The Belding banner-news. (Belding, Mich.) 1918-1973, 1918-11-20
-fPARi:S;TSkeNj N BATTLES

PARIS TAKEN IN BATTLES
CONTINUED From Page One.)
turn cut good because / will soon be
home to help eat them. / think about
Christmas will wind things up maybe.
AS ever, your SON, with love,
Private Lyle C. Madden,
10th Inf. Reg. Hdqrrs, 32nd' Div, A.
Z. f., A. P.O. No. 734.
7 Lee Holcomb, who is in hospital
lin France, writes the following short
letter concerning his injury to his
mother, Mrs. John Antcliff:
Oct. IL, 1918.
Dear Mother:
Well, Mother, have got little bad
news for you get wounded Oct. 4,
piece of large shell hit my foot; it
exploded close; / think / am lucky
for so many got killed. have been
at the front lot.
The doctor just got through dress
ing the wound. IAhurt some to have
it dressed.
Believe me, I'll make the Dutchman
pay for it or I'll lose my guess. Some
people say it is good war if we don't
weaken, guess they are right.
hcllCy van IlOIH IlGtPCQ w
me into the dressing station. They
use us very nice in the hospital. /
have written to Aunt Agnes. Tell
Julia why have not written her. /
don't feel much like writing. You
may let her read this letter if you will.
Lovingly, your son,
Pvt. Lee K. Holcomb,
Hdq. Co., 10th Inf, A.. +. f. via New
France
Ellis Ohlinger, son of Mrs. Gather
inc Ohlinger, of South Bridge street,
writes the following letter to his
mother. Ellis friends in this city
have not heard from him for long
time and they will be very glad to
read this letter, which follows:
Oct. 8, 1918.
Dear Mother:
/ received three letters from you
yesterday and it sure seemed good to
hear from home again. / wrote you
a letter two weeks ago but you will
probably get this one as soon as that
as / heard there would be no mail go
out until after the battle.
Well, our first battle is over. We
were on the line eight days and nights
and believe me, Sherman was only
half right when he said war was hell
We lost some good men and oh, so
many of my friends are in the hos
pital / some times wonder how /
ever came out alive. / guess it was
Mothers prayers that brought me
back. Well, Mother, can't write
very much as you know our mail is all
censored and everyone wants to write
home and it keeps the censor pretty
busy reading letters SO will close. Love
from
Corporal Ellis Ohlinger,
Hq. Co. 361 Inf, A. E. F., A. p. 0. No.
776.
Earl Cowles writes the following
letter to his old employer, Bill Covert
and family. Earl has seen some of
the world since he used to work in the
South Bridge street store and his
many friends will be glad to hear
from him:
Oct. 16, 1918.
Dear Friends:
Your most welcome letter of Sept.
3 received and was more than glad to
hear from you. am still in the best
of health. and having as good times as
conditions will permit; am going on a
7-day leave about the 10th of next
month to st. Malo on the Brittany
coast. l suppose you know we get
7-day leave every four months we
are over in this place; we have all our
expenses paid so it is a real treat. I
think, when for seven days you don't
have to shit the deck" when the bugle
blows first call.
/ couldn't quite make out what
Katherine wrote in her letter; it must
have been a different kind of short
hand than that which took when at
school but | know what she wanted to
say just the same. / don't believe
she will know her soldier boy, Earl,
when / get back to Gods country
again.
l received nice letter from Mart a
few days ago and was sure glad to
hear from him. I would have writ
ten to him but thought that he may
have come over but the heading en- it
read Eat the same - place" He is
surely very anxious to get over here
/ guess. / put one over on him in
that respect, though. He also had
two of his good old cartoons drawn at
the end of the letter, one was of him.
self in his uniform and the other of
two fellows in boat, one was at the
cars and the other had a fishpole over
his shoulder so you must know what
that one represented and when it took
place. 1t certainly brought a smile
to my face when / saw them.
Yes, it is Heaven, He'll or Hoboken
by Christmas. hardly think it will
be the latter but not very far from it
and / don't believe there is a YANKEE
over here but that hopes for the end
by that time.
Mother wrote me about Grandpa
Covert's death and it made me real
blue for he and Mart and / used to
have many real good old times snd
know every one that knew him will
miss him greatly.
The young fellows must be real
scarce now if people are beginning to-
treat them as they did old Rip Van
Wrinkle in the olden days.
Oh, gee, it makes my head swim
when you mention one Of those good
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