The Topeka state journal., 1918-10-26

sive toward Paris. I returned to the
the whole outfit moved out and into
the front lines. We were in reserve
the first day of the drive, the 18th.
All that day I was very busy helping
to translate orders from the French
headquarters over US, and also acting
as interpreter, in addition to having
duties with the company. That night
1 went with some of the officers and
spent half the night out in No Mans
Land and had an hour of rest Git was
very chilly before going over the top.
The men were so sleepy and tired that
they would fall down and go to sleep
before we could get them placed, and
it was awfully hard to get them up
and move them around where we
wanted them. For we had to keep
quiet, and were working in the dark.
had gas all around US, and everybody
all in We went over the top at 4:35
a. m, under a terrific barrage by the
Germans. After we had proceeded out
of our positions, and were making
good headway, with casualties of
course, something happened which
knocked me senseless for awhile
1t was this night. July 10. that his
friend, William Heap, of Topeka. first
lieutenant medical corps, found him
| beside a shell hole and gave first aid.
The next day, however, he was back
in the front lines and commanded a
company thruout the remainder of the
offensive. During one of the brief
| lulls in this offensive, on July "a, ne
wrote of celebrating the two national
| birthdays, saying. I'VE have had two
holidays, July and July IA, (French
| day. and on both days I was in the
| lines, with an American outfit on the
! 4th and with the French on the 14th.
We have had some tough work lately
7 y1,I 10 !,
The fact that the Germans are getting
| the worst of it helps. however. 1t will
interest you to know that 1 have again
been recommended for promotion, but
| there can be so many recommends
tions without anything happening that
| I am not getting excited. I am sorry
| I could not write you more of late,
but it has been impossible. We haven't
| had an easy time of it. You have
been reading of the allied push aud
German retreat. of course
When the 59th was at last relieved
from active duty at the front and had
| marched until a. m. to a place of
safety, Lieutenant Spencer was found
to be quite i'll and was sent to the hos
| pital. under protest. In four success
sive days he was moved from one hos
pital to another until at last he found
| himself in one Of the base hospitals at
! Limoges, from which he writes: up
/ front we could never tell in our letters
the places where we were located but
| they tell me it is permitted here. SC
| far back from the lines. I am in no
| of the buildings formerly occupied b.
| the Haviland china works here az
Limoges. towards the southwest part
| of France. 1t is a large hospital and
they have many patients here, surgical
| and medical. There are several hos
pitfalls at this town. It seems strange
| to be where there is no boDba re ment
it's certainly great to sleep in a real
bed. and have American women for
nurses. And in coming down here OF
the train it seemed strange to see pros
porous towns and villages. All we
| have seen near the front has been de-
! structfon and no civil popula ton
| What have seen the last two or three
days has reminded me more of the
Franc I saw six years ago"
While at this Red Cross hospital at
Limoges Lieutenant Spencer had time
I'd write of conditions abroad that are
enlightening. "Of course in the dan