Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1918-11-05
LETTER FROM FRANCE.
France. September q, Is

Just month ago that ] landed on
foreign soil and +, sure have seen
many sights as well as many beautiful
scenes in France. We are still sta
TONED with hospital at this (?) place
and waiting for our train. | am at
the present time assisting in dis
pensary. 1t is a whole lot like store
work in that we make up many pre-
parations as we'll as fill a regular
prescription. One of the boys who is
assisting in this same dispensary is a
young fellow from Mattoon who work
ed for DR.. r. w. Jones when he was
associated with DR.. Partridge He is
sure mighty fine fellow and as we
have so many friends in common in
people of Amigo and Wausau we have
regular talks. This fellow is the first
one that l have met that halls from
anywhere near home.
l was out on pass the other day to
a town near here. 1t is quite large
place and claims a census of about
$4,000 souls but 1 guess that was be-
fore the war. Nevertheless it is a
large sized town and has some good
stores in it. We went up in the morn
ing Oll OilS VI LuCSS II anu
guess you know the way they jerk
you around from your trips over here.
III say that it is some contrast against
our trains in the U. S. A.
We had quite a funeral here the
other day. 1t was that OF Lieuten-
ant-Colonel of the Austrian army. He
was captured and wounded in this
drive up at. 1t surely is remark
able the care that these wounded
prisoners receive. They are given
the best of care just as though it were
one of our own boys. A young private
wounded and captured this man who
was astride a horse and who either
refused to get off when ordered or
misunderstood him. Anyway after
bringing him into the hospital and
working over him continually for
three or four days he passed out.
For his funeral they made a large
Austrian flag and besides an escort of
all our high officers they had a band
and an escort of Marines and a couple
of hundred enlisted men. They even
allowed all the prisoner patients who
were able TO witness the funeral.
Surely no square-head can ever say
that her prisoners are not given the
best of attention.
Quite a number of us have spoken
to this lit. Colonel as well as to other
patients who are Hun prisoners and
without exception they say that Ger
many. They brought in samples
of their black bread. They say they
have enough of this and other things
to eat in Germany but there is prac-
tically no food value in it. They have
different opinions as to the ending of
the war but none of them think that
Germany can hold longer than six
months of actual fighting.
/ understand that William, Jr., has
joined the Navy. Has he been sta
toned already? What kind of work
is he doing? By the way Mr.. Albers
can you tell me where or at what
address DR.. Fisher is at? / just hap
pened to think of his being over here
and if l should ever get around to the
unit to which he is connected / would
like to meet him. | suppose Dick
Juers is still in the states. 1t seems
funny but haven't seen a single fell
low that know since / left the states.
Minnesota.
l just finished doing my family
washing and l guess that is the only
thing which / don't like in this mans
army. Almost every other thing
agrees with me because I'm eating
and sleeping better than I ever have
and have put on quite a bit of flesh
since leaving the store. The eats we
get are of the best possible. Every
thing is good and we get lot of il
| too. Breakfast generally consists oi
oatmeal, bacon, fried potatoes, wheat
cakes with syrup and bread and cof-
| fee. Occasionally We have butter anC
also cantaloupe or some kind OF fruit
Last Sunday we had a regular chick
en- dinner with baking powder biscuits
| fruits, cake and other sweets. Really
| it was more on the order of banquet
Am getting along fairly well with
the French lingo and can just about
make myself understood when | wish
to buy anything or apply little first
aid to the French people around II
this vicinity. You see there are sc
very few doctors in these small pro-
vinces that whenever anyone is in
jured or becomes i'll they generally
come to this camp. And of course the
American doctor accepts no fee what
even. 1t is all charity.
| Before leaving the states | hac
some pictures taken in New Jersey
| sent them to the folks and told then
| to give one to you. l hope that the!
haven't forgotten to do this. / wisl
that / could have another taken nov
so that you could see how | have
changed, but cameras are "Verboten'
unless l should have some taken a
some town which | might at some
time visit.
How is Daddy Crane and Harry M
getting along and do you hear from
Heine occasionally? Give all of then
my regards when you see or writ
them. Tell Mike to let me hear from
him too. Letters are the most wei
come thing we have over here.
would like to write letter to all
them but it is pretty hard to fin'
the time. Besides my sweetheart still
takes up a lot of time and / wouldn'
dare to pass up an opportunity to lie
4 her hear how / am getting along.
i We sure do get enough rain over i
i this country. II never starts but wha
| it continues for week or more. Dur
/ ing the first part Of the month
/ rained almost cCntauallv for eigh
| or nine days. The mud only abou
six inches deep and g person sure ca
slide around all he cares 20. We wer
issued hip boors the other day so no.
we're not bothered very much abou
the wet wea iar The iat couple
nights we're more ike ghts in Nc
! vember. We have four big thic
! blankets but thf were not bit to
! much to keep warm The barracR
: in which we now are IN have not a
J yet been equipp for old weathe
: with stoves ana z3s sioss fixed wit
!. sheathing. We hs Fe cough woole
!, coats, cloth ng az the likes of ths
: tho so viii manag7 in some way
!. keep from fraeZiEg The only thin
. we can't buy arognd aers is cigarette
. cigars, tobacco and candy, althoug
We are issued -four ac6s of tobacc
: avery fen FVg H9@ ur0V SiOnS are Di