davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The American Jewish world. [volume] (Minneapolis ;) 1915-current, 1918-10-11

Notice to Reader: When you
finish reading this magazine place
a one-cent stamp on this notice,
hand same to any postal en-
ployee and it will be placed in
the hands of our soldiers and
sailors at the front No wrapping
no addreSs.-A. S. BurleSon,.
Postmaster General.
Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1918-07-19
Facsimile of the Check Given to Lieutenant oBrien as a Joke by Lieutenant
Dickson When They Were Fellow Prisoners at courtrai.

It'll drop it owe -" declared one
of them, naming my airdrome, which
revealed to me that their flying corps
is as efficient as other branches of the
service in the matter of obtaining valu-
able information.
And right here / want to say that the
more I came to know of the enemy, the
more keenly 1 realized what a difficult
task we're going to have to lick him.
In all my subsequent experiences, the
fact that there is a heap of fight left
in the Huns still was thoroughly
brought home to me. We shall win
the war eventually, if we don't slow
up too soon, in the mistaken idea that
the Huns are ready to lie down.
The flying officers who questioned
me were extremely anxious to find out
all they could about the part America
is going to play in the war, but they
evidently came to the conclusion that
America hadn't taken me very deeply
into her confidence, judging from the
information they got, or failed to get,
from me.
At any rate, they gave me up as a
bad job, and I was ordered to the Off
GERS prison at Courtrai, Belgium.
Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1918-07-19
Huns get him?

HunS get him.?
When darkness comes you realize
that, at any rate, he won't be back that
night, and you hope for a telephone
call from him telling Of his where
abouts.
If the night passes. without sign or
word from him, he is reported as miss
ing and then you watch for his cas-
ualty to appear in the war Office lists.
One day, perhaps a month later, a
message is dropped over the line by
the German flying corps with a list of
pilots captured or killed by the Huns,
and then, for the first time, you know
definitely why it was your comrade
failed to return the day he last went
ove the line with his squadron.
1 was still musing over this melan-
choly phase of the scouts life when
an orderly told me there was a beauti-
full battle going on in the air, and he
volunteered to help me outside the
hospital that 1 might witness it, and
l readily accepted his assistance.
That afternoon I saw one of the
gamest fights 1 ever expect to witness.
There were six of machines
against perhaps sixteen Huns. From
the type of the British machines / knew
that they might possibly be from my
own aerodrome. Two of our machines
had been apparently picked out by
six of the Huns and were bearing the
brunt of the fight. The contest seemed
to me to be SO unequal that victory for
our men was hardly to be thought of,
and yet at one time they so completely
outmaneuvered the Huns that l
thought their superior skill might save
the day for them, despite the fact that
they were so hopelessly o~utnumbered.
One thing 1 was sure of: they would
never give in.
OF course, it would have been a COM
paratively simple matter for our men,
when they saw how things were going
against them, to have turned their
noses down, landed behind the Ger
man lines and given themselves up as
prisoners, but hat is not the way of
the r. f. G..
A battle of this kind seldom lasts
many minutes, although every second
seems like an hour to those who par
ticipate in it, and even onlookers suf-
fer more thrills in the course of che
struggle than they would ordinarily
experience in a lifetime. 1t is appar-
ent even to a novice that the losers
fate is death.
Of course, the Germans around the
hospital were all watching and roofing
for their comrades, but the English,
too, had one sympathizer in that group
who made no effort to stifle his admira-
ton for the bravery his countrymen
were displaying.
The end came suddenly, Four ma
chimes crashed to earth almost stimuli
~taneously. 1t was an even break-two
of theirs and two of ours. The others
apparently returned to their respective
lines.
The wound in my mouth made it i'm
possible for me to speak, but by means
Of q pencil and paper I requested n
of the German officers to find out for
Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1918-07-19
CHAPTER v.
The Prison Camp at c~ourtraI.

