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

Sol De Koeyer, Baraboo, has re-
ceived the following letter:
France, Sept. %, 1918.
Dear Folks:
Having plenty of time at my dispos-
al just now, thought I'd let you know
that I'm still rearing to 60" Don't
know just when we will go again but
don't think it will be very long from
cow. Things are changing for the
better over here nearly every day.
The people are commencing to settle
in homes from which they were
forced to leave several years ago.
While going through the streets of a
town few days ago, (the town war
recently captured from the Germans)
we met a couple of ladies going to
look at their home. | could just pity
them, when they reached the place,
as every building was nearly leyeled
to the ground. Such time as we had
passing through that town. All the
way through the street were barbed
wire entanglements. We had to
dodge from one side of the road to
the other, and when we reached the
end of the town and looked back we
wondered how we had ever gotten
through the Chinese puzzle" which
we saw before u.s. Passing along the
road a short distance we came across
trees about five feet through, felled
across the road, about ten feet apart
Farther on, where there were no
trees the road had been undermined
and blown up" as the enemy had re-
treated. SO you can see some of the
work Of the Germans. | think their
Apply times are about ended now.
Ven not give them time to do much
more of that sort of work from now
on.
We are having some system of get
ting "chOW" over here now. Most of
it is canned even to carrots, turnips
and potatoes, all of which would be
scarce articles otherwise They are
giving "Old Fritz" a very unhappy
time again, in fact they haven't let
him rest at all, for the past two
months. SO far | have been very
lucky and haven't even been wound
ed There is no knowing at what mo-
ment I'll be called to the lines again,
but l am expecting to live through it.
| will tell you what a bdrrage is. 1t
is Il rainstOrm of bullets ranging from
about twenty inches to half an inch.
It is a thousand times worse than any
thunder storm or cyclone you have
ever seen. You can easily see how
uneasy a fellow feels when one Of
them is passing. Sometimes the very
deepest dug outs are not very safe to
be in They are very common oc-
Currence in this war. This is GER
tainly a great and murderous war
and since | have been participating
in it | have never seen the boys feel
so happy as now. They seem to think
the dove of peace is flying around in
the air ready to drop at most any
time, | sincerely hope so as that will
make our return home more possible
and sooner l am beginning to have
some hopes in that direction and
would hate to have them shattered.
There is a nice lake within a few
miles of our camp, where we go once
in while for a bath. | say bath, be-
cause the wates is too cold for good
swimming. The water is fresh and
cold here all through the summer.
have never seen it warm enough to
swim in since l have been here.
will have to quit now, as paper is
getting scarce so we don't get q
chance to write very much at one
time.
With love
CHARLES.
Headquarters Co, 18th Inf
A E. F. France.