Omaha daily bee., 1918-10-17
CORPORAL SENDS
WAR LETTER TO
CON CORD CLUB
Robert Wicksham Describes
Scenes When Americans
Retake Chateau
Thierry.


Headquarters company, district of
Paris, and brother of Paul Wick
ham, Farnam street cigar merchant,
writes to the Omaha Concord club
as follows:
Last week | had a red-letter
day and it was the first one in some
time. A red-letter day in our life
over here is either pay day or a
bunch of letters and the latter was
my good fortune. Now if Uncle
Samuel will only try and remember
that he owes me for four months
pay, | will feel that my cup of joy
has been filled.
Paul wrote me, that | have been
honored by a membership in your
splendid club and to be frank | can't
Just figure out why | should merit
such an honor when you already
have the champion eater of the
Wickham clan in your fold. How
ever, Mr.. Tyler, and all you bull
froggers, III do my best to be
worthy ard most assuredly | am
more than grateful.
Praises Con Message.
"Your message from home in the
July Is Con was masterpiece and
il Paul would only stop writing all
over them they would reach the
Stars and Stripes for publication
over here. You sounded every note
Of a real, true American. l wish
every man in the A. E. F. could
read that message. It's of the type
they all like to read and it helps
hem to be better man when
.hey receive such sentiments from
he folks back home.
"In the early part of July | was
sent to the hospital for an opera
lion. My first stopping place was
n a French hospital and there met
some of the finest young men in
France-some with arms and legs
off, some blind, and a poor lad
who slept next to me was full OF
,hrapnel. He was carrying a sack
of grenades when piece of shell
hit the bag and tore him in IS Diff
ferent places. I'll never forget the
expression on that mans face.
In Heavy Fighting.
"From July ii on our division was
in some of the heaviest fighting in
the history of the war, the second
battle of the Marine, and retaking
Chateau-Therry. You never would
dream of such fighting unless &C
tually in it.
Zone place in the woods had moth
ing but machine guns in it, and the
boys had them fairly we'll cleaned
out when Pat O'Brien, a buck
private in our outfit, found another,
1t took some time for Pat and his
two buddies to reach it. Finally
they charged and Fritz and his pals
gave them the old Kamerad stuff
and Pat with his As barking killed
the four of them and turned the gun
around on the retreating Huns and
got another bunch,
Brothers Fall Together.
"Out of the woods and over in
field Law two brothers who had
! fought side by side since we went
into the line in February. Both
had been hit by shrapnel. The
stretcher bearers carried them back
ways and placed them side by
side. The youngest knew that the
Great Commander had given him
his last command, and reaching
over, he took his brothers hand,
then turning his battered face
towards him, he uttered his last
words, 'Goodby, brother, God
bless you A few hours later they
were taken, back one unconscious.
and the other dead, but their hands
were still clasped. /
"Mr. Tyler, there is one sample OF
how real the American lads are,
even unto death they are brave. and
how they hold out on the field, in
jured, without water, or a thing to
help them, and when they are
brought in and K. of {. OF Y. M.
c. A. man gives them a cigarette,
they brighten up and smile in spite
{ of ttsir wounds.
Cigaret Brings Relief.
Zone lad had his legs blown Oft
and was suffering the most man
could suffer, but that one little |
cigaret came at the opportune
time, and there he lay with his Gig
aret. and told the fellows, Well.
it's a pretty good old army at. that,
boys, when they slip you a rea'
smoke
cat present am stationed in Paris |
for light duty because | am unit
for the trenches since my opera
ton, and in the large railway sta
tions you see some mighty pitltul
sights, old men, women and chill
drcn returning from the shelled dis
tricts and carrying with them every
thing they could before a shell
Would destroy it all. Those at home |
can't realize it until they see just
what these good people are going
through You certainly have to
admire them for their courage and
certainly the 'Yanks' are going to
help finlSn IL dS sooil do 'liSS N"''
.'Paris is wonderful city, so many
places to see and every one inter-
esting. Every one thinks that an
American carries First National
bank on his person. If it isn't
money, it's cigarets, and I'll say
there are more snipe-shooters here
than anywhere in No Mans Land.
They certainly are proficient in the
art, and it il not restricted to any
age. Taxis are thicker than coolies,
and you can simply run the wheels
off OF one for just few francs. Well.
Mr.. Tyler. l must desist. am in
debted to you for your time, but
felt that, being your A. E. F. Bull
frogger or Conner, it was my duty
to give you few Incidents that hap
pen every day over here in the land