From the intelligence department l
was conveyed to the officers prison
camp at Courtrai in an automobile. 1t
was about an hours ride. My escort
was one of the most famous flyers in
the world, barring none He was later
killed in action, but I was told by an
English airman who witnessed his last
combat, that he fought a game battle
and died a hero's death.
The prison, which had evidently
been a civil prison of some kind before
the war, was located right in the heart
of Courtrai. The first building we ap-
preached was large and in front of
the archway, which formed the main
entrance, was a sentry box. Here we
were challenged by the sentry, who
knocked or the door; the guard turned
the key in the lock and / was admit
ted. We passed through the archway
and directly into a courtyard, on which
faced all of the prison buildings, the
windows, of course, being heavily
barred. After I had given my pedigree
my name, age, address, etc.-I was
shown to a cell with bars on the WIN
dows overlooking this courtyard. I
was promptly told that at night we
were to occupy these rooms, but I had
already surveyed the surroundings,
taken account of the number of guards
and the locked door outside, and con-
Guided that my chances of getting
away from some other place could be
no worse than in that particular cell.
AS I had no hat, my helmet being the
only thing / had worn over the lines,
/ was compelled either to go bare
headed or wear the red cap of the
Bavarian whom I had shot down IN
that memorable day. 1t can be i'm
Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1918-07-19

me who the English officers were who
had been shot down.
A little later he returned and handed
me a photograph taken from the body
of one of the victims. 1t was a picture
of Paul Raney Of Toronto, and myself,
taken together! Poor Raneyl He was
the best friend 1 had and one of the
best and gamest men who ever fought
in France.
1t was he, / learned long after, who,
when 1 was reported missing, had
checked over all my belongings and
sent them back to England with a
signed memorandum-which Is now in
my possession. Poor fellow, he little
realized then that but a day or two
later he would be engaged in his last
heroic battle with me a helpless on
lookeri
The same German officer who
brought me the photograph also drew
a map for me of the exact spot where
Raney was buried in Flanders. 1
guarded it carefully all through my
subsequent adventures and finally
turned 1t over to his father and mother
when 1 visited them in Toronto to per-
form the hardest and saddest duty /
have eve been called upon to execute
to confirm to them in person the
tidings of poor Paul's death.
The other British pilot who fell was
also from my squadron and a man /
knew well-Lieutenant Keith of Aus
tralia. l had given him a picture of
myself only a few hours before 1 start
ed on my own disastrous flight. He
was one of the star pilots of our squad
ron and had been in many a desperate
battle before, but this time the odds
were too great for him. He put up a
wonderful fight and he gave as much
as he took.
The next two days passed without
incident and 1 was then taken to the
intelligence department of the German
flying corps, which was located about
al hour from the hospital. There I was
kept two days, during which time they
put a thousand and one questions to
me. While 1 was there / turned over
to them the message 1 had written in
the hospital and asked them to have
one of their flyers drop it on our side
of the line.
They asked me where 1 would like to
have it dropped, thinking perhaps I
would give my airdrome away, but
when I smiled and shook my head, they
did not insist upon an answer.
Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1918-07-19

agined how 1 looked attired in a Brit
ish uniform and a bright red cap.
Wherever 1 was taken my outfit
aroused considerable curiosity among
the Belgians and German soldiers.
When l arrived at prison that day 1
still wore this cap, and as / was taken
into the courtyard, my Overcoat cover
ing my uniform, all that the British
officers, who happened to be summing
themselves in the courtyard, could see
was the red cap. They afterwards told
me they wondered who the "bug Hun"
was with the bandage on his mouth.
This cap / managed to keep with me,
but was never allowed to wear it on
the walks we took. 1 either went bare
headed or borrowed a cap from some
other prisoner.
AT certain hours each day the pris-
oners were allowed to mingle in the
courtyard, and or the first occasion Of
this kind L found that there were IL
officers imprisoned there besides my
self.
They had here interpreters who
could speak all languages. One of
them was a mere boy who had been
born in Jersey City, N. j., and had
spent all his life in America until
the beginning of 1914. Then he moved
with his folks to Germany, and when
he became of military age the Huns
forced him into the army. I think if
the truth were known he would much
rather have been fighting for America
than against her.
l found that most of the prisoners
remained at Courtrai only two or
three days. From there they were in
variably taken to prisons in the inte-
rior of Germany.
Whether it was because 1 was an
American or because 1 was a flyer, 1
don't know, but this rule was not fol-
lowed in my case. 1 remained there
two weeks.
During this period Courtrai was con-
stantly bombed by our airmeE. Not a
single day or night passed without one
or more air raids. In the two weeks
1 was there 1 counted 81 of them. The
town suffered a great deal of damage.
Evidently u people were aware that
the Germans had a lot of troops con-
centrated in this town and besides the
headquarters staff was stationed there.
The kaiser himself visited COurtrai
while | was in the prison, l IA told by
one of the interpreters, but he didn't
Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1918-07-19

