The Butler weekly times and the Bates County record. (Butler, Mo.) 1918-1950, 1918-05-02
LETTER FROM FRANCE
Former Employee Of the Butler and
Rich Hill Telephone Company
Writes Entertainingly of
WHAT He Sees "Over
There"

"uoS 4AC SSSo SVSA
| There"
We are permitted to publish tn,
following letter from Chas: v. Black
Co. D 412th Telephone Battalion
American Expeditionary Force, nov
in France. Mr.. Black was at one time
employed by the local telephone com
pany and has been in France for thu
last four months:
Somewhere in France,
Sunday, March "a, 1918
Dear Friend
Will cndeavor to write you a few
lines this beautiful Sunday evening
while | am sitting in my tent think
ing of my dear friends over there.
am fine and dandy and l hope you
are the same. | am doing the same
kind of work | was doing over there
and | sure enjoy it. We sure have a
good captain and all of the boys like
him.
Our work enables us to travel quite
a bit. so you see am seeing quite Il
bit OF France. Would love to send
you some pictures but aren't allowed
to, but | hope to bring back lots Of
views.
These French people are sure crazy
for souvenirs from America, and they
nearly ran us crazy when we first
landed. We gave them cigarettes or
anything we happened to have and
they would say "Mercie," which
means thanks. in French.
You should see the trains in this
country. You would laugh. They
have little baby cars marked "S
horses or 40 men," and awful cute
little engines. When it whistles it
sounds like somebody had pinched it
or it was in great agony. o, yes, by
the way, will try and tell you some
thing of the telephone lines. They
are not quite as funny las the trains.
They don't have phones i'll their
houses like we do, but have one big
building in town where you have to
60 to talk. and the lines are awful
crude. They don't have cross-arms
or cable.
Oh. | almost forgot to tell you
about the railroad crossings in which
they have it over America for safe
~. They have iron gates at most
all crossings and gate keeper to
open them for you. What crossings
hat don't have gates have bridges
over them.
Our camps are great curiosity TO
he French people. They are amused
It the speed we do things q mean
Iuickness). We are having some
inc trying to polly VOC their Ian
yuage. or in other words, speak it.
I am learning little, but very
slowly. They say our language is
,ery difficult, and think the same
If theirs.
We have a bunch OF visitors every
sunday, or in other words. curiosity
eekers. Two French maidcns just
topped me from writing to ask
bout one OF the boys they call their
lance. or sweetheart. He wanted to
lcep and | told them he was malad,
,hich means sick If a fellow makes
riends with them they are sure hard
o shake. Believe me, am not get
ing intimate with them. | think too
,uch of the good American girls.
he girls are ira JOLT or very pretty,
ut they have nothing on the good s
Id U. S. A. girls. They are great {
irts, but guess it is because they |
now we can't talk to them.
This is great wine country, and {
drinks and thinks no harm
f it.
| have had French boy tutoring
lie at his house, and before | LETT
Or camp at night | would have TO :
rink a glass of sweet wine with the
amily. 1t isn't my custom, but | did +
ather than to make them mad.
How is everything in the States
;ood, l hope We are being pretty
ell fed and cared for. as | said be- S
ore our Captain is a man who will G
&c that we do get good care.
We took a 80 mile ride yesterday :. d
vening to take a bath. We haven't S
lie conveniences in camp here we had t
America. Of course we don't ex-
ect them, but at that we have lots
{ fun as we'll as hard work.
Well. | would write more but ! c
aven't the time at present, so l will p
ose. Hoping to hear from you soon. !;
Your Soldier Friend, a
CHAS. v. BLACK, o
Co. d. 4I2th Telegraph Brig, e
A-.:-.. Exo.d:<:on,r,, Eorcoc | /,