The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1918-04-26

central Liberty Loan committee tor
Virginia, and is being given wide pub
licity in the state. 1t is one of the
most striking that has come from any
source. The committee prefaces the
letter with these words:
"The following letter from young
American captain to his mother shows
the spirit, the courage and the resolve
of our men over there.
''Shall we not do our part, when they
meet death smiling7 Shall we not
stand behind them?"
[ This is the message sent home:
France, Dec. 25, 1917.
Ny Darling Mother:
It is all a little hopeless and use
less, but here goes again as it is
| Christmas, and that should bring luck.
Every now and then a long-looked-
for letter arrives and then little joy
and then silence.
I am just back from "out there"
and how good little French room and
fire seem once more, and water to
wash in, lots Of it, and clean sheets,
and hot food and greatest Of all the
silence Of small town.
I have clean clothes once more,
nothing in them but me and today is
! Christmas and I should be thankful.
| "Peace on Earth good will towards all
mankind" God, what joke, but some
day peace is obliged to arrive and
| things become normal.
Don't mind if I rave in this letter
a little. I have so much to tell, so very
little can tell, and in all probability
! you will never receive it, so here goes.
Ages ago it seems I arrived over
here and have lived about six lives
since then We 60 at breakneck speed
and there will be no let up until the
Boche is whipped, and he is hard
devil to whip. I have seen him in
all his majesty, his dirt and filth, have
seen the remnant Of his handiwork
(God help them) heard his hymn Of
hate seen him or the battle field,
heard his cannon roar, his machine
gun sputter, gone through his gas,
| have been knocked down and cold by
/ his shells, watched his star shells turn
the world green, have seen him rot on
no mans land, have seen him in all
possible forms and conditions, and al
! though he is a good soldier we have
him whipped. He is fighter and a
good one, but he has met better one
than he is. have seen my men after
four days with no Sleep, in mud almost
to their waist, lousy, a little hungry,
very, very tired and in place no sane
man would like to be, crack jokes
when a shell hit little too far off,
laugh at death, and wounded, wonder
how long it will be before they could
return to hit at him once more. He
will never appreciate the spirit Of our
troops, for what the Boche doesn't pos
sess he can't understand, and the spirit
of onr men is something he will never
possess.
There was an affair on the 18th of
a certain month Qook at your Army
and Navy JournaD and being Oil the
18th OF course I was in it. The jour
nal has it wrong-things get twisted
going from here to America. but in
that little affair | saw one man go with
a smile on his face into pure death and
he knew it. What the Boche had in
tended for big thing ended in farce
for them. A few, very, very few of
US whipped hell out of God knows
how n~ny of them. We have got them
whipped, Mother, and they will soon
find it out.
Listen, no one who has not been
under shell fire can know anything
about it Ct have an overcoat or what
is left of it, I wish you could see),
bnt have seen my company under It
and for more than day Of inccssant
firing and I have yet to see one OF
them show any signs Of cowardice
They are afraid. of course; everyone
is afraid & little, but when tie noise
of bursting shells was so great that /
wou!d have to lean close and yell to
be heard. they always had q smile and
q joke in reply.
have told You before that I am
a captain. and my company OF go men
arc Just the best in the world. They
like me and / idolize them, and we
certainly pull together. God help the
Roche when we hit him, for we won't
We have given him small sample
of the meal he ha; yet to eat, aud he
is going to strangle over it.
"War Is He'll"