call on me, and for obvious reasons l
couldn't call on him.
The courtyard was not a very popu-
lar place during air raids. Several
times when our airmen raided that
section in the day time l went out and
watched the machines and the shrap-
mel bursting all around; but the Ger
mans did not crowd out there, for their
own antiaircraft guns were hammer
Ing away to keep our planes as high
in the sky as possible, and shells were
likely to fall in the prison yard any
moment. Of course 1 watched these
battles at my own risk. Many nights
from my prison window 1 watched
with peculiar interest the air raids
carried on, and it was a wonderful
sight with the German searchlights
playing on the sky, the flaming on
ions'' fired high and the burst of the
antiaircraft guns, but rather an I'M
comfortable sensation when I realized
that perhaps the very next minute a
bomb might be dropped on the building
in which 1 was a prisoner. But per-
haps all of this was better than no
excitement at all, for prison life soon
became very monotonous.
One of the hardest things 1 had to
endure throughout the two weeks 1
spent there was the sight of the Hun
machines flying over Courtrai, know
ing that perhaps I never would have
another chance to fly, and l used to sit
by the hour watching the German ma
chimes -maneuvering over the prison,
as they had an airdrome not far away
p, and every afternoon the students-or
/ took them for students because their
flying was very poor-appeared over
the town. One certain Hun seemed to
find particular satisfaction in flying
right down over the prison nightly, for
my special discomfort and benefit, it
seemed, as if he knew an airman i'm
prisoned there was vainly longing to
! try his wings again w their lines.
But l used to console myself by say
ing: "Never mind, old boy, there was
never a bird whose wings could not
be clipped if they get him just right,
and your turn will come some day"
One night there was an exception
ally heavy air raid going on. A num-
Der of German officers came into my
room, and they all seemed very much
frightened. 1 jokingly remarked that
it would be fine if our airmen hit the
old prison-the percentage would be
very satisfactory-one English officer
and about ten German ones. They
didn't seem to appreciate the joke,
however, and. indeed, they were APP
parently too much alarmed at what
was going on overhead to laugh even
at their W jokes. Although these
night raids seem to take all the starch
out of the Germans while they are
going on, the officers were usually as
brave as lions the next day and spoke
contemptuously of the raid of the
night before.
I saw thousands of soldiers in Cour-
trai, and although they did not i'm
Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1918-07-19

