The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1918-06-26
ufuT. WILL TAKES
1RAIAlOAD OF
TROOPS TO PORT
Of EhDARkAT|On

vi ls1DhHHhlI UN
Lieut.. G. A. Wills, of Company D,
has just taken trainload of troops to
a port of embarkation, and the fol-
lowing letter from a Sanford boy to
the Sanford Herald, aside from its
reference to him, will be Of interest
for the information it contains. and
we therefore reproduce it herewith:
The following letter from Oscar
Speer will be interesting to his many
friends:
Camp Wheeler June Automatic
Replacement Draft Overseas
Casuals, Camp Merritt, N. j.,
June 14th, 1918.
My Dear Mother:
Arrived here safe and sound. Had
most delightful trip. We were
just forty-eight hours on the road,
but l didn't get tired at all, for it
was all very interesting to me, it be-
ing my first trip east.
We all CALAMITY marched over to
the Camp Wheeler Station at 9 a. m.
Wednesday where we boarded the
train for Hoboken, N. ]. The 124th
Band was there and gave us a good
send off.
We arrived at Augusta, Ca, 3
p. m. and were met by the Red Cross
ladies who served us with ice cream
cones, cigarettes and post cards.
The Red Cross certainly does won
derful work and if it wasn't for
them don't know what we would
do. We were to parade in Washing.
ton, D. c., but on leaving Augusta
our engine broke down about three
miles from the city SO we were two
hours late and didn't have time, for
we only stayed in Washington about
twenty minutes. The Red Cross la
dies had their canteen near the depot
and served us with hot coffee and
got a view of the
White House and the Monument from
the train.
BY the way, we passed through
Rocky Mount, N. c., and Richmond,
Va. We were not supposed to run
into Richmond but they had to run In
for ice and water and two barrels of
apples which Lieut.. Wills of Lake.
land, Fla, who has charge of us till
we embark, had wired ahead for.
Richmond is certainly pretty place,
and 1t surely seemed strange riding
up busy street in the main part of
the city on train. The Red Cross
ladies of Richmond served US with
ice tea and post cards. All the way
up there was always large crowd to
cheer us as we passed. declare,
mother, I never did see such a pretty
sight as l did last night, just after
dusk Git never gets dark up here till
o'clock eastern time-I declare it
kept me busy all day turning up my
watch-as soon as we crossed into
Virginia the time changed). When
we passed over the Delaware river
you could see the cities for miles
around all lit up. We passed through
the outskirts Of Wilmington, Del,
Chester, Pa, and through South Phil
adelphia. These three cities are all
on chain, connecting each other.
Mother, we stopped quite awhile in
South Philadelphia, and there were
between rs and 100 good looking girls
down to tell us goodbye. They all
shook hands with us and some Of
them went as far as to kiss some"
of the "boys"-but not me, nix!
Mother, they all talk so funny,
they've got that Penn. Dutch drag"
but believe me, they are certainly all
crazy about soldiers.
We passed through New York city
last night between IL and l o'clock
but I was asleep. When | woke up
at A p. m. we were sidetracked on
the outskirts Of Jersey City, N. ].
Gust across the river from New
York;. We stayed there till a. m.
and then came on to camp. l saw
the Statue of Liberty from the train
early this morning, also very high
cliff covered with grass and rock. It
was certainly a pretty sight.
We also passed through several
tunnels and we all had to put down
our windows or be checked to death