Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1918-04-24
PINK S|MMS WRITES
ANOTHER INTERESTING
LETTER FROM FRANCE
FORMER COWBOY IN A LETTER
TO MISS PAULINE HESSLER
RELATES INCIDENTS

The following is the second letter
written by Pink Simms of Co. c., 18th
U. S. Engs., in France to Miss Paul
inc Hessler of Rockford:
II am at present unoccupied SO will
drop you few lines. / am glad that
my letter reached Rockford all right
and that my friends were interested
in it. / am. slightly under the wealth
er, due to hard work and long hours
in the cold but l am not discouraged.
1t has been quite quiet on the front
for some time with the exception of
artillery duels which do not let up for
long. Our line shelled at one point
without any great damage and no
losses.
"We have not had any bad air raids
for a long while but we expect to
catch it worse than ever when the
next moon comes up and we may
have some this moon as it is nearly
full now (Feb. 2I. The press, the
army and the boche prisoners make
no secret that Germany is about to
launch the great offensive Of all times.
We expect it at any time but do not
know at what point on the line it will
fall. AS | am at a point that has
been favorite battle ground of the,
Huns and the Scene of many of their
defeats | would not be surprised if it
came here.
Il have been trying to transfer into
some branch. Of the service where /
can see more fighting but so far have
met with no success on account of my
mechanical experience which is con-
sidered more valuable than my fight
ing ability and no doubt but that they
are right. But / would like to be in
the thickest of this. Last fall / vis-
tied the front line trenches at many
points and was in two attacks. / saw
the men sleeping and eating amid the
filth and the rats and later saw them
wounded and dying
II wanted to be with them always
and not in the rear of the third or sec
ond line, hauling munitions. Besides
we are the most priced target of the
airmen and the heavy artillery where.
over they can find US. But we must
die as any soldier without the salts.
faction of fighting unless the enemy
breaks through. l sometimes almost
wish that they would break through
so we would have chance at them.
Having spent the greater part of
my life as a cowboy l thought per-
haps my skill with horses would get
me into. .the light artillery and when
l was not working / spent all of my
spare time with the French artillery
and / have had the pleasure of send
ing many shots whistling into the
German trenches. But was turned
down fiat when my engineering exper-
fence became knewn.
There is not great deal of sat
isfaction to me in firing the heavy
artillery for the shells are bursting
far in the rear of the lines and l
know that there are French people
over there, men, women and children
the wives, mother and sisters of
our brave friends and already they
have suffered more than any soldier
who has lived through the hell of
three years in the trenches. | hate
to think of the possibility of causing
them any more sorrow. We know
that French and Belgian peasants are
German lines and it is regretable that |
in order to drive the Germans out of
France, we must first fight over
Frances own land. inhabited by her
own people. who have already seen
much fighting and will see much more.
"In the once beautiful forest of the |
Argonne and in between the hills that !
so valiantly defended Verdun are the |
ruins of many old towns and villages,
an irreparable loss. Some lay almost |
entirely in "No Mans Landr and are
\ pile of cHfshed rock and masonry
hardly Sone stone upon another. But /
never have / seen a church entirely |
3 There is always some
hing to show that there had once
been church there.
"Miles in the rear of the present
inc, on a spot where one Of the fierc-
st engagements was fought during
he retreat of the Germans at the
Marne, / saw large crucifix, stand
ng clear against the sky amid the
-uins of the village where not single
,ouse was left standing. l wondered
Who had erected it and went over
here. Over 200 years before It had
,een erected inside little church and
he church had been completely shot
rom around it.
cit seemed like q rebuke to the
powers that are trying to destroy
Strange things happen
,ere and never have / seen single
nan who doubted but what after
leath there is another life. I'll
Payne, Voltaire and Ingersoll were
live they would destroy their works
Ind write anew.
'1 intend to pay visit to Rheims
(Continucd~o on Pare FOurl