The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1918-08-23
LETTERS FROM THE
BOYS IN ARMY CAMPS
From Thursdays Daily.

lowing letter from William Allworth,
who prior to his enlistment was an
employee of the Commonwealth Util-
titles company.
Fort Benjamin Harrison, July 49,,
l9l8-Greetings and Solicitations
from Fort Benjamin, George, old
scout. Talk about soldiers para
disc, if there is such a place, this is
surely it.
Fort Benjamin Harrison is an old
army post, like Fort Smelling, and
has got an army cantonment backed
off the map. The barracks are all
built of hard finished, dark red
brick with big porches, supported by
white pillars. The old post proper
is in the form of rectangle, open
at one end with a big parade ground
down the center The barracks are
on one side and the officers quarters
lat the other, with the post head
quarters at one end
had some time coming down
from Camp Grant. Laid over in
Chicago about four hours. My trans
portation was all mixed up so most
of my time was taken up with getting
ut Strengthened cut again. The pas
senger agent of the Burlington rail-
road wired back to the agent at
Camp Grant and finally got me all
squared around with the world and
fixed up trouble proof. The govern
lment gives an order to the railroad
company for transportation which
must be turned in at the ticket office
for a ticket. The agent at Camp
Grant got it all "balled" up and I
had to pay my fare to Chicago but
the passenger agent said it would be
refunded. / should worry, I'm here
now.
l was transferred to the sixty first
Engineers here but they have been
gone a month so I don't expect to
catch them. But this is a regular
engineers camp so I'll soon be as
signed to a regiment. l was disap-
pointed at missing the sixty first but
it don't make much difference. Just
so get over there. I met Canad-
ian officer in the depot at Indian
apolis and talked with him for over
an hour. He was in France from
February, 1915, to February, 1918,
and told me a lot of things about
life over there. He lost three sons
and the fourth one is a stretcher
bearer in the front line trenches.
This officer had been wounded twice
and is all crippled up. The same
ishell that gave him his second wound
killed his youngest son. He GER
tainly hates the Germans. Said
they We're the most treacherous
soldiers in the world, and gave a few
examples mentioning names and
dates. He told of one attack he was
lin where they captured sixty eight
prisoners, one of whom was an Of
flcer. The major in charge of his
party went up to the German Off
Ger and offered him a cigarette
and even held a match for him.
The German never even thanked
him. The major turned away and
the minute his back was turned the
German officer drew a pistol he
had concealed and shot the major
in the. back. He told about men be-
ing crucified and said he had heard
about 1T before he went to the front
and never could believe it until he saw
one of his own sergeants crucified on
a barn door. The bayonets had
been struck through his hands and
feet. He told me about the terri
BILE atrocities that everybody las read
ahOUt and Onlu ho1 ~; \
said they were the absolute truth.
He had seen soldiers all hacked
to pieces and women with their
breasts cut off and a dozen other
things that would make you so mad
you couldn't talk. He told about one
, Canadian soldier with one leg shot
nearly off who crawled forty feet
to give his canteen to a wounded
, German. The German drank as
much as he could and then with all
the strength he had, threw the can
teen as far from him as he could.
l wish you could have heard him
talk, George. He almost cried when
he told about his sons being killed.
And when he told about the Germans
his face got as white and his eyes
flashed and his hands clinched un :,
til the knuckles were as white as his
face. He talked in low suppressed
tone that made you see the things
ne told about as plain as though you
had been there yourself.
But when he spoke about the Red
Cross you would hardly know it
was the same man. He said Red
Gross nurse was like an angel from
heaven, and they were doing more
! good than all the other organizations
put together.
We had been sitting there in the
depot quite while when three Red
; Gross girls came up and took us over
ito the Red Cross canteen for sold
'iers and sailors. 1t is the most com
/ Portable place I've been in since
/ left home. Big, easy chairs, and
rugs on the floor and curtains at the
windows. They gave us big glass
of lemonade and some cookies and
cigarettes and we sat there and
talked until l nearly missed my train
Il sure hated to leave / learned
more from that talk than / have
since I've been in the army. And
I'm going to France now If l have
to walk.
Well, I'll have to lay off. 1 haven't
any address yet but when l get one
/ want some Edgeworth smoking.
cant get any here and Pm going
back to the pipa I'll let you know
where to send it as soon as | get