The Meeker herald., 1918-12-07

Is in receipt of the following letter
concerning the death of her brother,
Corporal Clarence H. Bruce:
Mrs. Chet MobIey, Meeker, Colo.
My DEAR MRS. MORLEY 81 sup
pose that before now you have re-
ceived the sad news OF the death OF
yomr brother, Corporal Bruce, and
while l realize that nothing that
can say will alleviate your sorrow In
the least, l can at least send you
some things that were beside him on
the ground when l found him and
tell you that he died In the best way
that n man can die, in the way that
he would have chosen. had he been
allowed to chose.
1t was during the attack that the
Americans made on the 18th OF Sep
tember that your brother WAS killed.
came by the spot a short time after
wards and seeing the notebook and
letters lying beside his body, pick
ed them up with the intention Of
forwarding them to some member Of
his family at the first opportunity
that had.
Corporal Bruce had evidently been
wounded and had fallen into shell
hole just In front of the German
trench that he was attacking. He
evidently had dressed his own
wound AS best he could and then for
gotten to put the notebook and let
ters back in his pocket. After he got
his wound tied up he apparently had
tried to advance again but was killed
as he climbed out OF the hole going
toward the enemy trench. 1t was
there that found him with his rifle
loaded and cooked. his bayonet fxed
and only n few feet from the trench
that he had tried to take and that his
comrades did take that same morn
Ing.
do not know why j should have
decided to send his letters home
rather than those OF any other Of the
Americans that were lying at that
place except that his attitude seemed
to me to be very expressive OF the
determination of all the Americans
in the attack. He had decided
to take. that German trench and
nothing short OF death could stop
him. 1t IL this spirit that enabled
him and his comrades to do what
was done on that day and the next
aud 1t IL this same spirit that will
carry the Americans as far as may
he necessary to win this war In n de-
cisive manner. His position even In
death was perfectly determined. He
could have stayed In his shell hole
with perfect security after he had
been wounded the first time but that
was not at all his idea. AS long as
he could advance he did, and as !
have said before, 1t took death to
stop him. HIS death was fine and
you should remeineer him always ~
man who did his duty to the end
finally paid the greatest price that n
man can pay In order that the job he
was engaged on should be complete
success. And he died content. for
the expsession on his face was quite
peaceful although absolutely deter
mined. ], OF course, never knew
your brother. but he died finely,
fighting hard and game to. the very
end, and am sure that h. WAS sat
isfied, at the last, with the way that
he had acted, and that his only re-
gret was that he WAS unable to go on
with the work that he had started to
do. As long as our men fight as he
fought we need never even hesitate
over the final outcome OF this war.
trust that you will understand
my motives in writing this letter,
and that you will realize how finely
your brother fought and finally died.
Sincerely.
w. II. SAGE, jr.
Colonel. Engineers, u. S. a.
rrho rocnrd abnwa that GnrpnraI