OF his adventures.
CHAPTER II-Tells Of his enlistment in
the Royal Flying corps, his training in
Canada and his transfer to France for ac-
tive duty.
could possibly do was done for him.
] don't know whether this was done
under orders or whether the doctors
just followed their own inclinations
in such cases.
My teeth had been badly Jared up
from the shot, and 1 hoped that l might
have a chance to have them fixed
when I reached Courtrai, the prison
where I was to be taken. So 1 asked
the doctor if it would be possible for
me to have this work done there, but
he very CURLY told me that, although
there were several dentists at Cour-
.trai, they were busy enough fixing the
teeth of their w men without both
ering about mine. He also added that
/ would not have to worry about my
teeth; that 1 wouldn't be getting so
much food that they would be put out
of commission by working overtime. l
wanted to tell him that from the way
things looked he would not be yea
ing his out very soon either.
My condition improved during the
next two days, and on the fourth day
of my captivity 1 was well enough to
write a brief message to my squad
ron, reporting that 1 vas a prisoner of
war and feeling fine" although, as a
matter Of fact, 1 was never 81 de-
pressed in my life. / realized, how
ever, that if the message reached my
comrades it would be relayed to my
mother in Momence, Ill, and I did not
want to worry her more than was abb
solutely necessary. 1t was enough for
her to know that I was a prisoner. She
did not have to know that 1 was
wounded.
1 had hopes that my message would
be carried over the lines and dropped
by one of the German flying officers.
< That is a courtesy which is usually
practiced on both sides. 1 recalled
how patiently we had waited in our
airdrome for news of our men who had
failed to return, and 1 could picture
my squadron specializing on my fate.
That is one of the saddest things
connected with service in the r. F. G.
You don't care much what happens to
you, but the constant casualties among
your friends are very depressing.
You go out with your flight" and
get into a muss. You get scattered,
and when your formation is broken up
you finally wing your way home alone.
Perhaps you are the first to land.
Soon another machine shows in the
sky, then another, and you patiently
wait for the rest to appear. Within an
hour, perhaps, all have shown up save
one, and you begin to speculate and
wonder what has happened to him.
Has he lost his way? Has he landed
at some other airdrome? Did the
Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1918-07-19
No. IS Squadron. Royal Flying Corps.
4-E-y-E-MT-oR-Y--oE--K1E
s/Iieut. A.o'srisn. RIG. IS s) Reported missing l7-a-a7
Packed In Trunk.

Packed In Trunk.
3 suits pytamas.
] Shirt.
a Vests.
1 a Prs. Pants.
q Prs. Combinations.
/ Night Shirt.
9 Towels.
! Pr. Shorts.
! Pr. Puttees .
q Prs. Brooches.
! Pr. Trousers.
] Strap.
! Suit civilian clothes.
l ! Belt. -<vNN--
A>>|r~ ! Tunic.
r. / American Tuntc.
! Pr. Ankle Boots.
! British Warm Coat.
9 Pr. Goggles.
| l Sam Brpwne Belt.
! Cane.
| ! Box Dentrifice.
3 Blankets.
@e@~~5 zslE:ss: :
M&k<~'os
Commanding No. Sc Squadron.
Royal Flying Corps.
Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1918-07-19
Continued from last week
SYNOPSIS.

CHAPTER introductory. Pat O'Brien
tells of his purpose in writing the story
of his adventures.
Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1918-07-19

CHAPTER II-Tells of his enlistment il
the Royal Flying corps, his training il
Canada and his transfer to France for &C
tive duty.
The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1918-04-18
VIII Cattle Men Pay Tax
On Gross Receipts Of Sales

Pierre. April 9.--Will the income
tax. as administered, drive cattlemen
out OF business? is the question which
Is agitating many ranchers in the
northwest part of the state. Many of
these men carry their business on
borrowed capital. and in cases the
past year, where the owners of large
herds have sold cattle up to $25, 900
and more, the income tax collector
takes the position that the amount
OF the sale is their years income, and
places his tax accordingly. The
cattlemen say after they have repaid
the borrowed capital on which they
were working. and interest on the
same the income tax collector wants
ali the balance or more and that they
can't afford TO continue handling
cattle when the interest and tax more
than takes all the surplus after pay,
ing their loans and tka.. NTH such q
ruling they will have TO quit. They
claim that their borrowed money is
capital invested. and that they are
entitled to pay only on the income
over the investment, and not on the
value OF the property sold.
The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1918-04-18
April lite
SUMMONS

