Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1918-10-10
shepberdstown Jefferson County, Virginia. Thursday October TO- 1918


and when he comes back We won't be
there at all. Other men are being
substituted for our own in the trans
portation, and all signs are pointing to
the inevitable.
Another item of interest is that We
have a man in the guard-house who
could not resist the inevitable Amer
ican habit of collecting souvenirs.
believe told you that not far from our
quarters there is an abandoned chateau,
fully furnished and open 80 that he who
will may enter and give it the once over
Well, shortly after We got to this camp
the chateau was favoite place to go
sightseeing, and quite few souvenirs
began to appear. Then came the word
that the French and Military Police
were after the offenders, and most OF
the stuff was returned. One poor fellow,
though, had boxed up. a fine French
clock, the incest souvenir | have seen
in a long time, and started It oil to his
girl in America, so that he could not
return it. Now for the funny part Of the
whole thing. The French police found
out that the chateau was a popular
place, so they began to watch it, and
got themselves camouhaged as farmers
and gardeners and took up their places
where they could see all that was going
on. Instead of arresting the men when
they came out with the stuff, they just
took their description and watched
where they went After few weeks
of investigation one Of the men was
called up, also one man who was attach
ed 10 us for duty, and the whole affair
was sifted out, with the result that the
two men of ours were held for court
martial. No one thought that much
would come of it, for who doesn't collect
souvenirs when there is a good chance?
But to the surprise of all, they were
found guilty of one thing or another
and got three months at hard labor and
two-thirds of their pay for like period.
The man who belongs to us is one OF
our most inoffensive men, and one who,
while he was not very industrious,
never was in any sort of trouble before
in his life, and it must have been some
shock. The other man was part OF our
medical detachment, and as he has been
in the army some eight or nine years, he
was more surprised than the other fel-
low, and he is doing his first work in
some time. He will probably be in
dustrious when he gets out, for they do
have to work when they are prisoners
there is the man with the gun and it is
work or get stuck, and no one wants to
get stuck. Such is army life, though,
and we have to watch our step pretty
closely.
Cot more letters from home today
and they are ones written before the
ones got last week. don't see how
in the world they are working the mail
system, for we get our mail in all sorts
of order except the correct one. Per-
haps if We are here long enough we will
get the mail system Strengthened out.
The way the mail comes is enough to
disgust a fellow, and the only thing that
saves the mail man is that once in a
while he manages to get us through
some letters, just about when we are
ready to mob him.
Well, must close and hit the hay, for
| have had full day and am pretty
tired. hope the next six months
celebration will be back in the States
and in the form of a reunion. With love
to all the folks,
Lovingly,
BILL.