The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1918-09-12

charge of the American Salvation
Army work in France, found that
the truck and it's drivers were miss
ing. The Germans let him reach
tho truck in his flivver before they
opened fire. Colonel Barker narrow
~ escaped with his LIE when a show
er of shells broke around his little
machine and the badly shattered
truck
That night, however, with a quar-.
termaster truck, he succeeded in pull
ing the Salvation Army truck out
of the ditch. and got the doughnuts
now cold but as good as ever, up to
the boys. The same night another
army truck, trying to avoid the same
shell hole, went into the ditch at
the same spot. When daylight came
the Germany battery blew it to
splinters.
II wish every American who has
stood on street corners in America
and sneered at the work of the Sal.
walton Army could see what they are
doing for the boys in France" said
Al cid regular army officer who .e
turned to Paris this week.
AS a body they are taking chan
ces which the members of no other
organization are taking. One build.
ing they occupied had its roof blown
off by German shell. The Saliva
ton Army folk dTaDed tent canvas
over the walls and continued their
work. While they were sleeping in
the cellar, several more shells struck
the building end smashed all their
equipment up beyond repair. Now
they are continuing their good work
in the cellar of the same house not
200 yards from our front line trench
es.
One night | was sitting in the
Salvation Army cellar when shell
hit house next door and Killed
three of our boys as they slept. The
Salvation Army women continued
-dishing out hot cocoa and coffee as
if nothing had happened. They are
game, those women, God bless them.
fhey are regular women. of the
same breeds as abraham Lincoln's
mother and the wiz IS of our Western
pioneers.
Take It from me-" said the officer
lapsing into the slang of his men,
these women are doing almighty
! fine work. There are twenty two Of
| them here in France. We army men
have given them shell-battered and
cast-off field kitchens to work with.
and, oh. man, the doughnuts, the pan.
cakes and the pies they turn out.
"One dance hail which they trans.
| formed into kitchen was smashed
to smithereens by shells and their
dishes, tables and cook ovens went
galley west. The doughboys bought
them more dishes, got them new
oven-ro one asked where-and
built them new tables.
All these women are up in vii
lagos constantly under fire. They
| brave air raids by night and shell
4
/ clean out debris-filled cellars in order
to open new dugout 'huts' as close
to the lines as possible. l know one
group of women who lived in dug
out for six days and nights without
seeing the light of day except
through cracks in the splintered Gel.
lar walls.
THE French climate has hit our
boys hard. It is wet and penetrat
ingly cold. Goes right to the mar
row and three suits of underwear is
no protection against it. When the
lads returned from training camp Of
the trenches, wet, cold, hungry and
respondent they found welcome IN
Hickey's Hut. Not a patronizing
holier-than thou, we knewwe are-do
! ing-a-good-work and hope you-dough
boys-appreciate-it, sort If welcome
but a good. old Salvation Ara1y-Bcw
cry Mission welcome such as Tin
Sullivan knew how to hand out il
! the old days. Around a warm fir,
with men who spoke their own Ian
suage and who did not prented to b.
above them in the social scale til,
doughboys forgot that they were 4
900 miles from home and that the,
couldn't sling the lingo
Il saw group of lads on tn
Montdider front who had not bee
paid in three months standing ours
ing their luck outside a certain OF
] ganiZation's canteen They had n
money, therefore they could not bu
anything. The Salvation Army hal
been apprised by telegraph that tn
J 1oughboys were playing in hard luck
J Presto. Out from Paris came true
loaded <with everything to eat an
smoke. The truck was unloaded an
the boys paid for whatever the
: wanted with slips Of paper signe
, with their John Hsncocks. The Sa
, yat.on Army lassies asked no que.
tons, but accepted the slips of ps
per as il they were Uncle Sans COLE
That same truck had sunn}y of cf