The Belding banner-news. (Belding, Mich.) 1918-1973, 1918-09-25

is going to be something gathered be-
sides helmets and we won't forget
to tack on big interest, you bet
! have heard from Edwin Bailey
and was glad to hear from him and
wish we could see each other. also
heard from Francis Bailey. Some
day l may meet the bunch and help
them sing, Home, Sweet Home"
Well, / am o. k, so don't worry
about me and am right there when
the "chow" is ready and it is mighty
good. Give my regards to all my
friends and tell them hello for me:
With love to all the family and tell
little Ed. think of him often.
CLARENCE.
Corporal Clarence C. Bailey, y
Co. A., Sd M. G. Bn., A. K. f.
The next letter is from Corporal
Carlton Davis, son of Mrs. George E.
King, and gives a fairly accurate de-
scription of the monotonous life of a
soldier while the big shells are fail
ing like raindrops around him:
Somewhere in France, July IL.
Dear Mother:
After nearly four months am able
to get letter out to you. have
been in the front for the last month
and was usually too tired to write
when had time and in May | was
travelling too much. We had-a pref
ty hard fight this time but we came
through en- top. | lost the best off
Ger ever had or expect to have as
long as r am in the service, Lieut..
Hugh McFarlan, listed in the casualty
list as severely wounded. i was up
with him the night before until about
four hours before he was killed. They
wounded two Sheenies and killed two
mules at the same time with machine
guns. might have been in the
bunch too, but the night before we
were to take the rations, Lieut.. Nc
Farlan was guiding US. Well, we
came to valley and Lieut.. McFarlan
said the town we were to take the
supplies to was at the other end. We
kept on going and pretty soon l no.
ticed that the fields on the ether side
were literally piowed up with high
explosive shells and told the sergeant
that they surely must have done some
fighting there. We had not gone a
hundred yards. until the Boche's ear
tillery opened up on US and COM
menced putting them all around US
and all over the road. We just kept
en- driving. Lieut.. Nc. never finch
ing. not even when one lit on the
bank and threw debris all over uA We
reached the town all right and UNI
loaded the supplies as quickly as we
could and then Lieut.. Nc. told me to
get out of there as quick as / could.
Well, | turned around and had hardly
started before shell lit in front CT
oil hot IN,
the road. The one behind me left
me minus one wheel, brake and tool
box and nearly, knocked me out"
with the conclusion, while the enc in
front of me staggered one Of my
mules. / dashed them on run with
the lines and jumped off so as to
tighten the load and / never ran so
fast in my life with shells following
me up. Finally / arrived at town
two kilometers back Ga kilometer is
approximately 5-8 mile), and unhook-
ed just at day break, straddled mule
and rode back. If / had not of lost
my wheel / might have been with
Lieut.. Nc. But ] am still on top
with scarcely a scratch.
All this was the first night. 1t has
been a month since, with the same
thing nearly every night. What do
you think of the Marines by what the
papers say? am in pretty good
Corp. Carlton B. Davis,
9Th Regt. Supply Co., u. S. Marines,
A. E. F.. France.
John Reynolds is in receipt of the
following from his daughter, Mrs:
Frank Gerred, of Boyne City, and
tells the traiic fate that ended the
life of their son, Ralph, who was
frequent visitor here:
Boyne City, Sept. %, 1918.
Dear Father and Sister,: 4tt
The letter written by Ralph print
ed in the paper we sent you was the
last one he will write US last night
we received tn following telegram:
Washington, d. c., 4:03 p. m, Sept.
81, 1918.
deeply regret to inform you that
Private Ralph Earnest Gerred died of
drowning August 18th, body recover
ed"
A short but snappy letter from our
cid side-wheeler when we worked up
in the warping room, "Scrubby"
Haynes, tells US that editors are not
acceptable in the army with men and
also imparts the information that our
friend has taken another step up,
Sergeant Haynes, if you please. Well,
if the draft ever gets us, we would
like nothing better than to have Cap
tain Scrubby Haynes over us. His
letter is as follows:
Camp Custer, Sept. %, 1918.
Hon. Ed. ID. Engermann.
Candidate for any office he can get.
Friend Ed.:I see by the Belding
Banner News that local man had
recently watched me line up q bunch
of rockies that / was awfully hard
on them. etc.
Now, Ed, that local man you refer
to was handing you large package
of the stuff that made Barnum ia
mous-in other words--Bunco.
never insinuated that my men. had
lice or needed a crutch. Most men
of that type are editors and are un-
fit to be soldiers. take pleasure in
IL n - l-x