Norwich bulletin., 1917-07-26
WRITES LETTER FROM
 THE WAR FRONT
F. Russell Smith Tells of Reception
 Given American in France.

In a letter written from the war front F. Russell Smith, son of Mir. and Mrs. Frank H. Smith of Washington
 street, who is with the American Am bulance Corps in France, tells of the reception given Americans in that country. The letter was written on July 3rd and has just reached his par
 ents. In part it follows:
 We are now out at the front, with
 the army division we have been as
 signed to and all that I can tell you
 Is that they are one of the best in
 the French army. Just now we are
 living in a little own behind the lines
 and have a dandy barracks to live in
 and all the comforts you could have
 in Paris. The country here is beauti-
 full and we have cherry trees in the
 who was at the Savoy hotel In Lon
 don and he makes army rations taste
 like regular stuff.
 We left Paris Saturday morning,
 June 30 at S.30 in drizzling rain. We
 had to get up at in order to get things ready and the cars turned up and cleaned as we were to be reviewed
 before going out. Pershings staff came over and Mrs. Vanderbilt was there to look us over and after a few ceremonies we pulled out. It cer-
 tainly was quite impressive and we a Il got out of the park in good order. We had to go right through the cen ter of Paris and my engine was lit 
 traffic is the worst thing in the world as there are no rules at all and the streets are narrow and crowded. We have been requested not to mention the names of any towns so I will have to leave them out. We stopped at a little town for lunch and we all went to a little old hotel where we had one of the best meals I have had since T. arrived in France. I felt much better after the lunch but found a fiat tire " O much experience at the factory chang ing tires that I had it fixed in ten minutes and left with the rest. Any machine that breaks down drops out of line and waits for the mechanic, who brings. up in the rear. I haven't that puncture proof stuff in my tires yet as they wanted some to try in the staff car around Paris and I will get little town that night and parked our cars in the square and slept in the town hall. The country here is beau tiful and we are travelling the right way to see it. I have never seen such fertile fields and it looks though the crops were going to be fine. This town hall we slept in was stripped of everything as the Germans <.ept there q month.
 I was standing beside my car looking things over when a lady came up and spoke to me. Her name was Miss Whitman and she had lived in PrOvi- i dence quite a while and knew lots of people I did. She was in charge of the hospital there. Everywhere you 1 go around here you meet some one you know. The night before I left | Paris ran into Les" Clark. who was q Psi r at Brown, walking around the | streets in an American sailors uni form. He came. over on one of the | for the troop ships.
 It was my luck to pull the guard | from l to a. m. the first night so my | sleep was a little bit scattered IL | was the funniest sensation Q to get mp ! at midnight and go down through the | halls of the building, which echoed | when you walked on the loosened l