The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1918-10-19
NEWS AND LETTERS
FROM BELTRAMI CO.
SOLDIERS-SAILORS
CAPT, GEIB WRITES.

Geib, in command of negro soldiers
in France near the firing line, Cap
tain Gieb being tthe time of his
leaving for officers training camp a
member of the engineering and
architectural firm Of Geib d 'Leibsle
of Bemidji The letter follows and
was dated Near the Front, Sept. Il,
1872: ...% ~
l am writing to you SO as to reach
my friends in Bemidji, of whom
have thought of great deal during
the past three months since l have
been over here I wish they could
see me now, writing this in the
candle light in French dugout very
close to the front. In fact 1T is so
close we have been awakened the last
few nights by heavy bombarding and
Smelling.
To begin from the start you all
perhaps know l have company OF
Alabama darkies who have been
mighty good soldiers. They are well
behaved and surely doing their bit.
We left Camp Dodge June and after
spending three days on the run land
ed at Camp Upton. We finished
equipping the men there and on June
20 sailed the mighty Atlantic. On
July S we landed safely at Brest,
one of Frances most beautiful spots.
After spending or resting there four
days W, went to St. Nazaire on the
western coast and assisted in the
building of railroad yards and hos
pitfalls. After being there for about
two months we moved up to the
front and have now been here one
month. We have moved all of ten
times during that time and I want to
tell you it is some job to move. /
have seen many interesting as well
as exciting things. In fact l. don't
know what to say first. OF course
you all have heard or read about the
wonderful work Of the boys on the
St. Mihiel sector. Well, l had an
opportunity to see small portion OF
their prisoners that were brought in.
We were doing some road work at
one point and had good oppor-
tunity to see things
have seen No Mans Land, as it
has been so often described by writ
ers, but which is SO inadequate. II
have seen German trenches, or what
were formerly trenches, the ruins Of
sturdy and grand dugouts and bomb
proofs all caved in due to our accur-
ate artillery fire. The place was lit
tered with busted barbed wire en-
tanglements and other material of
war. Helmets, shells, bullets, guns,
clothing, etc., scattered all over. i
have been in gas attacks, aeroplane
raids, machine gun and bombs, bonn
bardments and shrapnel showers
from anti-aircraft guns. Then, too,
the aeroplanes have given us many
thrills. The other day 1 saw two
boche planes very neatly and cum
ningly brought to earth by a ruse
on the part of the Americans and
French
Mr.. Boche and his pal came over
early in the p. IN. to take observa-
ton, no doubt. The ants opened up
but suddenly stopped. All of a sud
den five allied planes popped out
from behind the clouds somewhere
and made for Fritz and Heine, who
turned tail and beat it. They were
too slow as the allied planes swooped
down on them like hawks and the
result was a 2 to 0 defeat. We, who
saw it, let out hurrah just as if we
had taken a hand in it.
Did you ever happen to be in q
tunnel and suddenly have it start
caving in on you Well, that's the
same feeling one has when you hear
shell coming over you the first
time. You simply are up on your
toes looking hurriedly in, all direc-
lions for place to duck into. What's
the use? If it hits near you, or on
you, yon won't worry and if it goes
over you don't worry either; so after
a bit you don't mind the sound. Say,
by the way, shell whizzing through
the air has sound all it's own. 1t
cannot be initiated or copied. And
it sure causes a funny feeling to go
over you the first time you hear it.
One night last week some wise
Hun bird came over into our camp,
thinking he would pick Off few
troops. l happened to be standing
outside without my helmet when the
son-of-a-gun came directly over my
head about 400 feet. He opened upI
with his machine gun on a road,
thinking some troops were moving,
but he wasted a bunch Of good am
munition. 1t was bright moon
light night and it wasn't long before
the ants opened up and so we had
to scurry for cover or else get pep
pered with shrapnel. Such are a
few of the daily occurrences and grad
ually they become common.
France is surely beautiful coun-
try, full of quaint people and customs,
most of which we don't notice any
more but it will be happy day
when yours truly can walk up toI
the Elko and call for a couple of
stogies or real American cigars. |
Speaking of Cigars, did you ever try
a French one? If you raven't, then
don't, and you'll never miss much.
Gosh! l wish you people could see
me now with a Bemidji Pioneer dat
ed August 7 which I have read back
ward, forward, inside, outside and
all sides. There is one thing missing
though, that hope will sure be, back
at its old place, and that is the
sign "Gieb & Leibsle." Leave it to
lis. we will be back ''toot sweet" as
they say in French (only it isn't