The gazette-times. [volume] (Heppner, Or.) 1912-1925, 1918-09-26


Cortright, now in France, writes his
I friend, Henry E. Clark, of lone, two
very interesting letters that we are
glad to make room for in our col
umns. Mr.. Cortright's first letter
follows:
Dear Friend Henry and All:
Well, this little letter will be
mostly to let you know that | am
still in the land of today and not
among yesterdays 10000. But it
will tell you nothing of the to-
morrow for the tomorrows in this
country and just at this time are
very, very uncertain.
But | am well and safe Gust this
minute anyway and getting along
famously.
There are hundreds of things l
would like to tell you, but the censor
| forbids me to mention the names of
any places, any ships, or any dates.
Our troops are doing fine work
and they are surely walking into the
Huns, forcing them back everywhere
they meet them and capturing prison
ers, guns and ammunition. Ten
thousand prisoners were captured
yesterday, with many guns, some
ammunition and stores and COM
plete regimental staff of officers ex-
cept the general who escaped in an
auto. We have introduced brand
new kind of fighting over here. 1t
is the "20th Century, Yankee
Brand" patented, manufactured, and
promoted in Yankee land, and it is
winner.
| The Germans have worldwide
reputation for unraveling knotty,
scientific problems, but Oh, he is the
most dismal, hopeless failure when
it comes to fathoming the workings
of restless Yankee brain.
The last bunch of prisoners who
came in here said that the Americans
were not fighters but won their
victories by mean, dirty tricks. They
indignately stated that they had sat
, up for two whole days and nights,
expecting an attack any minute
from the wild Yanks and then they
saw them withdraw from their
position. So they all laid down for
little much needed rest and then
the Yanks came, and came, and came,
and kept coming and well, that, they
said, was the reason they were
prisoners I'll admit that was a
dirty, mean" trick to keep anyone
waiting so long for you, and then
come in the night when everyone is
asleep. But you can't blame the
lads. Those dirty little tricks
were born in 'em, you know.
AY. M. C. A. worker told me that
she asked some of the boys out at
the hospital (35.00O beds) what they
would like best of anything they
could think of, and almost every
man, said, Just little good, old,
American candy" Can you imagine
it? Out of all the things that a
wounded American soldier could
want, the one thing he did want was
Gust little good, old, American
candy" l suggested to our boys
that each one put in nickle or a
dime and as we had good supply
of candy with us we would buy some
and distribute it in some of the
wards. l expected about ten or
fifteen dollars, but in 80 minutes we
collected $57.SS. We bought six
suitcases of candy and l wish you
could have been with me when l
distributed it.
One poor little chap, swathed IN
bandages (from Tennessee by his
drawD said Mister, l amt got none
Of them things left to hold up, but
if it's all the same to you, I'd like a
little o. that ERE candy your a
hollerin about" He received p'entv
of it. But, darn it, Henry, when l
saw an American boy with only one
arm, feeding another American boy
with no arms a piece of Hershey's
Milk Chocolate, it just made me feel
as though l had too many arms, and
hands, and legs, and ears, and every
thing. Gee! One fellow from Ohio,
a Marine, with his left arm shot
away, his left side shattered and his
left leg torn into shreds and splinters,
said mister, they sent us through
that machine gun fire six times,
back and forth, and it just seemed
as though every one was falling all
around me and was never scratched,
and then just as we drove the Huns
out and gained our position.
shrapnel got me. Now wasn't that
hell, mister, wasn't that just plain
hell?" l told him 1t was, poor chap.
The one thing that strikes me
forcibly is the spirit of the people.
The war widows in black and flowing
wells, very evidently striken with the
deepest grief but very, very evidently
willing to give yet another to the
cause, had they another to give. The
light in their eyes, the way they are
going ahead with the nations works
it all brings home to one the
fortitude with which the people face
the future, the unknown future be-
fore them.
And wish l were permitted to
tell you of the work the U. s. Is doing