Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1918-12-20
SERGT. MAYS, OF ARKANSAS.
(From the Bentonville, Wan) Dem,
ocraD

oEhbl- MIA >, vi AKIN ANSAS.
(From the Bcntonville, OKan.) Dem
ocrat
Here is another happening showing
how much smaller the "big war" has
already made our world. The letter
we publish here tells its own story.
Having been told about this letter by
others who have read it, we asked DR..
| j. l.. Mays, Bentonville, Route No 9,
to let us use it. 1t is from his older
son. who is Il sergeant in the United
States Army, now stationed in Cali
fornia, having been sent there after
two or three years regular army
service in the Philippines, and the
Hawaiian Islands, and refers to the
younger son, Sergt. John ID. Mays,
now only nineteen years of age, who
ran away from LONE 1T the age of
seventeen and Joined the regular ar
my in time to take part in the Mexi-
can trouble. Since this letter was
written DIR. Mays has received from
Sergt Mays in France word that he
had been wounded and in the hospital
but was out and ready TO 20 again
and would soon be back in the trench
les.
\ StiiiP iNciuey, Stlll, OCloDCf Il.
Dearest Father: ] was glad to hear
from you and brother. ii looked to
me like you were sick as / could not
get a letter from you. told one of
the boys this morning if did not get
letter from you today ! would wire
you and see if you were sick. Now,
don't wait so long, as we are close
together and the other one is in
France, SO let's you and / write Of
ten and pray for the other one, for
The poor bow IS having Il hard time az
| know, but he can't write it to us;
but got this straight from him but
he don't know il and this is how il
came.
Sunday Il bunch of us boys were
out breaking mules and horses to
ride. They got me on young mule
and ! rode him for Il while but he
got too much for me and threw me
through the fence and knocked the
wind out of me, and when | came to
myself they were pouring water on
me, and one of the boys said "Mays,
are you hurt very much?" and | told
him my shoulder was hurt, but
thought it was just bruisc, and that
is all it proved to be. But there was II
boy watching US who had been sent
back from France to drill us men,
and he came up and asked me if had
Il brother in III Company 23rd lnfan-
try and | was mad and my shoulder
hurting, and | told him to go to HI,
but he asked me to excuse him for
asking at that time but he had SOL
diered with Il boy named Mays and
so he could send word home for
him, and then asked the boys par
don and we shook hands and he then
told me about brother and this is the
way he started OUT
"Now, Mays. if you can fight like
your brother | don't want to fight
you, for he can whip any man and
don't give IL d-n who he is, for
Mays is sure scrapper and hell Oil
the Huns, and when we go over the
top, Mays is with the first out and in
front all the way. / saw him stick
his bayonet in one old big boy, but
that wasn't the last, for Mays can
sure use them; and afraid-that boy
don't fear anything and takes all the
hardships rs Il joke. | have heard
him says, Boys, we must whip them,
but I've got Il brother that / wish
was here with me and an old father
that can whip about six of them at
a time; but, boys, we don't need any
more if they will just let me loose"
And then he went on and told how
Brother would help out the other
boys and how they stood in the mud
up to their knees for hours waiting
for a chance to go over the top;
about the lice and rats in the trench
cs-but Mays smiles through it all
and tells how he will get three this
| time instead of two"
And this is what he asked me to
tell you: Friend, when you write to
Mays old gray-headed father just
tell him this, that he has got son
in the front line trenches that he
should be proud of and not to worry
for he can take care of himself; but
to pray God to bless him; and if we
had them all like that boy the Huns
would soon be in their places in hell"
And he said when you write him just
encourage him and let your letters
be all smiles and how proud you are
of him, and the last things the boy
said to tell you was, God bless you
for boy like that"
Your loving son, JOE.
Notc-The young men mentioned
above are sons of DR.. j. f. Mays, of
Bentonville, Ark, who is a brother
OF b. X. Mays, of North TaZewell.