Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1917-10-10
MANY WAR LETTERS.
CONTINUED from Page One.

Continued from Page One.)
fore this and now I think things bet
ter as they are. The weather is line
here now, nice and sunny every day,
but not too hot"
On Aug. 27 he wrote:
"It is hard work to do much writing
here, as a fellow feels more like rest
ing. One of the last letters from you
was less than two weeks coming, so
it did not take so long after all. We
get more newspapers now and more
of everything than at first. There is
an American Y. M. C. A. with a piano
and a graphophone which makes
things pleasant. They also have a
store.
"Although I am a long way from
home do not worry about me for am
all right and may be able to get home
sooner than we expect, as there are
strong rumors of peace which l hope
may be true"
As late as Sept. 2, he wrote:
81 am pretty tired today as we had
a thirty-mile march yesterday and it
certainly was some hike. We were
praised by our major for our endur-
ance It is quite cool here now but
it is nice, for cold weather is better
than hot in this business. [ am all
right, and as I have said before it
may not be such a long time before |
am home Time goes very fast here
but it seems a long time since leaving
the states. There is not much to
write and everything is about the
same as it has BEEN"
Coming somewhat nearer home, the
Monitor quotes from letter recelv-
ed from Oscar Owen, the son of Milo
Owen of Barton Oscar is in South
San Antonio, Texas, where he was
sent after existing lin some depart
ment of the aviation service. In the
letter he tells something of the inter-
esting city of San Antonio and de-
scribes the Alamo there, the Francis
can mission used as fortress against
the Mexicans in 1886. Owen says IN
regard to a certain room:
at was in this room that Davy
Crockett, Bowie, Travis and their fell
lowmen stood when the Mexicans
burst in upon them. The ceiling is
black from the powder and there are
many holes in the walls, caused by
shells. It seems that Crockett was
the last to die in the fight, and ever
after the seige the Alamo has been
called the cradle of Texas liberty.
"You asked what had to do in one
day here. We get up about five
o'clock. The first thing is reveille,
then we are ready for ''chow." After
we have eaten we wash dishes and
sweep and. then rest At 7.30 we be-
gin drilling. There are three drill
periods in the morning and two in the
afternoon; the rest of the time is for
rest. We do not have any hard work
to do now. | suppose that will come
later. There are many construction
squadrons Our work will be to build
supply depots, barracks, and work on
airplanes."
A third letter, the spiciest Of all,
comes from a young man who is IN
training at Mantle, Conn, and a man
who enlisted. The Monitor does not
have the privilege of telling this
wise to copy much of the letter. 1t is
mostly venting his feeling toward the
drafted men. Referring to the con-
scripted men in one place he says,
"There they are, honored and feted,
while us poor devils, who volunteered
to help our beloved country, get all
the dirt and misery that can possibly
be handed u.s." Later along in the
letter he says, "This is not my feeling
alone, but the feeling of everyone
that [ have seen Of those who volun-
TERED" The fact that this feeling
is very general among the volunteer
army men is reiterated in the letter
at another point.
"Here is the Red Cross" says the
letter, working in manner that can
never be too highly praised, but who
gets the biggest share of their labor?
The volunteers who go first, fight
first and die first, or the drafted men,
who owing to the willingness and pa
triotism Of the volunteers, may not
have to fight at all? Why the draft
ed men, of course"
Whatever the truth Of the matter is
the Monitor has it from other sourc-
es that the enlisted men have a Ger
tain feeling that the drafted men are
being made altogether too much of as
compared with the volunteers. Be
that as it may, the Monitor does not
feel that everything the letter from
which we have made quotations says,
is justified or in keeping with the