Free trader-journal. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1916-1920, 1918-08-05
NATIVES OF ITALY
GIVEN SURPRISE AS
AMERICANS ARRIVE
NO WARNING GIVEN PEOPLE TO
EXPECT YANkS, BUT THEY
PREPARE HASTY WELCOME
JUST THE SAME, OTTAWA BOY
WRITES.

A letter vividly showing the cordi.
ality with which natives received the
first contingent of Yanks to arrive on
Italian soil has Leen received in OF
tawa from Clarence Glover, who with
Story Rigden, also of this city, was
with the vanguard Of American troops
to be sent to the land of flowers and
perpetual sun shine. Glover, mem.
ber of the illinois University ambu-
lance unit. cells of the historic inch
dent in graphic and exceptionally in
teresting style. He is son Of C. c.
Glover, and brother of Mrs. Geo.
p Hills. He says.
Italy, June 80, 1918
Dear Folks: :.
This is the second time | have start
ed letter home and am going 10
get this into the mails if | have 10
cut off in the middle. | suppose you
have received by this time the letter
| wrote on the transport. am hop
ing also thai the one card | received
at the port Of embarkment has reach
ed it's destination before this, as
know it has been long wait.
To begin at the beginning we left
Allentown with a send off that would
I put grey hairs in the head OF embark
alton authorities 1t was very secret
the entire 5000 population was at the
station | believe, and when the train
started there was enough noise TO be
heard fifteen miles auto horns, train
whistles. and even factory whistles
1t was the same way all the way 10
Bethlehem never will forget the
hospitality of the Pennsylvania Dutch
even after my experiences here in the
most gracious land in the world. The
trip to Italy was without (censored)
tho ii was interesting all the way, nat,
uralIy, with the great bunch of tel.
lows we had on board. We touched
land once in the long trip hence the
previous letter That broke the trip
SO that 1t was not as mOnOtonouS as
might be expected. 81.
Nevertheless, we all anXiously
awaited the sight of land and were
well rewarded when it did come in
view. Sonny Italy. or all that | have
seen, is well worth its reputation for
beauty, You can only imagine the
sight as we came into the harbor with
: the high mountains, topped by cen
, tury old forts and towers, on all
! sides, the ciear blue Italian sky above
= it all. The city appeared before us
lain ou in groups of quaint Old
, houses, some of them fine pieces OF
Italian architecture, nesting between
the mountains, and on their sides
/, We arrived, unannounced, Of course
> and We're greeted at first by few o.
: onr contingent who had preceded us
7 some American sailors, and few
I puzzled fishermen and whart-hands
l. We were not allowed of the boa
r during the day and YOU should have
: seen the fellows buying fruit from
= the vendors by means Of hats on The
! ends OF ropes.all contrary to orders
{ but the boys would have fruit. II
2 the evening We debarked aud assemb
4 led for parade wish you could have
}. seen that parade, It would do an,
d American good to have seen the vel
d come we received II was entirely
l. spontaneous. as the town people wert
s entirely ignorant of our coming I'll
l. only a few hours previous. 1t wa
d more like a pretty story than a real
n ty. The people literally went wild
d II was "Nipe le Americaai" and WV
$ 'Stati Unita" with wild clappng an
e theertng all the way as we marche
II Through their narrow twisting street
@ and their beautiful "piassas.' Bu
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