The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1918-11-16
WAITSFIELD
Philip E. Bisbee Transferred to Military
Police anization-Located
at Autun.

ing Go. No. Z, military police, Autun
(Saone Loire, France, to Mr. and
Mrs. b. D. Bisbee:
Oct. l5,It seems rather funny that
you are so long getting some OF my let
tiers, although | suppose we shouldn't
wonder, either, because there are many
things to delay them If there is lot
of mail going, the censors may not be
able to go through it for few days
Then it may be held up by the base
4 censor, or if it waits few days for the
boats and then nails, perhaps, a slow
one, it will be some time on the way
4 In answer to some Of your queries, Pm
still with Co. o, 302d infantry, shan't
be long. That newspaper dope has been
sadly wrong. We haven't seen any fight
ing or anything like it, though lots ]
know have. This outfit has been either
lucky or unlucky, as one looks at it. We
have been labor unit for some time
and in one letter ] told you of our work.
have built roads, patched roads, taken
care of bunch of horses, driven four,
and dug ditch Tell Doc that he probably
works harder and more hours than do,
though other conditions are better.
! In DeSouge we were in very poor
section of France much like our
\ Arizona and New Mexico. The people
were mostly Spanish French and would
remind you of our gypsies. They would
take your clothes If they could. These
were just the people near camp. In Bor-
deauX there were, of course, all kinds.
At DeSouge we were in camp, with all
a camps hustle and life. The sand was
knee-deep: sand that you found in your
clothes, after you'd washed EN-; sand in
your eyes, in your shoes, in your mess
kit, mixed with your slum and bacon, in
your bed and even in the bottom of your
barracks bag. Sand Sand! Sandl
Now we have taken a trip into central
France, wonderful section, where they
raise everything, Some of the finest cat
tie you ever saw-a cream-white mush
like Handsome" in color What |
should call a dual purpose COW, but only
few are perfect dairy type. There
are lots of fine fields and in some ways
the people are up-to-date. As a rule,
America is away ahead of other coun
| tries in tools and in fact in everything
that is labor saving. Sad to relate, she
is not in economy, and the use of every
corner of land
Sunday, saw big thresher at work
1t filed five bags at a time, like our
grain bags, and everything but the
straw and clean grain was run through
twice. Not bit OF waste, and it sure
would work. 1t was run by big steam
engine and | would have liked to feed ii
for a few minutes and show the French
men how we use machinery, | don't
4. g. lal AZ 4
also saw sulky pillow and Mc-Cor-
mack reaper.
Down below they used mules, French
ponies and jacks. The mules were
hitched up with yokes and collars in
side the bows. All the wagons are two
wheeled. You would see little jack
come along drawing three or four peo-
pie and load beside, when the jack
wouldn't weigh more than two hundred.
Up here they use big oxen and big
horses, quite often studs. The wagons
are two-wheeled and much of the time
the yoke is fastened to the oxen's horns
instead of drawing from the shoulder.
The French harness covers most of the
horse and they very seldom drive three
abreast. / think it would make Doc
laugh to see 'em load six foot logs with
ladder on gig, or saw lumber with
portable saw mill.
The houses everywhere in France are
of stone. They are rather stingy with
windows, but the homes are many times
neat and pretty. Up here an American
soldier is something new and the people
are very hospitable ana nice. They are
different type of people and much bet
ter. If only eats" were as plentiful as
drinks it would be fine.
We are billeted in real old French
chateau, all of stone, with the main
building and outbuildings all connected,
forming three sides of a courtyard-the
fourth side being a wall Outside the
wall is what is left Of an oldfashioned
garden, a brook is on two sides, hedged
walks and two old wells. In front Of
the main building is long level strip Of
grass and road comes from the woods
on the farther side
The chateau, like the pictures you
have seen, is covered with towers. One
is a chapel, and one what / should call
lock up There must be some eighty
odd rooms or more, some small, Others
large. Halls, wine-room, sleeping apart
ments, servants quarters, granary, sta
bles, etc | sleep in the tower on the
southeast corner, The building has
round and square windows, narrow wind
ing stairways, and everything imagin.
able One can Just shut his eyes and let
his imagination 60 till it pictures all
sorts of things and happenings, here in
days gone byduels, feuds, political in
trigues, feasts, night revels, to say moth
ing of midnight Opponents by knight
and lady.
There are a number Of small towns in
the vicinity-some just little cluster
Of ten or twenty housewife others
are of real size. In the dusk of moon
light night, when details are lost the
country isn't unlike New England
Bushes and trees along the roadsides
and small clumps Of trees and woods
dotted here and there all through the
valleys and on the hillsides. Each fence
is lined with trees, but you don't see
any stone walls as you do in England, |
The walls are either of brick or of rock
and cement. They are usually around
some chateau or farmyard. Many of
them are six feet high and topped with
barbed wire or broken glass. A fine
keep off -the-g grass" sign.
Roy Bragg and Percy were left be-
hind at Souge, so don't know as ! will
see them again. They may come on later
as they didn't either one have anything
serious the matter.
Oct 20--Well am transferred and be-
lieve me am happy, | have wanted one
and tried for this ever since landed,in,the |
outfit 1t is a military police organiza
ton and we are at Autun. You can