Baxter Springs news., 1918-10-18
SOLDIERS LETTERS
Camp Funston, Kas., Oct. 5

Camp Funston, Kas., Oct. 8.
Dear Mother and Bros.
Well, suppose you folks begin to
that I have forgotten you. This leaves
me well and all o. X. and hope this
finds you folks the same.
! received the cake today all o. X.
and believe me 1t sure is dandy. Yes,
Bud, l got the money all o. K, and
thanks q thousand times for it; the
cake and chicken, too.
Say, this Spanish influenza is sure
spreading some up here. There is
seventy-nine gone out of the 18th
Company now and it is spreading
fast. They wont let visitors N at all
anymore and it is awful hard to get
q pass. There are quite few Of the
Baxter boys in the hospital with the
influenza now. They are Tom Good
win, Sam Sadler and Forest Dowty.
They are taking them out Of here by
the hundreds every day now and it is
getting worse. They had five trucks
and five ambulances going all night
last night taking them to the hospital
and the infirmary is full up here now.
What were you doing Sunday? /
was on guard duty at the guard house
Saturday night and all day Sunday.
! had to carry loaded rife all the
time and believe me was sure tired
out when 600 p. m. came Sunday ev-
ening. I was on guard from $3.50 p.
m. till 10:30 p. m. Saturday night,
then from 200 n. m. till 400 a. m,
then from 500 n. m. till 600 p. m,
walking guard taking prisoners to
dinner and first one thing and then
two Sunday evening.
1t makes a fellow keep stiff up
per lip to see a man keel over while
standing in the mess line and / have
seen them drop as dead as door nail
but don't worry about me, as / am
through with all of my vaccinations
and there wasn't any of them took so
guess there isn't very much the mat
ter with me and l never felt better IN
my life and getting fatter than a pig.
believe l will beat $50 now and
haven't lost my appetite neither, ha,
ha.
! am going to try and get fur
Tough as soon as they get this infiu-
enza checked but don't know when
that will be.
Well, as they have blew the bugle
for lights out. Oct. Q, 1918.
Well, rs the Lieutenant came in and
put me out on fire guard duty inspec-
tion duty, so l will try it again this
evening.
We got our pay last evening about
$3.50. l got $3.50 after my insur-
ance was taken out. sure had some
time last night, dodging around these
tents trying to keep out of the way
of the U. s. inspector. had to go
around and see that everybody had
their clothes off, had their tents in the
right shape and sleeping with one fel-
lows head on the other fellows feet
before the inspector got around. /
was on guard until 1900 last night,
so had a pretty soft time of it. l
was in the kitchen today or this fore
noon, and as soon as dinner was
served beat it over to the bath house
and forgot to come back till every
thing was done. It wasn't my turn
to be in the kitchen and ] didn't feel
like doing somebody's else work and
not getting thank you for it, and if
you would do it you would be on the
go day and night, and / was supposed
to be on guard anyway. There were
two squads went into the kitchen this
morning besides five of US other fel-
lows and there was only two left
when they got through with mess this
evening.
Well, as it is getting late and the
light is about to go out, will have to
ring of for this time. So goodbye.
AS ever, your SON and brother, in
khaki, RAY SHIELDS.
Tell everybody hello for me and
ero,,