The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1918-11-15
From Our Soldier Boy.
Blois, France, Sept. 26, 1918.

m0nCn, but am out now ana at q KIND
of replacement camp. From here |
will be assigned to duty. / am feeling
pretty well, but my lungs are sore and
I'm awfu)ly nervous. Don't know
whether mother has written you or not
of late, but will proceed anyway.
August 81, at $50 p. m, was my
last time lover the top" We had
town to capture and had to go about
700 or 800 yards over ground as level
as the top of a table to get it. | got
about half way I guess. ! had located
machine gun emplacement with my
glasses. Was lying down doing little
sniping. The Boche were handing us a
good bit of high explosive stuff. One
landed pretty close to me, so close, in
fact, that it dazed me for minute. You
know the conclusion from them is aw-
full Well [ thot it was about time to
move on little ways after | came to
the conclusion that was all together.
There was little piece of trench about
Is inches deep, 20 yards ahead Of me,
and made for it. Hadn't any more
other "Black Baby" and caved the
| was in field hospital. That was the
4
body was twitching and jerking for all
they were worth and | was heaving up
lunch from two weeks back. The nurse
said: "My! you're having an awful
time, aren't your tried to answer
her, but I'm son of gun if | could
speak word. Was as speeches. as
tom-cat. "Well," I thot to myself,
''Chas., you're in a hell of shape
without doubt sure was sick in
the head and ''tummy" all right. Sher-
man was right. Didn't feel any wounds
on me anywhere. Had been shell
shocked and gassed. Must have been
gassed after the angels had called me.
| was taken from there to hospital in
Paris and fed on milk and liquid till
thot they were training me to be
''soup faster" for some free lunch
counter. You can't imagine me being
speeches. for any length of time, can
you? Well, wasn't for more than
day. Was talking as much as ever in
no time, but stutter. Holy smokes! it
took me half an hour to say hello. |
gradually began to get over both the
suffering and shocking and as soon as
the gas began to wear off was sent to
hospital where they have nothing but
shell shocked patients. We used to call
it the ''Nut House" and nut house is
right. wouldn't have missed it for
the world. If you weren't nuts"
when you went in, you were bound to
be when you came out.
It's great to see the different ways
in which shell conclusion affects man.
You see one guy coming down the
street jumping all over with his toes,
stopping the ground about six times to
every step. Along comes another guy
with lard pail on his head and says he
is Napoleon. The next guy looks pref
ty we'll, but when you say hello to him
you are sure he's going to burst out
crying in an attempt to answer you
and so on down the line, each and every
case a study for a long experienced
"nut house" manager. We had few
who were plumb gone in the bean. One
a Jap, who used to be bent on catching
and eating flies. He used to come into
the mess hall, throw his plate on the
floor and begin devouring the choicest
Of the flies that were unfortunate
enough to land within his reach. We
had two fellows in our ward that were
good. One was doughboy Qnf.), the
other an artilleryman. One night the
artilleryman put over barrage and
the doughboy went over the top. 1t
was Just about time for lights to go
out, the doughboy yells, cat zero plus
3 we attack with creeping barrage."
In a minute the artilleryman yells,
"First piece ready? second piece ready?
fire at Will" Well, the room fairly
rained bobnail shoes, while down the
aisle comes the doughboy with an old
broom / don't know when the artill
eryman collected all the hobnails, but
he surely had some collection while
they lasted | don't think many cases
of insanity due to she'll conclusion are
permanent. They gradually wear off,
but it leaves the nerves very tense for
some time. | am awfully nervous and
can't sleep we'll nights. Before | left
the last hospital went before a board
of doctors and was classified. They
gave me BE-, which means 6 months
behind the lines, but you are called for
re- examination every so days. | think
they send you back on the job as soon
as you are fit. This is a big camp and
there is an awful bunch of men coming
in and going out every day. We are
not allowed off the grounds during the
day till after retreat (5:45). After
that we can go down town till $50,
when we must be inside the gates.
The town itself, or city rather, is
pretty good sized and has some inter-
esting historical sights. Among them
is big chateau or castle that was in
the process af building about the time
America was discovered. 1t was built
in wings by several of Frances noted
kings, each one adding wing to suit
himself and in the popular style OF ar
chitecture during his reign. Part of it
was built by one of the King Henrys,
another by Louis XII, Francis I, and |
believe there were some more mixed
up in it. The authorities have kept it
in repair and charge 80 confines (12c)
to take you thru it. 1t surely is worth
seeing. In one of the towers is dun
geon with round trap door in the cen