Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1918-02-06
Mrs. JnO. A. Jewell Received Two
Most Interesting Letters From
Relatives in Her Old Home
in England.
ONE BROTHER DIED
FROM SHOT IN SPINE
Has Nephew Blinded Lying in Hos
pital i'm Havre, France. Letters
Contain Much First
Hand News.

of printing two very interesting let
ters from England this week by Mrs.
JIo. A. Jewell, of route g. One of
the letters is from her sister, Mrs.
Jno. Smedley, of Acton, England, a
suburb within a few miles OF London,
Mrs. JEWELS childhood home. The
other letter is from Mrs. Jewells
brother, J. A. Hattol, written to his
sister, Mrs. Smedley. He was in re-
serve, and has not been home since
war was declared.
Mrs. Jewell's brother Fred was
shot in the spine in battle in France
soon after war started. The lower
part of his body was paralyked. aid
he died some six or seven months
afterwards. He was out of the hos
pital two weeks.
Mrs. Jewell's nephew Jack, eldest
son Of her brother, j. A. Hatton. is
lying in hospital in Havre, France,
blind. so the world war is brought
home very vividly to Mrs. Jewell.
Following are the letters.
Mrs. Smedley
1873 The Vale
Acton, England.
My Dear Sister:
Thanks SO much for your kindly
Xmas remembrance. began to think
that something must have happened
to you as for whole year l had not
received line from you. ! am
pleased Davy Jones has been cheated
of this mail for he has had more than
his share of our letters that is evi.
dent. Now sis you ask me my opin-
ion about the war; here. It Is, Weshall
beat them hands down and at their
own game and soon. am thinking
as soon as your adopted country is
ready to throw its weight in with
ours, 1t would have been all over by
to converse with one of our bOnny
lads is to drive away all doubt; they
would have been resting by now bar
ring Russia and yet sis you cant help
pittying Russia to q certain extent for
they had freedom in sight aid let it
slip for the shadow, as the dog did in
the old fable. They have not the
same grit in them as the British
have. They are war-weary SO are
we, everybody in fact is, but it only
makes us all the more determined to
see it finished off properly. Every
body has a stake in this war sis, that
is why it is so different from all other
wars, but in the old country we still
plod along and keep smiling and
make the best of what we can get.
Food is scarce here, very scarce and
dear, but here is the rub: II every
body would play the game and not
corner the supplies there is enough
for all. Sugar we are learning to do
without, condensed milk is like fi1d-
ing a needle in a bundle Of hay and
to get / lib. ole0margeri1e waited
over three hours in quene last Wed
nesday, Dec. 10. That is what rattles
US sister mine, the wicked waste OF
time. OF course some people send
their children, l would not on princi-
pie for poor mites 1t Is too much; and
while was waiting for my turn
/ heard a woman say, she had OBJ
tanned lbs. on the Monday at diff
ferent shops and didn't l give her a
piece of my mind, not half. She
didn't get any at this one for l made
it too warm for her, she hoped of.
Now sis you must admit Britain has
had lions share to perform, we have
had to find food. money and men for
so many different fronts aid we are
not a nation of soldiers as those un-
speakable devils were, but everything
the country has asked of us we have
done our best to follow, except few.
There are certain sections would far
rather the other side won, their In
terests are there, but they have need
to worry, if men failed the women
of England would see it through. AS
you have not received my letters you
can't know my son has joined up
again; he went in August 1915 when
he was Is to avenge his uncle Fred.
but l claimed him out. He seemed so
sweet and young my heart would not
let him take his chance: But as soon
as he was II he joined the Royal Mar
ines and signed on for IL years. He
is now at Deal. ] had letter Christ
mas eve from him; this is his first
Christmas away from me and ne
knew how l should feel about 1t and
this is an extract from 1t: Darling
Mother: l am enjoying myself fine; !
don't think l will come home to din
ner tomorrow for / know you wont
have goose and pudding and all what
they have invited me to but l Will
toast you dear. and be with you the
end of February. then we will have
six whole days together; no wash
Ing that week Num-. But In his
Aunty Edies letter there was a very
different version. he says: Take the
|kiddies round to mother and try to
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