April lite
SUMMONS
State OF South Dakota, County of
Hand,ss. In Circuit Court, In Sixth
Judicial Circuit.
l.. Redding, Plaintiff.
a VS.
Andrew j. Porter and all persons
unknown who have or claim to have
any estate or interest in. or lien or
encumbrance upon the premises des-
cribed in the complaint, Defendants.
The State of South Dakota to the
Allowed Named Defendants:
You are hereby summoned and re-
quired to answer the complaint of the
plaintiff which was Hled In the Office
of the Clerk of Courts at Miller, Hand
County, South Dakota. on the 18th
day of March, 1918, and which prays
for a Judgment quieting the title to
and the determining of all adverse
claims against the premises described
in the complaint, situated In said
County and State as follows, to-wit:
the Southwest quarter of section
twenty-eight, in township One hum
bred sixteen North, range sixty-eight
West of the Fifth p. M In Hand Coun-
ty, South Dakota, and to serve a copy
OF your answer to the said Complaint
upon the undersigned at his Office in
the Bushfeld Block in the City of
Miller, , South Dakota, within thirty
days after the completed service of
this m upon You exclusive of
the day of such services, and IL you
fail To answer said complaint within
that t!r.c, the plaintiff viii apply 10
the Court for the relief demanded in
the complaint.
Dated this 18th day Of March, 1918.
Harlan j. Bushfeld,
Attorney for Plaintiff.
The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1918-04-18
WEST HAND
From Rec Heights Review

Mrs. j. III. Wren entertained a
party OF friends and relatives at din
ner on Tuesday. The party consisted
or Mrs. Braker from California, a
daughter Of Mr.. and Mira Harlan
Woodruff ui Miller, MRS. Jack Reesor,
Mrs. vern Danberg and Mrs. Nc
Dowell, all OF Miller. Mrs. Bracker
and Mrs. Rcesor we're schoc'mates
or Mrs. Wren.
Ms. I'D. Lowell. who lives twelve
miles south, took her little girl-hve
years old-Ato the Pierre hospital, FRI
day for treatment for pneumonia, but
meningitis set in and the child was
left at the hospital for treatment.
Mrs. q. Nicholas came M from Mil
Ter on Monday for a visit with her
daughter, Mrs. ]. III. Wren.
Miss Ethel Cracked has resigned
her position at the postofice, and
Miss Lille Mead Is the new assistant
Lewis Lacosse was called e
Pierre where his brother Charlie un'
derwent an operation for appendicitis
on Monday.
Mrs. Bart douglass from Washing.
ton. came up from Miller Monday. FOL
q visit with her sister Mrs, X. $
Msad.
The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1918-04-18
Three Pounds Of Sugar
Per Month, Each Person


Aberdeen--"The food admtnistra-
ton is making every endeavor TO see
that the country is provided with q
supply Of household sugar on the
basis OF three pounds OF sugar for
each person per month. Do not con-
sumo more. Saving from this supply
enough for use during the approach
ing canning season is not regarded
as boarding.
1T is also the intention OF the food
administration to supplement the g.
pound per month allotment during
the canning season with an addition
al amount that will be ample for
necessary canning operations. The
full utilization OF all methods which
will save sugar is, however, strongly
advised. Such methods include put
ting up fruits in their natural juices,
the use of syrups, drying and the
storage OF fruits and vegetables.
Canning fruits. vegetables and
perlshable products OF all kinds for
family use during the months of little
or no production is not boarding and
such products will not be seized or
taxed nor will the amount be limited.
The food administration has repeat
eddy and definitely declared that any
statements to the contrary are the
result OF enemy propaganda.
THE food administration also has
approved the packing of home killed
meat for winter use and the general
principle of storing eggs from time OF
plenty for seasons OF scarcity, by US
ing water-glass solution, limewater
other recognized harmless pre-
serving methods."-C. N, Herried,
Food Administrator.
The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1918-04-18

Through a mistake. the motion pic
lures which were TO be shown by the
Red Cross failed to arrive last week.
On Tuesday. April 2srd. they will be
shown at the Scenic at Miller. Three
reels straight from the War Zone,
"Humanity's Appeal" showing the
care OF the Belgian children. Field
Service on the Western Front and
the Ruins OF Rheims" Further mo-
tice will be given over the telephone
when these pictures arrive.