The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-09-28


| Mr. and Mrs t. H. Church left Saturday
for New York where they will spend several
months.
i Florence Dice, who came to Topeka
from the east to be with her. She left
| for Cincinnati less than two years ago.
4 x 4
A crowd who had a picnic supper in
the country Thursday night included
Mrs. Fred Davis, Mr.. and Mrs. Byron
Davis, Mr.. and Mrs. Frank Griggs,
Mr.. and Mrs. lief Felix. Mr.. and Mrs.
George Davis, Mr.. and Mrs. ]. A.
Campbell, Miss Clyde Bonebrake, Miss
ed to the country early in the after
noon and were joined by the men in
| the evening.
Mr. Mark Troxen left today for
Washington, D. C. Mr.. TroxeH will
sail in week for Paris, where he will
i be in the office of the war auditor.
Mrs. Troxell will remain in Topeka for
the present.
The Junior League girls OF Kansas
City. which includes a group of the
leading society girls of that town, have
| made a gift of a. handsome upright
| piano to the negro hostess house at
| Camp Funston. The other hostess
houses had received their pianos as
1
been provided by the Indian girl, Red
Feather, who is known turnout the
musical world as the exponent OF
Cadman's Indian music. The Princess
presented the piano after an enter
| tainment she gave at Army City for
the soldiers.
The newest hostess house to be
! opened at the camp is the one for the
negro troops, and to make its furnish
ing complete. the Junior League
bought and presented the piano.
A branch of the Junior League was
organized in Topeka over a year ago
by Miss Helen Yoder, who was one of
the most active members of the Kan
sas City chapter before she came to
Topeka to live. On account of the
war and the demands of the various
branches of Red Cross work, the or
ganization of the Junior League was
halted temporarily, inasmuch as its
work has been chiefly that of home
charities. The Kansas City chapter.
however, continues to flourish and to
devote a part of its resources to such
war work as the provision of the
piano at the hostess house.
X y X
Mr.. and Mrs. Carl Erickson received
two very interesting letters from their
son, Lieut.. Jack Erickson, from over
seas, this week. In the one written
August %, he says: "Since my last
letter written at Paris. which I sup
pose you have gotten by this time. ]
, pave done considerable travelling
around-first to an American head
: quarters and now I am on a French
front. The style of living is somewhat
different here to what have beer
used; sleeping in a dugout fifteen OIL
! | twenty feet under ground and eating
in a similar one. The only othel
American with me is lieutenan
named Dawley, from the same brig
ll ade as Major Bling Bartell Our dug
II out is very comfortable, having cleo
II trio lights and telephone.
II THE food is very good, the French
III man eats well, even at the front an(
II then too this is a very quiet sector
II Breakfast is simple, coffee and toast
H but dinner and supper consist of foul
H or flve courses; soup, fish, meat, vege
H tables, jam or preserves cal
II scarce-that is to drink. They cam
II understand that Americans actual,
H drink it and SO we drink red wine OF
II all occasions and sometimes whit,
II wine or good Bordeaux or Champagne
II TT is generally pretty quiet here blu
II once in while it gets pretty hot Tn
II other night we watched an infantr
raid on the Boche trenches and tn
II French artillery knocked out a Ger
II man battery and signal station.
II guess it made Fritz pretty mad be
H cause about midnight they gassed u
II for thirty or forty minutes. The nois
II woke me up and was upstairs listen
y ing to the shells go over and Frenc
lieutenant called us up and told u
- they were gas shells. Believe me w
lost no time getting our masks on an
I we had to keep them on for tw
hours. The following noon we saw
| Boche plane come over and shoe
| down an observation balloon. It wa
| wonderful sight except that tn
| Boche got away. He flew over tn
balloon and dropped one bomb an
missed. then came back and droppe
! another and got it and the bal1oo
I went down in flames.
Outside of few incidents like thi
it has been very quiet here. OF cours
| both sides pound away at each othe
] with their artillery every day, but tina
is about alE I expect we will be her
| few days yet and then go back t
| American headquarters. and back t
the regiment about the first of tn
| month.
Don't worry about me while an
| here tho-it is safer than Paris Her
l they have no taxicabs that run will
| without traffic regulations. which i
| more than you can say for Paris
In later letter Lieutenant Erick
| son has written to his parents: "Hav
| moved again. The last time wrote
| was up ! ear the observation posts
Now we are back at division head
quarters. We are not living in dug
outs here. but in vacant house. tn
| headquarters being located in a vii
lage that was shelled by the German
and the people all have left 1t is i
/ pretty bad shane now-there is sea roe