Williston graphic., 1918-08-08
WI[LISTON TEACHER
WRITES FROM SOUTH
ia N. College Ave.,
Salem, Virginia
July 20, 1918.


July 20, 1918.
Capt. E. w.. Jeffries,
Williston, North Dakota.
Dear Captain Jeffries:
l certainly appreciated your letter
of June IA. Should have written to
you before this to show you that l
was glad to get letter from the
Capt. am keeping up with the do
ings of the Home Guard through the
Williston papers. From what read
the Guard has been on the job num-
ber of, times since I left last June.
The celebration of the Fourth was
evidently quite an affair in Williston.
Am glad the boys did you credit in
the putting on of the special drills
and also in the trench digging and
sham battle. But frankly l don't see
how they could help but acquite them
selves creditably after the drilling
and explanations you have so labor
iously given them during the year.
I have had very little time for drill
ing with the Virginia National Guard
since coming home. AS you know
Uncle Sam sent out an order regard
ing "work or 60 to jail" preferred
the former. During June and up to
the fifteenth of this month I have
been doing my bit in the harvest
fields and also helping with the
threshing of the wheat crop in this
section Of the country. Believe me it
is no snap for tenderfoot city fel-
low to follow the binders for three or
four weeks and then jump into the
work of threshing.
I 90 out as linesman on a survey
ing crew of the Norfolk and Western
r. r. next Monday and will be out
with them until leave for Williston
sometime the latter part of August.
So you see am obeying orders as to
| work pretty we'll for an amateur.
I took a few days off over the
Fourth and took short trip down to
Hot Springs, N. c. Uncle Sam has
a perfectly good German internment
camp down there with about three
thousand Germans interned there be-
hind the barb wire fence. 1t did me
good to see those D. Huns looking
through the wires. Only wish the
Kaiser and his six sons were there
too. But you can bet they are TAX
ing good care Of their precious hides
somewhere in Berlin.
You people in the west have no
diers that are leaving our Atlantic
ports every day on their way to Nor
folk and I have yet to see a soldier
who looks in anyway downcast. In
fact they all look they can't get over
quick enough to suit them. That just
reminds me that from the reports in
the morning papers the Americans
are sure giving the Germans little
bit of what is coming to them on the
Western front. The report says fifty
thousand of them are captured or put
out of commission. l am optimistic
enough to believe that this counter
offensive of the Allies marks the be-
ginning of the end, though possibly
not this, year or next.
l note from your letter that you
have hopes of getting into active SER
vice. certainly hope that you will
be able to get into the big show be-
fore it is all over. have done my
darndest to get in but chances don't
look very favorable. will have the
satisfaction of knowing that it is not
my fault anyway.
The State Adjutant General of Vir-
ginia has given an order that all
Guardsmen are to wear their uni
forms at all times when not engaged
in their usual occupation. I believe
this to be a good order as it keeps
the men in trim and they are also
ready for any service that may be re-
quired of them in the line Of duty. !
It also keeps before the people the
fact that the country is at war and
expects every person to be on the job.
Give my regards to the boys of the |
Guard. Hope to be with them again
this winter. I will be glad to hear
from you at your leisure. Also hope
your crops are in good shape.
Yours sincerely,
H. X. BROWN.