The bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1918-12-20
Letters From ''Over There

| American Red Cross Hosp. No. 100,
Somewhere in France, Nov. Is, 1918.
Thank God peace is in sight.
Dear Mother, Dad, Lady Susan and
Boys:
Well, folks, am all bound round by
the Red Cross line. Yes, the beaten
boche got me at last. I was wounded
in action on Nov. 8, 1918, chasing Hans
out of Beautiful France Take it
from me, folks, we were hot on :>is
trail, when l got mine. Now dom: look
sad, because l am not wounded severely,
1 being rather tall, kept the boche from
sending me west, or going west, is the
term slang used by the British soldier
when he is killed in action or dies soon
after. The morning of the attack it be-
gan raining and in fact it had been rain
ing for about six days. The ground
was good and wet. We pulled into a
little burg and found the boche had left
some rather tough rear guards. Well,
there was nothing to do but clean them
out, so we Yanks started yanking the
Hun out Of the little village. We went
down through little valley, then over
the crest of a hill and then old Fritz
opened up at us. The moment he saw
the first Yank he let loose with his
nasty machine guns, seemed like 10000
in all to me. That did not stop us. We
kept right on after him. Soon after
one of his field guns opened up and be-
gan belching out fire and birthstone.
Nothing stopped us, on we pressed. I
being the senior sergeant with the com
pany, was called to be with the captain
A. ,I> Il IL
much to have led group instead of
being with the captain. Well we also
had snipers to deal with. They make
things miserable at times. Well things
got hot and the captain started toward
the first wave; on the way we had to
take cover underneath, or behind l
should say, a little hill like. Here we
stopped for I should say twenty or
thirty minutes. During this time Fritz
sting your son Jimmie three times,
once taking effect. Well l gets myself
together and starts for first aid treat
ment. On the way Fritz made me think
the whole German army had turned
loose at me, but those Yanks soon made
him think that all of the Yanks in the
U. S. were after him. Why those fell
/
boche. Well / made it to the first aid
station and got treatment. Here was
, tagged and sent to the rear, where an
T.. ambulance picked me up and started me
farther back. From then on it was a
hurry for me until reached here. Here
found American women, doing won
. derful work for the American Red Cross
: Society, the greatest of all. These
+: nurses, all of them, should be given
medals of honor for their work over
; here. They are excellent. The Red
Cross, mother dear, give to it freely and
often; it is the society that is doing
. wonderful work over here.
| Well folks, I dom: think there is
much use of me telling you of the good
news. Let us now pray for signing OF
peace for the people and by the PEG
pie. The world has been taught a les
| son. The enemy has been beaten. l an
3, sure Dcs Moines went wild over the
} news.
= Well folks, I must close now. Re
member the Red Cross.
i Be good, brave, cheerful and true.
Pray for Jesse and I.
"MY PEOPLE,"
cannot speak in accents bold,
But only think in silence gold,
For must do as I am told
And carry out directions.
ftimes I find it very hard
To do the things that g needed,
But in the end 1 must win out
AS others have succeeded.
If continue to do right
Ny people shall from out the might
Stand out uplifted in the light,
Stretch forth your hands with all your
might,
Oh, Ethiopia!
Far, far from home and loved ones here
Across the ocen deep and blue,
I've come to fight and if die,
My people, it IS for you.