Baraboo weekly news. [volume] (Baraboo, Wis.) 1912-197?, 1918-07-11


) county Censor, a copy being kindly
loaned us by Chris WEIGH, a guest
of G. L. Bohn, Baraboo. The letter
reads in part:
Coming over as | did with small
advance party, and the first Ameri-
gave me an opportunity to see and
visit parts of France as untouched
by the American soldier. The people
were in their natural environment
This lasted for a month and then with
the influx of the Division | was made
the substance quartermaster, and
have held the same position since.
My duties are much to my liking, al
though there is always lots of work
and lots of planning to keep every
thing moving smoothly. The distri-
button of forage and rations is on an
automatic daily basis. In the olden
days rations were issued for a longer
or shorter period of time as the COM
handing general directed, but in order
to conserve food, and that no waste
may be due to the quick removal of
troops from one locality to another
the rations are sent out each day sur
ficient for days needs 1t makes a
continual chore all right There is no
such day as Sunday. Several days
ago we moved from the position we
| had occupied back of the lines to
within the lines and are now a COM
BAHAMA division working in the area
of operations, instead of the zone of
advance. l made the trip of over 100
miles in an auto and had a delightful
trip. France appeals to me. Every
little town has it's own history, it's own
architecture, it's own customs, and
there are thousands of hooks and cor
ners that are always delight to me.
Could you know what the Germans
know and what we are not allowed to
tell you would be surprised at our
position on the way. Maybe | can do
some limiting that will help. Noun
tains are all about us. The architec-
tube is of the Swiss chateau pattern.
The family | live with were French
before the 1870 war, and German aft
err the war. The front line trenches
are only few kilometers from where
I sit. The towns on both sides of the
lines are never sheHed here, as they
were all neighbors before the war and
are now at enmity with each other be-
cause of the rule from above, and not
because they personally wish it. These
people in the town I live in are relat-
ed and intermarried to those people
over there. They are not going to
shell the towns. The first day our
troops went in the trenches the Boche
put up big sign: Welcome, 32nd Di
vision They know we are here. We
have had opportunity to see lots of
the air fighting. Every day we see
the Boche plains being bombed by the
guns from our side, and hear the guns
whacking away at our planes on the
other side. There are some very large
calibre guns in this vicinity and they
make a fine racket when they let loose.
And yet it seems like no war was on
putting in their crops and getting
ready for the harvest that they or no
one else can know they will ever harA
vest, and yet why not? Who of us
ever knows whether we will harvest
the crops in life we put in? Well, no
doubt, some hungry people. will har-
vest them, and it's well they may.
The climate of this region is ideal.
Sunny France seems truly to fit. I'M
mense wisteria are over the houses,
trees and plants all in bloom, cherries
rfpening, boys are in swimming, the
French soldiers are getting up and CIV
ing vaudeville shows. Moving picture
show the other night, put on by the
French. I like the French, and hope
the day may come when | can have
Fannie over here to see these kindly
disposed, care-free, easy-gOing, happy
people, satisfied with what an Ameri-
can would starve on. We had some
attached to us for a while and when
they left had to issue to them travel
rations Someone asked me what
gave them and I said, three snails, a
box Of bareback and bottle of wine.
In fact they almost live on bread and
wine and little cheese. They never
grumble and work in their slow, sure
way that I think gets them farther
than our hurry, nervous method. They
can load a train Of cars at least with
a lot less yelling and noise than we
can.