The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1918-03-28
ARTILLERY DOING GOOD WORK.
Lieut.. Neale w. Hooker Writes from
France Under Date of Feb. IL.

Lieut.. Neale w. Hooker wrote his par
ents, Mr.. and Mrs. h, w. Hooker, unde
date of Feb, II that he expected soon &
BE- assigned TO an American regimen
in France and he also refers TO tn
Americans having taken over slice Q
the trench line, as the newspapers al
ready have reported.
Lieutenant Hooker writes; Dear Peo
pie at Home-Just week since my las
letter 10 you, but please do not oxpec
as much this time, because | haven't GO
much To write about. | have seen lot
and lots Of interesting things, but mos
OF them are taboo, as far as writing L
you about them.
For instance, the building in which
am living is quite historic and built
many years ago by quite a famous man
but that is about all they will let me
| tell about IL. Another thing is an old
church, part of which WAS built by an
old Roman emperor and later finished by
Frances greatest king There are lots OF
famous pieces of statuary and antique
relics which would be fine to write about
and / could fill pages telling you about
the town, which, by the way, used to be
quite famous.
"The past week has been quite un.
eventful and is getting TO be about as
routine as our work at Plattsburg.
However, ] am learning how very little
| did know about the science of war as
il is fought in these days. NV training
at Norwich and Plattsburg formed a
good foundation upon which to work,
but my studying there is pssse in these
times, when war is fought by special
lists; and | am specializing in a branch
which appeals TO me as being very inn
portant and will put me in good shape
TO be assigned to regiment in few
weeks.
"The other night I had quite long
talk with fine young lieutenant of in.
fantry, who has been up in the front
trenches a few times for short periods
each time. ! sure would like to tell YOU
some of the things he told me No time
TO get scared, he said because by the
time you hear one big shell another one
is screeching by, and if YOU can hear the
noise it isn't going to hit you, for they
hit the ground and screech afterward
Quite nice, don't YOU think?
HE told me of many queer and inter
esting sights that he saw or heard One
about an English soldier who wanted
pair of boots, so went over. killed
Bochc and took his shoes Scotchman
heard of il, so he went over The next |
they found him in the front |
line trench covered with wounds, and |
hey asked him about it, He said that /
nc had TO kill Is Of the d Boches |
before he could find pair of boots that |
would fit him This lieutenant tells this
IS an actual fact, but | took il with a
rain of salt, as you had better do.
"Of course, you have read in the pa.
lers about our troops taking over an
though small. sector OF the
ront line in Lorraine. Also our artillery
s playing quite a part in conjunction
With the French and British artillery in
helling the Boche trenches
This morning ] went downtown to
.et haircut and waited in line for two
nd half hours before my turn. 1t
axes the French about half an hour to
ut a persons hair because they have to
se their hands so much TO talk with.
Remember in last weeks letter how
rarm | tod you it was - For the last
hree or four days il has been colder
han Greenland; but the natives say it
fill be warmer 'toute dc suite