The Ward County independent. [volume] (Minot, Ward County, N.D.) 1902-1965, 1918-09-12

do his duty well. $50 many of my
classmates are becoming officers, that
a few of US must remain privates," he
said, and he surely made a record of
which any soldier might we'll be
proud. He had a premonition that he
would not come back, as he wrote his
ago.
John was student and a philoso-
pher, and could he have been spared,
much could have been expected from
him in this sphere. Altho in student
days, he did not appear to be born
fighter, he proved his worth on the
field of battle. He had the right kind
of stuff in him. AS he parted from
his mother, before leaving for the
front, he said Mother, I'd rather live
one year in this war and make good,
than to live for 20 years and not make
the right kind of record"
concerning the sad word from the
battle, line, the father says: OTIS a
terrible blow to us, but I feel that
John would rather have done Just as
ne dld, than to have come out of the
war Scott free, without making rec
ORD. Other Minot residents will have
to stand just what we are going thru +"
Inc mother, too, is standing up IN
der the terrible blow in a stoical man
ner, characteristic of American moth
erhood. ''''
John was a remarkably fine type of
young manhood. He was a Young
man of sterling character and one who
sympathized with all humanity As
writer, he expressed himself in
remarkably clear manner and his let
ters nave been read with great inter-
est by the Independent readers. The
Following letter, next to the last one
received by his parents, is an excel
lent example of his pleasing literary
Over There, May 10, '1s.
Dear folks:
I'm fuller of news than Ladies'
Aid, but l somehow don't feel very
expressive. I've seen too much. like
~, like kid at the first Christmas
tree. We're on the Great Road that
all the world is treadng to the
trenches; we're crowding that way
ourselves, and from our place in the
mob there's not much to be seen, but
the stirring and confusion. It's stup-
efying to think of the vast machinery
pack OF US and the intricate system
around and ahead Of US. We members
OF 1t have our own set of details to at
tend to and our minds are kept pretty
much on them.
I'm now at training camp where a
few minor points of maneuvering are
taught, learning to signal, and read
and make maps, note activities and &C.
qulre what means of defense in the
war we have, like pistol shooting, gre
made throwing and crawling. The sit
uatlon is such that besides our usual
means of getting about, we've got to
initiate lizard and crawl, be a snail
a mole, live like a rat in the ground
and possibly die like grasshopper in
the frost. Then you've got to be
tlrst class assassin with bomb,
blackhander with dagger, Buffalo
Bill with a pistol and a sort of Robin
Hood with a rifle, and be able to live
like deep sea diver in gas mask,
or helmet. And we are practicing
these murderous, fantastic things in
as beautiful a country as God ever
forgot to blotch-I guess he's making
up for it in the North of France,
though.
Our trip across was quiet one,
with smooth seas, occasional fogs and
no submarine alarms. We had the
usual convoy, on nearing the zone, of
destroyers and aeroplanes; target
practice, however, was the only dem
onstration occurring The blue land
in the distance, then the views of the
Channel cliffs with the picturesque
villages and countryside above, were
blessed things; and reaching the har-
Dor, and seeing men and women again.
was mighty good, too. We stayed at
a camp near the debarkation port for
a few days, slipping out to town to
taste the French vine and meet the
folks and find tutoresses to learn the
language oui! We assembled
ourselves and bathed-things acquire
a strange oiliness at sea-spent few
days in rest and then boarded these
rafting little four wheel crates the
French use on the railroads, and for
some hours we tangled along, passing
historic cities, famous chateaux and
perfect countryside, till we reached
point near our billets. AS there were
some 81 men per box car, the size of
a wagon box, we didn't dope in get
ting out The march we made that
night (from II p. m. till morning)
with packs, up rising road, will
haunt my memory for long time.
Regular MISUNDERSTANDING men like
shadows, dull suffering land leaden
pace.
The outfits town commands view
like the ones from the Balboa Gar
dens, minus city and sea, and is
typical French country village, with
it's huddled stone houses, crooked
streets, red-tiled roofs, heirloom ma
nure piles in the front court, ,walled
yards and wee stores and so6ty cafe
and wine rooms. Which reminds sne
Of that-prices! thought thirty dol
lars in French Francs would put me
in the Keely cure or get me dis
charge, but the local barkeeps and
restaurant owners rose to the situa-
toni haven't had even headache,
and all my money is gone. and all 1--we