The Belding banner-news. (Belding, Mich.) 1918-1973, 1918-06-19
INTERESTING LETTERS
FROM OUR KHAKI
CLAD SOLDIERS
MIsSIvEs WHICH WE ALL LIKE
TO READ, FROM MEN WHO.
ARE TO SAVE THE NATION.


Mr.. and Mrs. Chas. w. Madden re-
ceiyed a letter last week from their
son. Lyle. who is in France. telling
them that he had been transferred to
Headquarters department and is now
acting as mounted orderly for Gen.
Coveii and staff. The following is
another letter received by them on
June IL: -
Somewhere in France, May 20, 1918
Dear Mother and Father:
AS / have a few minutes to. spare
/ thought / would write a few lines TO
let YOU know / am well an all o. k.
and hope this letter finds you both the
same.
Well, / suppose you are wondering
why / do not write very often? But
if YOU were over here and were as
busy as | am you would not have
time to write. We are now up where
we see and hear lots of noise and
funnv things. They are shelling
most of the time and have seen sew
eral battles in the air and shooting
at scout planes, but they don't have
any luck on getting through.
/ have had lot of fellows tell me
about being under fire but they can
not or anyone else understand unless
they have had the experience and 1t
is wonderful. !,
But there are lots of things that
are more pleasant, but have not
fault to find, only hope that it Will
soon be over so we all can come nome.
am feeling fine and like my work
"a orderly for the general, fine.
weighed myself last night and weigh
IL 100 Ihs Co Won eaa 7 am keeping
up in weight.
I sure have got a fine horse. We
go all over the country. We were
out swimming this afternoon and
had good time.
told Paul and Cy. was going to
write tonight and they both said to
give YOU folks their best regards,
and they would like to hear from you
both. All the boys are very glad to
hear from home.
Well, it is getting nearly dark so
/ guess ! had better stop writing for
this time. will write again soon.
If you are nervous this is no place
for you. because there are lot OF
sudden jars (ha, ha), and plenty OF
them.
Will close for this time, hoping to
hear from you soon, / remain as ever
with love, your son,
Private Lyle c. Madden,
Headquarters Department, 63d Inf.
Brigade, Am. Ex. Forces, via N. Y.
p. S.-Have a good fish dinner for
me and keep up the average.
Mr.. and Mrs. N. C. Douglas have
also received a letter from their son,
Roy Douglas which is as follows:
Camp Johnston, Jacksonville, Fla.
June IL, 1918.
Dear Folks at Home:
Arrived here all o. k. at 9:20 a. m.
today; so tired, / am nearly dead; like
the place pretty well what | have seen
Of it. Now will tell you about my
trip. We left Columbus at 3:13 Sun
day p. m. on the Big Four from the
Union depot and went to Cincinnati
and transferred TO the Queen d
of interest this far. Here we again
changed roads going on the Atlantic
Coast Line straight east across Ten
nessee. We passed through the very
heart of the Blue Ridge mountains,
went through one tunnel which was
at least seven or eight miles, for it
took IL minutes to pass the length of
it. All lights were turned on and
windows closed all the way through
the mountains. On the east side of
the long tunnel the train stopped for
a few minutes to let us get view of
the country; were were on an eleva-
tion of one mile. We obtained a
grand view of the country for. 40
miles in all directions and even saw
the smoke of a city which we were
told was CharleSton, s. c., 61N miles
away. The mountains from there
on kept getting lower as we neared the
southwest corner of South Crolina and
were covered with lime stalactiles,
which resembled icicles. The sights
were grand. We were in South Car
olina only about 30 minutes as we only
crossed the lower corner. Then we
passed into Kentucky and here the
real sights began. Soil as red as
blood; men plowing with oxen and old
single disc plows or small wooden
ones and only going about two inches
deep. In. fact / did not see real
job of blowing after | left Ohio. We
had not gone far in Kentucky be-
fore we began to see razor backs,
scores and scores of them, and niger
shacks of logs with SO many kids it
looked like a reform school for the
blacks. Then we began to see cotton
and tobacco fields, of hundreds and
HuAuIcuS OI dCTeS With HeRIOSS HDcillb
them. At some ranches there were
as many as 80 negroes all hoeing at
once and the ranch owner sitting by
in his fine clothes watching them.
From the time we entered Georgia
till we passed out of it we did not sec
fence of any sort, not even a rail-
road fence. Mules and pigs all
!. along the tracks and no fences at all.
The only real large city we hit in
Georgia was Atlanta, Che capital city
and this was some city, 100000; the
railroads are all elevated. Here we
again transferred to another road,
which was Dixie Flyer and believe me
we did go some from there on into
Jacksonville. You will see by refer
ring to map that we went corner
wise across Georgia then back corner
wise the other way. So we were in
Georgia all one day and one night
and til z q. m. the next morning. At
about 150 miles from the Florida