Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1918-11-14

A letter received from Norman
Gross, a Naval Armed Guard, states
that they were to leave New York foI
: Italy on Wednesday, last. His crew
is I'm charge of six inch gun ON
transport. This Is Norman's fourtl
trip across and the third WAS particu
larry interesting, more so to them
than TO the two submarines they &c
counted for an this trip. In recent
competitive gun practice on Cheese
peake Bay his crew in which he is
first gun pointer, tied with another
for first place out of twelve crews
they making four direct hits out OF
four shots.
- - ~
The following is letter from
George J.. Durrin to his cousin, Fred
Minick, who lives in the country :;
I Somewhere IN France-Well we have
been over the top and sure made
good and the Huns sure do not stand
for the guns This is some tattered
looking village. They are all stone
buildings and nearly all have shell
holes In them The country has lots
of woods and nearly all the villages
are trenches. We are living In dug
outs Mt the present time-in one that
the Huns built. SO that makes It all
the better to profit by their losses.
"a ~ n
letter from Elmer Kinderdtck,
the son of Mr.. and Mrs. IL. +. Kin
der,iick OF Sheridan Lake, Colo, ana
a grandson Of Mrs. II. Kinderdick, OF
Woodbine and grandson of Mr.. and
Mrs. Henry Asling Of Abilene El-
mer belongs to the S9th division that
was in training at Camp Funston. lie
saws: Have just been up in the
front line and in the Dig drive, and
we were going SO fast chasing the
Germans that we didn't have much
time to write and we counldnt nave
mailed letters if we would have VIII
ten them. Have certainly had some
wonderful experiences the last couple
Of weeks. The morning we started
the big attack I never heard such
noise in my life. There were can
mons and machine guns all firing as
fast as they possibly could. Believe
me il was some sight when we went
over the top, just at day break. There
wore fire flares, ammunition blowing
mn and a regular hail of iron ana
lead. It looked like the devil hau
I'D to the earth. 1t was
one will never forget as
long as he lives. But it must not
have been nearly as dangerous as II
looked for we didn't lose only a very
few men, not even very many were
wounded. We hadn't been over the
ton more htan fifteen minutes wheh
he prisoners came stringing back by
me dozens and then in punches OF
30 and 100. l saw one bunch OF at
oost 400 They all seemed to be
-ickled to death to be captured anu
aiken prisoners All said they were
-ired Of fighting and wanted to give
IN. Part of our company ran INTO
hunch of about thirty in a dugout
hat had their guns and stun thrown
WAY and said they had been walt
ng for an hour for someone to come
Town and take them prisoners. we
raveled SO fast that the first couple
f DAYS the grub wagon couldh
eep up with us so we ate German
rub that we found in captured
i+obans we were careful first to
ee that it wasn't poisoned and then
lied up on 1t. Believe me they sure
nd punk bread and nearly as black
q coal and a small loaf weighs ABOUT
ton. 1t must be made out OF
round rocks. We didn't have any 8
lace to sleep only out In the open
nd didn't have any tents or pldnNee9
nd it rained about half the time.
whenever it started to rain we would
AXE a raid on some German store
ouse and when we came out we
oked more like Germans than Amer 81
ans. Had on German overcoats ana
ankets and nearly had to go around
18th our hands up in the air to keep
If own men from wanting to take
prisoners. But we all enjoyed
@ hardships as we were keeping
q Huns on the run and showing h
EN- that we were overe here 10 a
hit and win. ! think they are get y
~ to realize they are out of luck g
trst unfinished in the Abilene Week