Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-11-13
LIEUT.. SOUDERS
WRITES OF WAR
Former Telegraph Man Tells
How Yanks Warred ON
the Germans

liNi -. RpdNOlSt 1pt
merly with the Telegraph. writes en-
tertainingly of the recent fighting in
France. In a letter to friend he
says:
Lieutenant Souders' interesting
letter is as follows:
October 10, 1918.
My Dear Is. NJ. o..
1t was yesterday that your gloom
dispclling letter reached me and
this prompt-aye, instantaneous
reply should be ample proof of the
welcome it received at my hands.
God, man, letter like that is worth
going days without Camels-were
that necessary.
Was much amused at Hooks story
of my phone call to him that night
down at Fismes. Have not seen him
for several months. due to the fact
that We've been so darned far up
that his trucks can't come within
shooting distance of us.
Have never been able to locate
Captain Stackpole, although I've
been among his regiment frequently.
Ill locate the duIfer yet some of
these days-but, say. it's tough to
draw the sort of luck that's been
thrown his way. Since the arrival
of your letter l shall make Il special
effort to see him.
Your request for a Hun helmet
shall most certainly be carried out
and the one | send you will be gent
Inc, all right. III YOU could but see
Nnere we are at present yaI "e
alize that a phoney suG.erir ont
| here is in the same category as the
wahoo bird. 1t just ain't-that's all,
Let me try to tell YOU something
of our surroundings. I've located my
! telephone exchange in Il dugout.
which, until very short time ago,
was the abode of Huns with horns.
There are four rooms to it. One, the
Fsmallest of all, I've had the boys use
as Il kitchen. The next is our dining
/ room. Another my office force"
uses as a sleeping chamber, while
| the last one / use as my office, eX-
| change and sleeping chamber for
myself
! We have rugged up our own cleo
! trio lighting system out of electric
scraps left behind by the retreating
Huns. In the dining room we have
a piano-a real, honest-to-Joseph
piano-that's busy twenty-five hours
| per day grinding out made-in- Amer
| lea melody. We've been up here for
! fours days now, but they've not been
| dblG 10 SCI IdllOilS " us AIdS AOl'
| Does that annoy us? Not for Il min
. ute. The Hun left plenty of food
! for us, and. strange as it may sound.
! I've been living on asparagus tips on
| toast, steaming hot buckwheat cakes
| and syrup, bacon, vegetables (mSny
! of 'em), coffee, cocoa, milk, sugar,
much bread. prepared Hun soups,
| tapioca. canned fruits and goodness
knows what not.
It's really remarkable the way the
American soldier adapts himself to
! whatever confronts him. l came in
! here with about ten signal men to
establish an exchange when we
1 bumped into all these eats. For a
minute l wondered whether Id find
a cook, but before / could worry
much. one of 'em had his coat off,
his sleeves rolled up and was hard
at work getting dinner ready. As Il
chef he's a top hole" as the Brit
ishers say. and we've lived like kings
ever since.
Last night. was talking to a
brother officer and our conversation
turned to our negro troops. He told
me of several colored chaps who had
been working on road, filling shell
holes. etc. They were returning one
evening to their billets and had to
Ipass battery of heaVies which were
we'll camouflaged aong the roadside.
Just as they passed the battery let
go salvo and the chaps were
Knocked flat by the conclusion. One
big fellow crawled to his feet. brush
ing the mud from his clothes, and
glanced towards the guns-then to-
wards the line and back at the guns.
Turning once again in the direction
the shells had gone, he drawled:
l"Now. Mr.. Kmsei-s pose you counts
yoh soljahs."
But the woods over here are full
of negro stories-all of 'em good.
Some day I hope to be able to tell
'em to you over a quiet table.
Write me again. and my very best
to all the old force.
Sincerely,
HARRY A. SOUDERS.