Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1918-06-26
WALTER CUMMINGS
AT CAMP JACKSON, SC.
Continued from first page.

| A" { pdSSSu JauCSNlllC OD
our way to Chicago. From Chicago
we went to Indianapolis, Ind, and
Cincinatti Ohio, and through Ken
lucky, Tennessee and North Caro-
| lima. We saw lot of country, but
did not see any that compared with
Iowa, after we left Wisconsin and
Illinois.
The farming down here looks
rather funny to us boys Of Iowa.
Most of the work is done with one
mule and a cultivator and hoe.
The mules walk real slow and the
people seem in no hurry. We saw
tobacco fields, but they are not very
far along. Looked like they had
not been set out very long. The
fields are all shapes and sizes, from
ten square feet to ten acres. Did
not see many large fields and every
thing seems to be planted in the
crookedest rows that they could
figure out. They will start at the
outside OF a field and plant around
a circle and make it all one row.
Guess that is because they are so
lazy that they don't want to turn
around.
The houses they live in are
something awful. We would not
think of using them for a chicken
coop, with rail fences around them.
The strangest thing l saw was far
mers cutting grain with a cradle
and binding the bundles by hand.
l thought that all the scythes and
cradles were in museums. Never
thought l would see one in actual
use, but l have seen many queer
things since coming south.
This camp is a pretty large one.
1t is about five miles each way
and full of buildings. There are
ten large Y. NJ. C. A. buildings and
a large Liberty theatre, also lots of
canteens.
While at Madison We worked in
the shop in groups of four and
two OF the boys that were with me
were nice fellows and we got pretty
chummy. 1t happened that when
we were squared off down here that
all three of us got in the same bat
terry, which makes it nice. We three
feel better over our lot than any
of the other boys, which is going
to make things easier for us. We
figured it out and decided that no
matter how bitter the medicine we
had to take, it went easier if we
used a little Christian Science.
Well if l hold my job as scar
geant here it will mean $500 more
a month, which will help a lot, as
l am only getting $50 now, tit
so far that is more than l have
spent. l have charge Of one pla-
toon. A platoon consists of two
squads. In my platoon / have the
cooks and kitchen help, so have
nineteen men besides myself, and
there is only one white man in the
bunch. The rest are Italians and
Greeks and one chink. | am going
to write a few of their names so
you can get an idea: Pistachio,
Larrella, Toy, and the rest are as
bad. | have to call the roll at
every formation, that is the men OF
my platoon, so / have a badly
twisted tongue most OF the time.
These wops can neither talk or
understand English and l CAM
see how they will ever be made in
! to soldiers. 1t takes them about
fifteen minutes to line up at for
nation. When at Madison 1t took
us about a half a minute for the
whole company.
The movements are little diff
ferent in this branch than in the
infantry drills that we got at Madi.
son, but / guess / can keep ahead
OF this bunch. / would hate to have
wop get my place, but / am MOI
worrying very much. If / stay with
this bunch l will be here about ter
years, as they will never be able
! to get them in shape any sooner.
Well / guess l had better stoI
and write to Grace, as have writ
ten a pretty long letter to YOU
folks and by the time | write as lone
one as that to her l will have
done a good days work.
A fellow by the name OF Dona'
van, one of the fellows | came with
went to mass at the X. of c. hall
and / walked along with him, ano
while he is at mass l am at the
American Library Association
building writing.
Well as / have not heard from
you for nearly two weeks a letter