Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-10-21
WOUNDED in FRANCE,
SPORTS WRITER JESTS
"Billy" Crauel, of Evening
Pubic Ledger, Sends
Jocular Letter

"1 am getting we'll" writes Private
William b. Grauel, Company II, lO9th
Infantry. from Base Hospital No. 80, In
France. to friend in Philadelphia.
"Bnl" Grauel was a member Of the
EVENING PUBLIC LEDGER's sports de-
partment staff until he shoudered a
gun and sailed away to France. lie
was wounded several weeks ago.
His letter, which he wrote in Ring
Lardner style. follows
"Dear Friend:
' was goln' to rite you an lettur
some time ago last weak and whyll !
ment well some thing or uther turned
upp & | did not rite as / expected TO-.
however | am feelin CRATE now havin'
more time on my hands thout | wood
rite L few lines tonite. Last mite we
had show in the mess hall of the hos
pital and it was fine & CRATE. there was
fellah that initiated red cross nurse
and was dressed all the same like a red
y nurse onle he was blackened like bert
williams or like frank tinnie yuscd 10
appear.
Good Acting
their was a fellah actin with him
that was also dressed like IA culored man
& together them too was very good. The
fellah that wasant dressed like a red y
gurl told the fellah that was dressed like
a red cross wurker that he>was shot in
the swass-ons all the gang thout very
much OF the joak and every one had a
good laf. The fellah that wasant dressed
like a nurse sung CRATE song about
81 do not wunt to get Well. and all the
fellahs thout 1t was dandie. Then the
fellah that was made-upp like the nurse
sung a parode and it was big.
I'VE 'uns-knot huns--we 'uns hear in
the hosptel have some CRATE times.
Their is a picture of movees showed In
the entertainment parlur five mites out
of seven in the weak and that amt 50
wurse. all the fellahs that II Wounded
get the best OF treetement and you may
have herd that good song about | dc
not wunt to get WELL" Well. that's the
way everybody feels about il, but the
docturs soon make us snap rite out OF
it--and then a fellah goes TO conval-
sent camp where fellah has chanse
to recuperrate.
81 have bin hear sinse the fifteenth OF
July and certainly have enjoled my
state hear. The docturs T. very kindly
and treet us CRATE. it is safer some time
back hum in phillie but woodn't have
missed my visit to the frunt for wurld
never new a felah could be so scarded
As TO Prayer
81 new their was a lot of prayerer'
in the bible that | never new but whei
started--or rathur when fritz started
the wons that nu sed twice or maybe
thrise Anyway, nevur expected e
reach hear in the hospitel but when go
hear | was so ticliled that ! was glad'
that had left the soft burth bach II
good old phillie.
81 wunted TO tell you whot thou
OF France. II is crate and wondurfe
sxcuce eror-plase g. / am very glade
was spared to sea II. | wasn't mucl
wuried comm over eXsept when we wer
told we was in the dangur some. the
was scared like the mite | furst dranl
box cocktail and thout ! was goin' L
dye. But / kept looking and watching
at the other fellahs and as they didn'
seemed SCARED / nevur let on even to
myself.
Details withheld
"Of course, cannot go into my de
tales about my life in the trenses.
wish sometimes that was possessed o
a Literary talant. when the war go
itself ovur | would cum hum and rit
about what the marines did to the gard
from Prussic acid, what the third did a
the battle of Vinago Rouge, what tn
rainboe devison done, what our boi
from the keystone state did-well mayb
1t would go big.
before clocsing I want to state tina
am gettin very well and may soon TAX
another crak at the enemy-all five o
X them or those that r left / will cloce
hoping you get this epistle o. X. all rite