Free trader-journal. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1916-1920, 1918-08-06
Lieut.. Pool Writes.

10 walk up to Hun officer, snip off .
his shoulder straps and keep them as .
souvenirs. That's what the Ottawan .
did and he tells of 1t Interestingly in
a letter to his parents, Mr.. and Mrs, /
Carlisle Pool. of State street. Lieut. I
Pool has been in the front lines for
several months He is connected with
regimental headquarters and is close
enough to get in on all the action as
it is dished up in its varigated forms
He says:
My dear Folks;
Over week has passed since last
scratched off few lines to you and
only hope that any delay in receiving
this has not caused you any worry.
Time passes by so quickly and there
are so many things to take your time
an6 distract your thoughts that Of
ten find il difficult to sit down and
actually write you a letter
A great many times | realize how
very little information | send you and
how very little you really know of
this place and the conditions We live
under. am afraid that you too of.
ten think that this is life of misery
and suffering and that conditions are
terrible and food is bad. Far from it,
we get good food and plenty of it and
although 1t isn't pleasant to get
caught out in a trench or an open spot
when old Fritzy opens up with
oombardment, or pleasant to have gas
shells dropped on your positions and
compelled to wear a gas mask for a
few hours, still we rather get used to
these things and don't mind it as
much as you think. Although am at
reglmenta headquarters as an opera.
ton officer, still find plenty of oppor-
tunlty to wander over our line and
position and see all that goes on.
believe that | know about as much
conc erning the general layout of this
place as anyone. am firmly convinc-
ed that the experience | am having
Will be OF the utmost value TO me in
time to come, and that times may look
dark and the risks great, still every
thing will all be for the good in the
end
Ihere Is always one officer on
duty here in headquarters and to.
night seems to have fallen to me. The
place Is quiet except for the talking
OF couple of orderlies over in the
corner and the firing of the batteries
all around. The latter is such
regular sound that we don't pay much
attention any more. We have just fin
lshed twenty-minute barrage on the
German lines for the purpose of
assisting raiding party of a unit on
our hank. | hope they killed or cap.
| tured a lot of Boche We made quite
a haul the other morning, capturing
thirty-two and killing a whole bunch.
| cut the shoulder straps off of a
couple when We lined them up here at
headquarters and also took a little
collection Of my own, including some
German coins The square heads
Cpardon the language seemed glad TO
be captured The Americans have
got their goat for they never know
what the fool American is going TO
do next believe the Germans think
Americans are all crazy. for they raid
him to death and poster the life out
Iot him all the time
The front is particularly inter.
esting place at night for this is the
time everything is going on. (Gen.
( eral attack is an eXceptionl Flares
and rockets are in the air all the
time and at times noman'sland is as
light as day. You would think that it
was a demonstration Of fireworks. The
German puts up all kinds and colors
OF rockets, evidently using them for
lighting up norman sland. signaling.
etc. He uses them much more ex.
tensively than we do and sometimes
tor apparently useless purposes.
! received several letters in bunch
the other day, two or three from you,
also one from jamie Catin. must
answer his immediately havp a1so