The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1918-12-19

/
by the light of my one candle pow.
er candle / am going to write you a
letter which / should have written
some time ago. But since have land
! ed In France have been the busiest
man you ever saw" begins Capt. Wal.
ter j. Fishering in recent letter. Cap
tain Fishering is graduate Of the FIT.
Wayne high school and spent two
years in Earlham college.
In the first place received my no
tice of my promotion to captain on
Oct. Fl with rank as such from Aug
ust %. The promotions Of officers in
our regiment were announced in the
States shortly after we embarked on
Sept. s, and we didn't receive notice
until Oct. 81. Well, as soon as I re-
ceived my promotion l asked the col
onel for company, and was soon Civ
en- command of G. company where
there was vacancy. l had grown
very tired of my staff job in the regf-
ment, as personal adjutant. Ever
since l took command of the company
we have been on the go. The regi-
ment is all split up and is operating
in companies, wherever needed.
"A week ago last Sunday crurier
from the I'd division headquarters got
me out of bed at a. m. with orders
to proceed with my company to a
place fifteen miles from where we
were stationed, in order to mobilize
with other troops for big smash,
providing the armistice was not sign
ed. We Immediately broke camp and
started out with two days emergency
rations (hard tack and beat for the
mobilization center. Thank God the
armistice was signed, and the big
drive called off The Huns certainly
suffered from one of the worst bar
RACES l ever saw right up to last min
ute, of the time set to cease firing
and exactly at the appointed time ev-
erything was absolutely quiet We
can hardly get used to the quiet that
reigns after being continuously near
the roar of the guns.
after the firing stopped l was or
dered to take my company to another
station twenty-five miles from where
we were, SO we drew two more days
rations of hard tack and were on the
march about a day and half, when
we reached the place where we are
now stationed. / have my whole COM
pany nicely billeted in an old German
barrack. | have nice shanty for my
self, and a good German stove. 1t is
showing now and we are all thinking
of how we are situated in comparison
to what might have been if the war
were not over.
None of our regiment have been
over the top but we have been under
Austrian and German fire and couldn't
fire back and that is bad enough.
Those Austrian SIS surely tore up the
earth. A few of my men will get
wound chevrons but not many.
Forgot to tell you that have been
operating in the Verdun sector ever
since arriving here.
Yesterday Sunday my men prowl-
ed around these woods and brought
back a whole wagon load of German
helmets, rifles, bayonets and the like.
Whenever one of them would come
back with two he would chase up to
my quarters with one for me. If /
would attempt to bring home all the
and relics l would like to
bring / would have to charter ship.
And all want is berth, and right
soon for l am anxious to get back. l
have seen enough, although I'm might
ly glad that l got to come over.
81 hear a lot Of wrangling among
my men down in the woods, will have
to take my 45 and a flash light and
see what's up.
"Returned-a crap game wasn't go
Ing just right. My men got paid yes
terday first time in two months, and
the money is changing hands. They
got pal din French money and the
Il -
a certain piece of paper mon
ey was worth so francs or 100 francs. |
settled the matter for them and
broke up the game.
1.-The bugler is trying his best to
blow Call to Quarters" and it sounds |
ike he was holding the bugle with a |
rozen hand, with the other showed |
lown in the horn, and at the same |
line choking to death.
Here's hoping that the 'big heart
ID" American people will not get too |
with the poor starving |
Germans If they would leave 1t to
he armies in the field over here, the
Hun would continue to starve."
''Thirty-five hundred miles from
lome, and we dressed for reveille this
morning while the band played Home
sweet Home writes Serg j. Grant
Fry, in a Fathers Day letter to his
ather, Frank Fry, 1915 South B street.
"It won't be long till we will be in
hat place." he adds. This is Dads
etter day, and the restrictions are
IF, so we can tell you where we are,
ave been and what we are doing. It
ure seems funny to be able to write
free letter.
"Just to give you brief outline.
We left New York Sept. 8, and landed
n Glasgow, Scotland Sept. 81, Friday.
We left on Saturday taking the train
or Winchester, England. I never ex-
ect to see any more beautiful seen
ry than that along the Scottish