The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1918-10-25
work with the infantry every day
&c

WIFI viii tlC CSSty udy
This is a big army you know.
Bill Clarke sent me paper clip
ping and it looks as though the desert
lands We're moving to\the United
States. Am afraid some of the boys
will want to remain in France as they
can get the beverage any place here
They serve it to you when you call on
an evening-but drink is an excep-
tionally rare thing and if you do see
one it's French soldier on leave gen.
orally.
They are bombarding us again as |
write. Fritz has queer ideas-he just
shoots any old time and of course the
hardest when we want to sleep.
"Sleep"-a volcano wouldn't waken
me. Fritz has a favorite anesthetic
he uses on my ocation-mustard gas
perhaps he knows ! am gas officer.
II is hear morning so I'll get in some
wholesome sleep. | wish you all the
best of success and happiness and that
this war will be won before it becomes
necessary to send any of the men just
registered over.
Give my regards to inquiring
friends, tell them I'm getting fat. See
il they won't loosen up with a letter
to me now and then.
Pm getting slangish-but it's right
in line in the trenches. Good night to
you all. I'll be back before long any
way. Lieutenant Frank N. Hurd, 9th
Field Battalion, American EXpedi-
tionary Forces. Via New York.
The following letter was written by
Dick Thompson on September IS,
from an American Red Cross Mill
Mrs. Frank Watts.
Just note. No doubt Kate wrote
you / had been injured on the way
up from the coast. Fractured my
skull, four verebre, and broke two
ribs. Hit my head on stone bridge
as the train went under.
Just as good as ever soon except
a bit of a scar on the forehead where
the surgeon took out piece of bone.
Am lucky to be alive and no COM
plant Have been in bed since Aug
ust 10, but am walking about this
week. Will go mighty slow for an
other month and then hope to be on
the job again. | don't expect to be on
the front until several months. VIII
probably be used in some inside work
for awhile. ...
Have been in three air raids since
striking France-funry, but you soon
learn to sleep right through them.
France is a great country. People
treat the Americans magnificently. In
fact. am rather proud myself at what
the Yanks are doing. In this hospital
are officers wounded in all the var
ious battles and they are a game lot.
Never a complaint nor regret.
Will write you at frequent inter-
walls but mail is uncertain. Glad to be
with the American Expeditionary
Forces. Affectionately Richard c.
Thompson.
Attorney Thomas Hughes has just
received letter from his son, Burton
z. Hughes. who is a first lieutenant
in an artillery regiment and who on
the date of the letter, September 30
was in training near Bordeaux, France.
The following is part of the letter:
Finish our instructions here and
will leave for the front soon-just how
soCn | don't know and could not tell
if | did, but probably within two
weeks, and from the looks of things
we will be in the very thick of it. All
along the American line things are
moving, as cur French instructor puts
it. Since the Americans have come
there are no quiet sectors"
Surely the war news looks most
promising with the allies striking
from the North Sea to Palestine and
taking ten thousand prisoners a day.
Kaiser William must be bit nervous
regarding the Hindenburg offense that
he so grandly and eloQudntiy launched
six months ago; which makes me think
we don't hear ''' about Hindenburg
late'-- 70 men have rugged I'D
- z, o that we get the news sent
0y wireless from both France and
Germany. The German is the best
They start in at p. IN. and send for
four or five hours all sorts of junk.
One time they announced that their
troops had carried out most bril-
liant advance from one town to an
ether. We thought that looked pref
ty bad, so We got out our maps.
They had advanced all right but it was
toward Berlin. The French are some
what lengthy and come at II a. m.
and 4 p. m. and the Americans at
1890 a. m. and are brief and to the
point-four lines at the most. The
French laugh at them and say, awhy
don't you say something-will you
give us five lines when Berlin falls"
This coming week we practice bar
rage problems. Our French instruc-
tor told the Colonel in charge of the
school that we were the best regi-
ment tina, he had trained here. He
would not tell us that though, for he
is not given to ompliments."
Miss Pearl Malm received the fol-
lowing letter from her brother
Marvin
Somewhere in France. September
~, 191S.-Dear Sis: Back to my com
pany. Got with the outfit last Sat
urday night but they moved and to-
day is the first chance I have had to
write, Am feeling fine. Was made
runner again but now | am attached
TO the Regimental headquarters. NV
address is the same. All my mail.
he package included. had been for
Warded to the hospital. Saturday
morning some more mail came in and
L got two letters. One from YOU of
August " and one from Edith. You
n Ypn