Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1918-11-20
LETTERS FROM OUR KHAKA-CLAD WARRIORS


HIGH PRAISE FOR ROCKFORD PEOPLE
DURING EPIDEMIC RAGE
lBy Lieutenant Guy II. Smith, LIST Battafion
l6Ist Depot BEigade.Ca Grant. November Ioi
Dear Otto Brown: 1t has been some tim.
s since ! have written TO you. IN fact have
myself While things we're at the worst her,
us had to spend pretty long, hard days II
one week | through the base hosnfta
every day. The information bureau at IN.
hospital was Just like mad house. The rel
atiyes that came here to see their loved one,
had to wait their turn in line to &c. nforma
ton concerning the patients. The War Camp
Community Service took care of the relative.
while they were in Rockford and saw thai
they got ont to camp and back to town again
There were cars ready at all times TO take
them anywhere they wished to go. The PEG.
pie of Rockford surely did admirably during
the epidemic. They to be congratulated
In Just few days the hospital and iniirmaries
were filed to capacity and each company had
TO use part OF one of their barracks as a ward
for conyalescents. We had TO stop nearly all
OF the drilling that could have the men
TO take of the sick and do the guard duty
We spent a lot of time cleaning up the quart.
ers, so that everything would be sanitary
az possible. The men had to sleep alternately,
head and feet AS an extra precaution we
put up two widths of cheese cloth between
each bunk In the halls we ran one
width down the center of each table so that
they could not breathe across the table We
have not removed these yet and in fact we
JHsN Aau orders 10 leave them until
were told TO take them down. We kept a
guard on each door and il was his business
to gee that no one left the barracks unless he
was fully dressed.
At the beginning Of the Gu scare the com
parry commander had 10 go TO the hospital,
so i have been in command of the 2nd com
about twelve hundred deaths here since Sep
TENDER rs, and that inciudes from other
causes as wel as pneumonia and influenza.
We had eight deaths in my company One
man died in the Barracks the morning after
he came back from the hospital
Last Sunday ! was up to Madison to see
the fellows from Viroqua. l saw Pierce
Qually, who was about ready TO take trip
to Virginia. When passing through
West Madison l saw Professor Arthur TiiieIe
and had Just time enough TO say hello.
Yesterday large majority of the men went
to the foot ball game in Chicago and saw
Camp Taylor beat Camp Grant. had to
stay because / am The only officer on duty
with the company, though | doubt if l would
have gone anyway.
FRENCH WINE AND WOMEN A DELUSION
Iby Captain AdOiph Heinz, 340th Infant ry,
Somewhere in France, October 1871
Dear Friend MuRsOn: The July 3lst Esue
of the Censor has just reached me- Ii was
the first news from home l have received since
leaving the United States last July. Net Gless
TO say read II from 'kiver TO kiver." Several
years ago while in the Philippines became
quite accustomed TO receiving the home papers
six weeks after their publication. for it took
that long as rule. But I thought
that news could be kept quite long this
and be rfesh. Military necessity seems to
have eOrreled every available bit of trans
pOrtatiOn TO aid in the great push which
has been going on now for some time. Hence
cur mail service hasn't always been Cf the
best, However. we're glad 10 yield our per-
sonai convenience to the good of the cause,
for realize that the harder we can strike
now the sooner win i all be with.
My company is billetted in a little countty
village. rather like il because il simplifes
the problem of control. At FIRST win rouge
cred wiHe.) the sale of which is permitted to
soldiers, caused a few headaches and stomach
disorders. Bat they learned that the
stuff didn't taste good they thought il
would: And now its only an occasional spree
that has TO be dealt with Another disiliu-
siOnment is the wor!d-famous pretty French
girl" Many appear to have entertained the
idea that the land was literally filled with
the letters OF The men find them assuring
their women folk back home that the beautiful
French damsei is myth. and that there is no
occasion whatsoever to worry that score.
The thing that leaves the oldest impression
with is the practice Of herding chickens
For some other can't quite get
used 60 seeing someone standing around in a
field herding a Eoek OF chickens and driving
them back to the village towards evening just
as as they would so many sheep or goats. 10
like to see them try their hand herding the
same number of American chickens
! trust that all is well with you. Kindly re-
member TO my friends. With very best
+ wishes 10 you all. Yours very sincerely.
BIG SIGHTS ALL ALONG THE ROUTE
Jersey, November /. Written TO a young lady
friend at RED Mouud.l
Dear Friend: This camp is under qugrsn-
tine on account o. the hu- They say they are
not allowed 10 go from one barracks 10 another.
OF course aren't allowed to anyway, We
have to stay around and await orders We
are expecting orders any lime TO pack up and
go to the boat When left Camp Crane
We supposed TO go right 20 the boat
but some Of our service records were not ali
( made out, so we are laid up here until they
get them ready. Our lieutenant said we
would be ready to sail by Sunday anyhow.
We sure had quite trip from Camp Crane
here. We left Allentown at i;l5 a. IN. yes
terday and reached here at 6 p. m. Went
down to the station which was about two
miles from the camp with all our pack and
medical belt on, and believe me. we sure did
sweat some. II the first time We had
marched with our packs ON backs and
we weren't used to il. When we pulled into
the station here We had 20 hike about 2Ll.
miles to our barracks. But it was cool
We saw some great sights on this trip, lots
OF big iron works where they take il just as
II comes from the mines and turn out the
bars of pig iron. At one of these places l
saw what looked like an unfinished cannon.
1t was about 30 feet long and about is Is
inches across the larger end, looked just like
rough cannon. l also saw several hundred
loads Of motor trucks, all kinds, some set up
on the cars and others just boxed up and
shipped that way. Saw bunch of small To-
cenOtiNes, painted in gray color with the
haul supplies up to the trent Saw one
bunch of trucks which were all camou1aged.
They were painted yellow, green and a light
blue like, large spots all them. We went
through Hoboken, n. Y. There / saw a
bunch of boats and one large one all painted
like those trucks. The sides were painted to
lSok like large waves. Was near enough New
York City SO could see the Statue of Liberty
quite plain.
Camp Merritt is very large camp. 1t is
laid of just like city in streets. There are
barracks just far in every
direction. We had our stuff all laid out for
inspection today but we didn't get it. Will
have IL tomorrow morning sometime. We
have inspection abogt a half dozen times
day, most every dsJ. They inspected
Identification tags ssay TO see If they were
stamped and TO that they tied on
properly. We have to wear them all the time
now.
PREDICTED BIG THINGS THAT CAME
IBy Private John ]. ,lstad. Co. C. 2ist En-
gineers in France, September 1911
Dear Mother: I have not heard from you
for some time but viii send you & few lines
to let you know that 1 am in good health and
getting along in good shape. In fact are
so busy that can hardly hnd time to write.
but suppose when you get this you will have
read all about it in the papers. II has been
great day.
l am engine hustler now in our narrow
- hours day, but have day of each
week The Inc road work pretty
long hours sometimes. The weather is fairly
nice here, quite bit of rain. but then it
never rains very hard: l was in casual Co.
for quite a while | got a chance to see
quite a bit of France We sure travelled
around lot. Saw the old cathedral where
Joan Dare christened. also three or four
of the big cities Of France. in some of them
the old walls built by the Romans still
standing We have all need 20 eat here.
and | can buy tobacco a good deal cheaper at
the eommisary here than you could buy it in