
 "By the way, I saw an aeroplane
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