Free trader-journal. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1916-1920, 1917-09-01
COMPANY c BOYS IN
FINE FETT[E;; LIKE
LIFE Of SOLDIERS
WRITE HOME TELLING OF Ex-
PERlENCES IN RlOTS-ONE
OF THEM COULD SLEEP ON A
CLOTHES LINE HIS HEALTH IS
so FINE.

Morris boys who are serving wit
Company G at Houston, Texas, al
both becoming acclimated to Texa
warmth at the same time being tho
oily seasoned in the soldering gam'
according to their letters back home
Copies of the letters have been n
ceived by the Free TraderJOurna
Private Maunder writes AZ follows:
How Is everything at the old
camping grounds? We are all fine
and like the army life. We are
going to move into our own quar-
ters tomorrow. That sounds good
to us fellows, because we haven't
things handy now. We have been
quartered in mess shacks. Some
have been sleeping outdoors, and
in the mornings it is some cold,
with heavy dew. have been
sleeping on one of the tables, and
they are hard, but that does not
make me lose any sleep. | have
never slept as mach in all my life
as | have down here. Everyone is
in the same fix. by the looks of
things.
We were given some new cloth
ing Sunday. We haven't been do
ing anything until this week. We
are working eight hours now, and
are beautifying the camp for the
Third regulars, cutting down trees
and raking up the rubbish. We
found three rattlesnakes, but they
were small ones. We also found
grasshopper that is about four
times as big as the ones we have
at home.
After the riot started, our old
men were called out, and after
they were gone we received ord
ers that we were out OF quarantine.
One could hear us for half mile,
we were SO glad. was put on
morning, with three other men,
around our camp. That is, our
company street and mess shack
That is some fine job, but | had
the best hours that there Is for
night duty, | guess we are on for
company guard Saturday night
and Sunday.
have not been in Houston but
once, and that was the first Sun
day night that we were here.
Houston is an upto-date town in
places They have some fine
stores, but there is not much do
ing there except the shows, and
by The time we get to town it Is
almost too late for them We are
about five miles from town, and
we go back and forth in cars, 10
cents a throw. One of them can
carry about eight or ten men. The
people out riding on the shell road
give the boys a lift, and believe
me, that helps a whole lot. We
do not have to wait all night for
taxi
Private Eldred's letter follows
Although we were under quar-
antine at the time of the riot, it
didn't take long to bust that. We
were called out of bed at $3.50.
and at 10 o'clock we had arrested
the negro guard up at the ware
house, about a mile from our
camp. Just the old men We're
ordered out. but just the same
nothing could keep me in camp,
and "fell in" with the rest OF
my squad. When the captain
passed out our ammunition, he
looked funny at me. but never
said word. was walking guard
from 10 o'clock at night until O..
clock the next night
Everything is quiet now. We
have a negro soldier in the guard
house today. He was in civilian
clothes when caught.
We were up town last night and
started for home on the wrong
road. We wandered down thru
the negro district where the riot
was, and take II from me, we got
out as soon as we could. Two or
three "coons" followed us for six
blocks. A fellow told us we were
lucky to get out at all. When we
put the negro guards under arrest,
they sure hated to have their guns
taken away. One OF them said /: