The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1918-10-23
FRENCH PROUD
OF FIGHTING OF
U. s. SOLDIERS
Only Criticism is That Yam
KEGS Have No Fear, Writes
Elmer Wilde.

I'm my opinion the war will be over
by next spring, II one can tell by the
way the Americans are advancing"
says Elmer E. Wildig in recent let
ter to his mother, Mrs. Minnie NJ.
Wood. The letter follows:
Now that we are settled for a
while ! will write you a few lines. to
let you know that am well and hap
Ply, and enjoying myself immensely.
am In Pons, France, about 60 miles
from Bordeaux, In southern France
way back from the firing line. You
would never know that there was a
war on where we are if it were not
that you see the soldiers. Now that
we are away back from the firing line
we are allowed to say where we are.
Pons Is very pretty little place, every
thing is old-style and is quite change
and in fact it quite enchants per-
son. like it very much here but you
know how it Is there is no place like
your native land and l will be very
glad when the war is over.
you go into a store here and the
French people will point to a newspa-
per which says that the Americans
made a great drive and gained seven
miles, and will shake hands with you;
and some OF them call America their
savior for helping them out to beat
the Germans. The French people are
very nice and they want to speak Eng
fish and talk to the American soldiers
as badly as the American soldiers
want to learn French. They have a
great deal of patience with the Amer
lean soldiers who want to learn to
speak French and will help you out in
every way that they can.
Huns Fear Yankee Bayonets.
II am staying in an old French
house right up in town behind the
public garden And like to stop and
watch the people and their ways.
Nearly all the old homes have big high
iron fences and iron gates, which IN
America can be seen only in the NOV
ing pictures.
"The French people seem to be
quite proud of the fighting the Amer
lean have been doing. And wound
ed Frenchman that is here says that
the only trouble with them is that
they have no fear and fight the Ger
mans back too fast; and he says that
the Germans are deathly afraid of the
American bayonets, for the Americans
are so quick with their bayonets that
the Germans can not see them.
In a later letter Wildig stated: Il
don't know when we will take over
sector of the line but it is cinch that
we can not stay back here and sit
around and look pleasant all the time.
/ hope the old S7th makes name for
herself, for we have good bunch of
huskies in this outfit, and< they GER
tainly ought to make fine mess OF
the Germans when they meet.
1--WE have a little wild animal cir
Gus here at present They are asking
in France, about twenty cents in our
money, for admission to see it, and
the boys are taking it in pretty well
as it is a change. They have one
gorilla, one wolf, three tigers, one
bear and one snake.
1.-THE prices over here are very
high. / wonder some times how the
poor people live at all. l think you
could go out and buy SIS worth of food
and carry it home in your pockets"
Private Elmer F. Wildig, 81 Divis-
ion of the Headquarters Detach-
ment, American E. F. A. P. o. 906,
via New York.