The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1918-12-19
CRANITEVILLE
Sergt. John Murray Writes Interesting
Letter After Armistice.

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To his sister in Graniteyille, Sergt.
John Murray of the l02d infantry, has
written the following letter, dated Nov.
IL, letter filled with interesting news
of the war zone.
Sergt. Murray, after expressing hope
that all Of his family at home are well,
adds that he hopes they are having as
good a time as he is and then goes on
to say: 81 suppose you are wondering
what / am doing when | am having such
time Well, | may tell you that | am
away from my company on leave, the
first leave / have had since | left Yer
mont last August, or a year ago so you
see that | ought to enjoy it, and | am
going to if l can.
81 got this leave under rather strange
circumstances, in fact, it seems like a
wonderful dream so far | was in the
front wave of assault with my platoon
six hours before the armistice with the
enemy was signed and my company
commander told me to get six of the old
men together, that the seven of us were
going on leave, and to get back of the
lines to a certain place where | would
find trucks waiting for us to carry us
to our train.
well, sister thought he was mad at
first and | guess he knew ! did not be-
lieve him, so he showed me the order
and asked if thought he was giving me
a good time, so ! told him that | be.
lieved he was trying to put one over on
me, but he seemed to be innocent, so
got move on and got the men and
we are all here now, having the time Of
our lives What do you know about
that?
eve are in the city of Grenoble. You
can look it up on the map. 1t is down
near the Swiss border and in the French
Alps There are all kinds of mountains
around the city. Before the war it used
to be full of tourists. 1t is famous for
its old university and schools and col
leges. 1t is wonderful place. just
love to be here. This afternoon (Sun-
day. | went up pass in the mountains
that looks like the Williamstown gulf,
only the mountains ON both sides were
three times higher than the hills at the
gulf and the tops of them were covered
with snow.
well sister, tell you it is wonder
full to be here. In fact, | cannot believe
but that | am going to wake up and find
that | have been dreaming and 90 back
to the same old hell that | hav been in
for the last nine or ten months. Sis,
never knew what quietness was until
got here after leaving the noise of the
battlefield behind me and found myself
here, where you had freedom to come
and go as you had mind to. Believe
me, it is wonderful, and / hope | shall
never hear the uproar of the battlefield
again.
1--WE had tough job, sister, when we
facd the enemy, but we had to finish
it for our own sakes and the sake of
generations to come. My only hope is
that the job is finished in a way salts
factory to the people back in the states.
Ii it is not, we shall try and do our
best, as we have always done.
well, sis, before | go any further ]
am going to tell you about how | heard
the good news that the kaiser had quit
cold and that the armistice was signed
/ was in one of the famous places of
France, city that will always live in
the memory of our people for the won
derful defense it put up against the enc
my. | shall never forget as long as l
live what | saw and heard in that place.
] heard the bells and chimes on the
cathedral ringing for the first time in
four long years, and the music seemed
to be sweeter than ever. | saw English,
French, American and Italian hugging
and kissing each other like crowd of
school girls. Some were singing and
some were laughing and doing all kinds
of stunts from pure joy and trying to
express their feelings in some way. I
never saw such a joyful crowd in this
world as ! saw that day. Believe me,
] am glad / had chance to be there
at that time, a chance that ! would not
like to miss, and in days to come | shall
feel proud of the fact that | was there.
well, sister, it is wonderful to know
that the bloody struggle is at an end and
that this old world of ours shall be able to
go about its business without the fear
Of war lord on its face. / hope they
will give the German people, when it
comes to make them pay, the same dose
as their enemies got on the field of bat
tie, so they will not want another war
for a few years to come.
II was sorry to hear that so many of
the people | knew up there are diving
from that disease. nope II Is all gone
by now and that the kids did not get it
hard was sorry to hear that Johnnie
McAulay had died of that disease. 1t is
too bad to see a young fellow like that
going in civil life.
well, sister, had my picture taken
to-day and will send you some as soon
as they are done, if they are any good.
Don't expect to see me looking as well as
I did in the last ones sent home, as
have lost heavily since then. I'll bet you
weigh Is pounds more than l do now,
so you can see that there is not much to
me at present but skin and bones, but