The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1918-10-16
Will SANMON
| OBJECTS TO RULE
| AGAINST KISSING

The editor received the following
interesting letter from Will Sammon
which his friends will be very glad
to read:
Camp Personnel Office,
Camp Shelby, Miss,
October 10, 1918.
Mr.. M. F. Hetherington,
Lakeland, Fla.
My Dear Mr.. Hetherington: You
people at home may be excited this
morning over the report that our
Dutchmen are yelling for peace. but
your enthusiasm can not compare
with the stir that this bit of news is
creating in one said Camp Shelby.
It's entirely too early to give those
raiders Of Belgium a rest and give
them a chance to dodge the licking
Americans had in store for them, but,
in spite of it ALL the boys here are
kidding one another long with We'll
all go home Friday next"
Many of our friends and relatives.
no doubt, are having fears of the
"flu" getting hold on this camp, but
you tell them that we are away ahead
OF this thing and that if cooperative
precaution means anything, there will
be mighty little of this in our camp.
Men in authority here have taken a
hold of the situation early and are
going after things with a vigor and
vim that will knock "flu" or any
other disease cold in their tracks be-
fore they could get a start. No quar-.
antine has been put on our camp
yet, but passes have been cut down to
where only five per cent of the men
can be away at time, all cafes are
instructed to keep crowds down, pic
ture shows, dances, and all kind Of
gatherings have been cut out, and IT
would make you laugh to see us going
into canteen, staying six feet away
from your nearest man. Makes the
crowd look like a caravan going up
to an oasis in Sahara. Cutting out
the dances, I must confess, affects
yours truly more than any measure |
know of, but we will make Up for
that in few weeks 1t is reported,
too that there has been bar put
en- the girls kissing the boys, but to
tell the truth, ! can't say that there
has been any decided change in this
good old fashioned custom. Before |
give up the few chances have along
this line, will have to be convinced
by better authorities than old maids
and has been scientists who are pro-
noting these sterilized ideas. The
fact of the business is I'd take .nflu-
enza, hydrophobia, st. Vitas' dance,
or most anything to get full swing
at some Of these maidens ] have seen
since being here, and fear there are
about ten thousand of us here who
would agree with me to the nth
power.
We are getting ready for the big
draft bunch arriving here soon, and
shouldn't be surprised but l shall
see lot of my older friends rolling
in for a uniform and other equipments
have written Clayton, Weeks and
several others that we have their
suits all ready. Shall / pick one for
you? You know you get them for
the asking-and they surely do fit
like one of Joe Levay's HAND me
downs. Too bad we missed Cracker
Jones, as he would have been the de-
light of our souls dolled up Kitchen
Police regalia.
Letters in most any other direction
but Lakeland are short, but somehow
or other, when a fellow gets to writ
ing back to his good friends back
there in the best little village In the
country, his machine runs away with
him as we'll as his head and heart,
so I'm slowing up now before the
| second wave gets me, and yor too.
i So with kindest regards to yourself
and family, all the Office force of
your paper, and to any of my old
friends who may ask about me, I beg
| to remain, as ever,
Most sincerely yours,
BILL SAMMON.