El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1917-12-29
SOLDIERS SLEEP
WITH THE HENS
Pershing's Men Also Have
Horses, Cows and Sheep
as Their Roommates.
BY WOODS HUTCHINSON, VI. d.

requirement, shelter, has been tenn
porariIy solved IN our American army
zone by the use Of bIllets- This means
that tho men are housed IN squads Of
from 10 90 20 IN barns. haylofts.
2 storerooms. Eranaries, stables, the
D. second story OF heuroosts and sheep
pens. After these have been thorough
II cleaned OF the dust, cobwebs and
r other deposits OF past centuries, their
. entrances whitewasned, and the IN
habitants persuaded gently 20 remove
. rs many as possible OF their cows
horses, goats, sncep and poultry from
the ground floor and entrances or the
sleeping lofts. they become fairly
wholesome and quite toleranle tenn
. porary accommodation for the use or
troops
The thing that causes this curious
4 congestion OF live stock under me
family roof and also makes tt very
difficult TO relieve. Is that rural
France is constructed and organized
on lines laid down iu the tenth nnd
twelfth centuries. Then the forests
were fun OF wolves and the roads IN
tested by thieves and other members
OF the nobility, and crops, livestock
or other movable property, left out
OF doors after dusk had about as
much chance OF surviving TIL morning
as the prOvlrbial snow flake In hadcs
Animals and Family Together.
Consequently the French peasant,
70 h0 has at least one OF the attributes
ascribed 10 his Bourbon kings. that
he forEets nothing. has been so
schOoled by centuries OF bitter ok
perience that he would no more dream
OF going 10 sleep at night without
every one OF his precious animals
under the same roof with him, where
he can hear every noise they make
during the night and go TO their as
sistance and defence, than he would
of leaving one Of MS children out
loose on the streets after bedtime
This intimate and affectlonate do
miciliary association has certain dis
advantages the animals. and one
Of the bitterest complaints OF mis-
behavior on the part OF our troops
lodged with the provost marshal IN
certain village I'm the American zone,
was that OF an indignant old woman
who came IN 70 complain volubly that
the troops billeted upon her talked
so loudly and so late at night that
they kept her sheep and rabbits
No such Thing as Barns. I
So ingraineI has the instinct OF I
housing al his belongings under the 4
same roof at night become, that when /
it was politely and gently suggested F.
by the American officers that the /
furred and woody and feathered pets
should be moved on to the barns. they ]
were met by the simple, staggering J
objections that there we're no barns Z
Anything approaching that character
in the village was simply an annex I
of tho house, or the house an annex
TO IT. while IN the fields around the /.
village and In the open country there
was uCr SO much as shack that
would s. 'lter o dozen chickens
This utter absence Of every kind
and sort Of building IN the fields,
~ the closely n.r"I streets
of the village, IS what gives that
curiOusly half Wild prairie Ike, pic
turesgue appearance 20 the French
open country However after sew
eraI conferences. out buildings ana
sheds Of different descriptions as re-
mote as % or so yards from the
parental roof we're discovered. 20
which the dear creatures could De
temporarily removed and vet visited
and c0mforted once or twice during
the night jim order 70 keep them from
dying q lones0meness and sense OF
All Grim Tbreshed.
Another small international com
rEcation that arose was that as soon
as the wheat and oats were harvested
the peasants Of some of the home
steads In which our troops were
lodged, insisted upon filling all the
space except that actually occupied
by the cots OF the men, up 20 the rooI
I'M STACKS ana waits OF elAE.aA Is 4hAaA
the O c. In that village was norm
manager OF men. he discovered in
one OF the barns p little one horse
-hreshing machine, borrowed couple ]
o. horses from the transport lines,
and called for volunteers. A dozen
soldier boys who had been raised on
farms responded promptly, and IN five
Dr. six days time the gang made
the tour OF the village and thresusd
out their whole small grain crop
Which not only made room for their
sleeping quarters, but also raised
them highly IN the esteem Of the com
nuniry.
All sorts % extraordinary and un-
heard Of accessories are found neces-
sary In modern warfare. but this IS
he first time that threshilg ma
shine has been placed in the list Of
Can't Have Lights. II
When cleared OF their animal board {
srs and cleaned and whitewashed, Z
lillets make dry. commodious and
we'll ventilated. though rather dusty. I
all They have, however. the draw
packs that 70 IS very dangerous to !
rave lights Of any description in them
It night, as the buildings are literal
Under boxes which a stray spark
would convert into q verita0le fire
%
md haymOw sleeping places Of the
men are reached only by rlckety lad 7
lers OF rough poles.
Also. that they are almost impos- I
.ible TO heat or even dry out in winter
line. partly on account OF their III
rally barn like size and draughtiness.
iartly because many Of them have no
himueys passing through or near
hem. one energetic young regiment
u surgeon had succeeded in partially
diving this last difficulty by refus- q
NJ to accept any quarters Tor billetS 2
"a his particular village, which had Q
lot a chimney running up one OF I
ther Of their walls, into which stove
.Oles could be cut
As be had q good village and a small 2
Enactment. he succeeded in getting
he sort Of quarters he wanted by ]
irmly sticking to &C., but all bllcting ?
Ulcers are not so fortunately stu e
ted-nor so resourCefuI and deter
lIned.
Lumber Storage.
It IS expected that soon supplies 2
Z lumber viii have been secured A..
efficient 20 build comfortable wood I
% barracks with double walls, stoves. d
nd real windows, for the housing OF =
he troops after the manner Of the ~
'rench and English camps. Lumber is c
mother OF the peaceful and inOffen- D
)uud itself "contraband OF war in
his struggle.
So far has the demand 0utrun the o
rdinary supply that both the Eng !,
sh and the French army authorities y
ave found IL necessary 20 organize :,
angs Of lumbermen picked out of L.
he troops, supply them with portable =
GODS and forests in or near the army e,
Jne. u