Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1919-05-02
soldering With THE A.E.F.
Still Impatient About Getting Back
Home
UNCERTAINTIES OF The CASUAL Co,

Fiendish Murder by Revengeful Negro
Soldier, Who Killed an Innocent Vic
tim While Laying for His Enemy,
and How the Guilty Man Was De-
tected.
La Pallice, France, April 11.-Well,
l am back to the same old grind, with
nothing to do; but fret and chafe Gbout
getting home.
am reminded in letter from faith
er that have never given him specific
information about the organization to
which I belong. "Tell me the name
and number Of your division" he
wrote.
In the Youths Companion, Chatter
box or some other such publication, I
remember reading as little boy a
story that ran something like this:
Some time during the Revolutionary
war, British warship approached the
New England coast for some purpose,
and as it had to remain there for a
day or two, guards were posted at diff
ferent places on the shore. One Of
them was stationed at a point on hill
a half mile or so away. For some rea-
son which I do not now remember, the
ship suddenly sailed away, leaving the
man on the hill still walking his post.
The man walked and walked until he
could stand it no longer, when he be-
gan to forage for food. Later he made
friends with the inhabitants, gradually
became one of them, married, set
tied down and raised family. One
day some twenty years afterward a
ship that made its appearance off the
coast was identified by its flag as a
British man-of-war. There was, of
course, a good deal Of excitement
around the settlement on that coast
where ships came so seldom; but our
old soldier friend did not participate In
it. Instead he hunted up his moth
eaten red coat, got his gun, and re-
turned to his old beat on the hill. walk
ing backward and forward until the
military command on the ship, having
learned of the situation, send out de-
tail and gave him formal relief.
I do not belong to any division. At
least I do not wear any insignia. We
are Just casuals, I might as well say.
If anything, we belong to the rs. o. s."
Service of Supplies. Still stationed
here at base port, we are replace
ment company If the war had gone
on we would have been sent out to diff
ferent branches Of the service to take
the places of the men who had been
shot up, carried away by the flu, put
out of business or gone west for what
ever cause. We are just out Of luck,
that is all, and If anybody knows we
are here I am not aware Of the fact.
One fellow who is a member Of a
motor truck company at this base, not
long ago wrote to our headquarters at
Tours to get the very information faith
er asked for. He wanted to know what
division he was in. In reply he receiv-
ed a letter in which he was asked
where his outfit had been since 1t left
Camp Greene, Charlotte, year ago.
They had no idea of his company or
other connection, and I presume 1 am
in the same shape.
But I am not on guard, I cannot get
interested in the Trenches, notwith-
standing the fact that they are ever
lastingly trying to do something to at
tract your attention, and so far as 1
can see there is very little probability
that I will get married here. 1 GER
tainly hope that something will turn
I'D someday to relieve me Of appre-
hension Of being left here. for twenty
years.
There was quite an exciting little in
cident in our camp last night, and the
matter is still under investigation. Oh,
I don't know, either that I ought to
say that the excitement was very great;
but then when we are writing for the
newspaper, you are expected to give
exaggerated importance to almost any
little incident to make it seem more
worth writing about. One negro sent
another one west in typical negro
style, and that is about all there was
of it, except the circumstances sur
rounding this particular case.
The thing started in an alteration
last night between two enlisted pri-
Yates in company Of negro engineers
as to who should put out the light. One
put it up to the other, and the other
hurled it back in foul, filthy language
and the fellow to whom the language
was applied, knocked the fellow who
applied it to him, down with beer
bottle.
I'm gwine ter git yer" said the ne
gro who had been knocked down, and
that was the last thought of the mat
ter until shortly after midnight when
the sleepers in Barracks 80 were
aroused by the sharp crack of rifle
followed by the shuffling ofa heavy
body in one of the hunks.
1t appears that when the negro who
had been knocked down with the beer
bottle, went to his bunk, it was not to
sleep; but to nurse his wrath and whet
his thirst for revenge.
After everybody had gone to sleep
he gets his Enfield, and creeps down
the aisle Of the barracks to point op-
posite the bunk he supposes to be oc-
cupied by his enemy. Taking no
chances Of a miss. he places the muz-
zle Of the rifle against the head of his
unconscious victim, pulls the trigger
and the inside of the bunk is spatter-
ed with brains and blood.
Lights appeared Immediately, and
the marine guard, which was on hand
within a few moments, lost no time in