The copper era and Morenci leader., 1918-10-04
RIP INGRAM WRITE
 NEWSFROM FRANCE
MAKES PREDICTION OF TERMINA TON OF WAR WITHIN EIGHTEEN ONTHS-"WINE, WOMEN AND SONG" IN FRANCE SADLY LACK ING.
(By Harry Rip" Ingram.) Somewhere in France,
 August "A, 1918.

August Zf, lJlS.
 P. Riley, Clifton, Arizona
 q can't tell you how much I en- joyed your letter which I received a few days ago. It contained more news than I have received altogether since | have been on this side of the pond. I also received the edition of The Copper Era which you SO kindly mailed me and I read every line of it, and shall look forward with pleas ure to any copies which you may mail me in the future.
 I had no idea so many had gone in- to the army from Clifton, and the town must indeed have the appear likely to be a long time vacant, which doubtless is the case with every other town in the U. S. at this time. It really seems as though America had temporarily moved to France.
 From the way things have been go. ingly lately most of us over here are of the opinion we will be home in- side of a year or eighteen months. The Germans are bound to realize very soon that they are up against a hopeless proposition when it comes to winning the war, and it is my belief that it is just question of how much longer the kaiser can make his people believe his lies until it is drawn to a successful conclusion for the allies. You should see the surprise of the prisoners that are brought in when they see the modern equipment of all kinds the vast supplies, etc, that the United States has over here-their eyes fairly bulge with wonder, and they know that the Americans are very much in the war. There's no doubt but that we will be the deciding factor.
 I have noticed among the prisoners taken lately large number who ap- pear to be mere boys and a great many who have the appearance of be- ing quite old men. They are certainly one crumby looking bunch of repro bates. They are about as awkward as an ox-it's a fact, they look more like some kind of a brute than anything else to me. I hate. to think of what some of our boys must be suffering at their hands in Germany.
 Since writing you last have chang ed my address. am now situated out in the country, which comes about as near being nowhere at all as any place I can imagine Our only method of bathing is derived from a small river which runs in about one-half mile of camp and the water is ice cold, so if some other arrangement is not made bv October T expect to take my last bath about Sept. 30-that 's. my last bath until hot weather next year sets in.
 The foot hills of the Alps are plain " visible from camp, so you "an imagine that it is very probable the winter will be rather hard here. I don't mind army life so much in s''-'- mer. but I must confess don't look forward with any pleasant antic'"a- ton to this winter. The ~arv thouehts Of getting up while it is etilI dark in as cold a place as this is hound n be in the dead of winter is enough to make 120 in the shade very welcome.
 can see now where the best times I ever had were right in Clifton, and don't believe as many good fellows could be found in place of equal population in the States. That insti- tuition of Charlie Bonds was in a class all by itself notwithstanding the opinion of one or two of the neighbors to the country. Guess the Chinaman n will live and die there as long as there are any of the boys to. feed. He's a great fellow and really has a wonder ful disposition when you consider what he has had to put up with 'n his time. There is fellow in ~v comDanv who went to school with