The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-02-07
North Side News
Items for this column may be left at
Petro's Drug Store or phoned 1871
after 2 pm; other hours phone 3o34

Z p.-1
The following extracts from the let
tiers of Capt. Fred E. Davis, who Is
now in France, to his parents, Mr.. ana
Mrs. S. ]. Davis, of 223 North Rugby
avenue, Huntington Park, Cal, VIII pc
of interest to North siders who re-
member the Davis family when tney
lived in North Topeka. Fred DAVIS
was pupil at Grant school ana the
family were prominent IN the 1>oith
Topeka Baptist church
Captain Davis has been IN France
for some time and is captain OF the
Quartermaster's department with the
expeditionary forces somewhere IN
France
My Dear Parents:
When I mail this 1 shall be safely
over the ocean. We haven't nnuoii
farther to go. The trip has been abso-
lutely uneventful. We didn't even
sight a periscope. 1 will mail this on
board the ship just before l step OIL
My duties here will consist or lnstaii-
ings electric plants, ETC.
myself here, altho the weather is
rainy ano cold. 1 am going 10 De
used in establishing laundries anu
clothing reclamation establishments.
We went down and Inspected frehcl,
establishment yesterday, Two houis
ride from here, and were roydiy en-
tertained by French captain ana ms
wife. can't tell you about operations
over here, in fact don't knoW mucn,
We were quite curiosity 10 ZIG
women employees yesterday.
october 17-Just a few lines to say
1 am well and happy OUTSIDE OF see
ing a good many soldiers ana soHiI
German prisoners, 1 wouldn't know l
was in a war-ridden country. wen.
to a baseball game this afternoon l
am. eating at a mess so am being wen
fed. Living is about as hlsh as IN
the states, some things hlgher,
will have a turkey dinner ThanksslV-
ing and Christmas. Hope I am near
a camp so can get in on 1t. but 1 am
liable not to be in the vicinity or SOL
diers then.
per1nane MT station, the best statlon III
France. / can't tell you where 1t IS.
The French people are surely nice.
met a French captain here VINO IS
well acquainted in Denver and mad
been in Fort Logan.
Nov. 1e.-Received my first mail
from the United States today To say
was glad to hear from you is put
ting it mildly / am located in a very
nice modern city, and will probably
be permanently stationed here Ibere
are many soldiers on the street ana
aeroplanes in the air. as tnere IS q
the French for the help of Americans
is pathetic at times. They have SUI
fered so much and were nearly ext
hausted when we entered the war.
Germany is practicing the same meIn-
DDS of lying to her troops as she did
with us. The prisoners we have cap
tured have been told there are no
Americans here, just Engiisnmen
dressed as Americans. They nave peeh
told that the seas have been complete
German hands. All the prisoners 1
have seen are husky animals They
don't look as tho they were worn out
by a long shot. We have hard jon
before US but one which mas TO- pc
properly finished if the world is to
shall, be able to do my bit. nave
been living in hotels and boarding
houses ever since L arrived here.
wish these machines would choose
some other place for their operatIo ,.ta
They are so noisy. I have seen quite
a number of American nurses over
here. There is a base hospital near
Some of the nurses have been at the
British and French front and nave
been under fire One girl dug a shell
ont Of the ground which had hit with
in a few feet of her. L consider them
very brave, indeed. I think the Ger
mans try to avoid Smelling hospitals,
but very often they are located near
munitions and in dangerous places-
have no doubt they would shell them
readily enough if they thought 1T
would be any possible advantage to
them.
Dec. 1s.-The street cars here are
run by women. In fact women 90 al
most everything. They seem nrignter
and more capable than the average
man. When you travel over here, you
have to take care of yourself. NO
one tells you when to. change or when
YOU get to your station. They take
I'D your ticket when you go into the
denot at your destination. One officer
got on a train to go to junction three
miles out, and landed in town
twenty-five miles away.
December 25-I am surely busy
enough now. We have charge of the
payment and supply of troops in addi-
and as 1 am the only officer here who
knows about Quartermaster work, 1
am getting my hands full. I have
been helping another officer pay out
$4,000 in the last week. Just re
ceived word that a bunch of clerks
was headed this way. They are go
ing to make this place headquarters
and there will be 500 to 1000 officers
here. 1t is not a large place, SO
Americans will be very much in evil
dence Your Testament received to-
day. Was certainly glad to get it.
have twenty-eight men in my detach-
ment now. Just received fourteen
from the States the other day, but
none of them have any army expert
ence at all. l saw some French Grip
plies decorated with the Cross de
Guerre and Legion of Honor, the
other day. Some widows were dec
grated for their dead husbands. They
are great on medals over here.
FRED E. DAVIS
Capt. @. NJ. U. S. R., American Expe-
dictionary Force, via y " York City.
Notes and Personals.
Mrs. Jacob Shaffer of Route 4 is
having great success with her chick
ems. She brought in II dozen eggs
few days ago and received SO cents