Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1916-07-27
TROOPERS ENJOY I
TRIP TO B0RDER
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL EN- ROUTE
SOUTH RELATED INTEREST,"
lNGLY BY CORP. BlNkS.

SOUTH RELATED INTEREST
lNGLY 5Y CORP. slNks.
| The incidents of the trip on the
troopers special, the second battalion
of the Iowa National guard of which
Co. G of Ottumwa Is a part, are related
In an interesting manner by Corp. Phil
Binks, The Courier's special represen-
tative with the troops. The lads have
reached Houston, Texas and the hos
pitable treatment accorded the sol
diers there has won the everlasting
| gratitude of the Ottumwans for the
people of Houston. In his letter which
! Is made up of notes jotted down en-
! route; the journey of the khaki clad
lads with numerous personal illusions
or sidelights referring to the incidents
on the train makes interesting reading
| for the friends and relatives as well as
all other readers. The letter follows:
! En- route on special train to border
city, Brownsville, Texas. July %. -
At Temple, Texas we were delayed in
changing engines, The engine which
is hauling the special now is an oil
burner.
We we're again delayed for short
time at Saltwater, Texas. The floor
of one Of the kitchen cars caught fire
but was extinguished with little dam
age.
The open fields which are inhabited
by Texas ponies the log cabin farm
houses, the COW punchersN and the
dense woods covered with moss bring
much comment from the Iowa boys.
/ Among the first to greet US when we
stop at a small Texas village are the
civil war veterans. They can be seen
waving their old straw hats long after
the other townspeople have turned to
their work
/ Private Jesse Owings, better known
as "Eaglebeak," one of Iowa's farm
!, lads, became somewhat mixed up in
the crops of Iowa and Texas. He spoke
of beautiful field of cotton as. the
best potatoes he had seen along the
route.
In the best of health is all that can
be said of the members Of Co. g..
Everyone says that they could not
have better time than the one we
are enjoying at the present time.
We are to have some fine Texas can.
taloupes for our Sunday dinner. This
Is where the money goes that we have
IN our company fund. t.f
Sergeants Johnson and Cherry were
slightly mixed up in their berths last
night. . .M ~
Musician Canterbury became some.
what enraged when the boys made him
scrub the wash sink. 49,
We haven't anything on tho Texans.
/ They have a town named Duke, while
we have a Duke in our company.
One of the Texas land owners said
he only had $4,000 head Of cattle.
Private Jim Finnerty says he Is an
noyed very much with the singing of
some of the boys in the wee small
hours of the morning.
i Travelling forty or fifty miles an
; hour and shaving at the same time IL
proposition that is hard to contend
with. as
} The Texas ponies have won a place
in the hearts of the Iowa boys. Some
say that they are going to become the
proud owners Of pony.
An autoist would have little trouble
in travelling through the Lone Star
state. The roads are In good condi'
ton.
Private Kelly McManus is not sat
isfied with travelling thousand miles
so he roams from one car to another
The songs that are most popular
with the soldier boys quartet are:
Don't Bite The Hand That's Feeding
You" and Dixie
: Private Blizzard says this is warn
; country.
Private Cox mails letter from
. every station where we stop. Where:
We passed through city named
Iowa Colony
Private Kendall has won for himself
new name-"Sing Sing" Anyway he
. is minus the hair
Private Grammar answers to the
! name OF scorpion"
| To Ed Lowe we have given the mans
, Of Santa Fee"
pig Carpenter is fly swatter.
i Privates Bissell, Crabb and Goehr
+. ing are the official sleepers Of Co. G
Wagoneer Grooms objects to The
name of "Carranza."
Private Crabbs hair stands on ent
as If he is somewhat scared.
Private Peters is member Of tn,
T. Sing Sing gang.
4 The Texans run Private Higgins II
the car thinking him Mexican.