The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1918-10-30
FORMER TURTLE LAKE
BOY WRITES ON FRONT

BOY WRITES ON FRONT
The following is a letter received
from Private Dudly Lawrence, for
| merly of the town of Turtle Lake
Mr.. Lawrence having lived here since
childhood is we'll known and highly
3steemed by his many friends who
| we feel, will greatly appreciate hear
ing from him. The letter is dated
in France, October 3, and says in
part:
Received your letter yesterday
and sure was glad to get 1T. You
don't know how much letter means
to fellow over here.
1--WE are up to the lines and have
been there ever since last spring, with
the exceptions of a few days now
and then. Had our first experience
in Alsace, way over near the Swiss
border and have been all along the
line since then. Took part in the
push from the Marine and found we
had been only playing at war at
other places till weegot there.
"Of course we don't get right on
the firing line but our trucks haul
supplies right up there and we are
rarely out of range of the big guns
and we seem to be special target for
bombs and air raids. They bombed
us with persistence that was
| worthy of much better cause, tC
say the least.
I'VE are always near a rail head
and they are special targets for
bombs. I'll never forget the irregular
hum of those Hun motors If | live
to be a thousand years old. One
thing about this place where we are
now that l like is that we haven't
been bombed yet, although we have
had two or three g4s attacks from
shells. Maybe L hid better knock
on wood though, for they bombed a
hospital just little way up from
here last night. Hospitals seem tc
be especially in their line, too, and
the first night we ever had raid
they killed five men in hospital
right close to us.
"Saw the prettiest air battle last
night just after supper time that
have seen since / came over here
Two German plans were circline
around with apparently not an Amer.
lean plane to be seen, when all al
once they seemed to come from every
where and before the bOches knew i,
they were between them and the
Rhine One turned and came oul
way and passed right over our heads
only couple of hundred feet high
Machine gun bullets were flying in
all directions and the best of it wa!
they were using tracer bullets which
causes them to look like a streak oil
fire and sets fire to everything it hits
Fritz finally turned just above us
but he didn't have chance. Thu
American planes got above them ant
one came down Just a few rods from
us and the other about mile
| from us.
'This country sure is shot up some
although not as bad as some l have
SEEN There isn't whole roof il
the town where we are stationed and
most of the houses are only heaps Of
rocks Got my shelter tent pitch ed
where one stood and all there is left
is five big rocks, they were the
corners of it. Nothing near as bad
as the country around Chateau
Thierry where the American artillery
pounded things to pieces. There the
towns are nothing but heaps of dust
and the fields look as if they had
been, plowed where the shells had
struck
"See lots of men over here that
have only been drafted three or -four
weeks. Seems rather funny to sec
men with numbers up to almost three
| million while we only came over last
| winter and only number around two
hundred thousand. There sure is
getting to be lots of us over here.
wish I were there to visit every.
body again and hunt little this
fall. If there is place I am home
| sick for it's Northern Minnesota, and
if I ever pull through over here
| am going to spend about three
| months up there just on vacation
Heard from the folks yesterday
| too, along with the rest of the mail
They are all we'll, but 'Jen' says
Dad talks all the time about going
| back to Minnesota l knew he
wouldn't like Iowa.
| THE machine gunners are clean
ing their guns right in front Of this
| tent. We have one with each com
! pany for protection in case of all
raids. Big guns and shells have beer
going by all day so | suppose the
Boche will catch it tonight.
| Il am writing this one a magazine
| on my knee and sitting on the
ground, so don't blame me entirely
! for the bother if you can't read this
well, the trucks are coming ir
| and supper is nearly ready, so guess
I'll have to quit. Tell everybody
| h oil In for me ~