The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1919-05-02

shell fire all around him. No words
of mine CAM paint the heroism and
endurance of these men. And in the
letters home did they complain
Very little was said about the hard !.
ships they endured.
Did Not Worry Folks Back Home.
They did not want to worry the
folks back home They all had in
their minds the one great desire, to
finish the job and get back home
again. To the man fighting in France
it was not a question of material
wealth, it was question of again
seeing the loved ones at home and
maintaining for them the advantages
of life and liberty that they should
have.
1--WE should think of these things
when we think of the Victory loan.
We must see our duty to those who
have fallen, to ourselves and to our
country. saw the army of occupation
as it started out, grim and determin-
ed to do their duty. And by it's side
walked the memory of the fallen
comrades. We must not shirk our
duty to them" Captain Bowen con-
cluded his address with an apt quota
ton from in Flanders Fields"
w. d. Willard stated that one of
the organizations which helped to
maintain the morale at home was the
Mankato Orpheus club. He paid a
graceful compliment to the former
director, d. M. Jones, and to Mrs. H.
A. Patterson who has taken up the
work of directing the club. "The
Deathless Army" was then sung by
the club. Mrs. w. M. Taylor played
the piano accomplishments for the
selections sung during the evening.
Marine Is Introduced.
In Introducing Alexander Weth-
erby of the United States marines,
Mr. Willard stated that he was a
neighbor of John H. Ray and John
H. Long, former residents of this
city.
Mr.. Weatherby won his audience
with his first words, if they needed
any further winning after seeing the
soldier figure in uniform with the
medals across his breast, and know
ing that he had been in the thick of
the fighting from the first, gassed and
wounded, but with Yankee grit and
determination had come out of the
hospital every time to go back and
have another crack" at the Hun
He expressed his great pleasure at
being back in America and told of
the feeling of the French toward the
Americans, stating that the French
had elevated the Americans ION a
pedestal" He said that the men were
glad to return to America and find
the people standing back of them,
and were sure they would stay there.
Mr.. Weatherby described some of his
experiences in France, which he mod :
estly stated were similar to the ex-
periences of all other marines who
were in the fight. He told of the en-
thusiastic reception which the French
had accorded to the Americans, and
with quaint humor which invoked
the frequent laughter of his audience
he described the French trains, and
the ride of the marines from a coast
city to point south of Paris, the
ride being in very cramped quarters
and continuing for three nights and
two days. After three weeks of in :
tensive training the marines were
located in the same locality where
the Germans made their tremendous
drive on Verdun. AS an example of
the German treachery, which made
them so hated, he related an incident
of Christmas day. 1t was in a quiet
sector, where the Cutposts of the two
armies Were only about thirty five
yards apart, and the German and
French soldiers had apparently
grown quite sociable.
Treachery of the Huns.
"On Christmas day the German
soldiers came over for a friendly call
and brought candy which they said
had been sent from home. They in =
vited the French soldiers to have some
and entering into the spirit of the
Christmas day the French partook of
the candy. That night there were
eight dead French soldiers at the post,
for the Germans had poisoned the
candy. Mr.. Weatherby described the
raids against the Germans and gave
vivid word picture of mo Mans
Land" He told how the soldiers,
after staying in the trenches for
about two months, were moved back
to so called" rest camp, and gave
a humorous description of the rest
at the camp, which consisted of very
hard drilling. In the evening the
men all took swim in the river. and
the French gathered from miles
around to see the Yanks SWIM" He
told of the pathetic sights when they
met the French refugees, and then
described the fight at Balleau Woods.
A message had come from the Amer
lean colonel to hold the line ito the
last man," and they did. He de-
scribed the coming of the Germans
lin beautiful formation, confident of
getting to Paris" and of their hot
reception by the "Yanks."
I'VE started firing into their col
umns when they were about eighteen
hundred yards away" he said, "and
when they got within five hundred
yards we began to pick off inividual
men. Oh, it was great sport We
completely broke their advance" AL
though he touched but briefly on the
big battles in which he took part, Mr..
Weatherby took time to describe
what he considered the most terrible
ordeal in "going over the top" This
ordeal was to see pals and comraes
dropping by ones side, and not be
allowed to stop and see if they were
| dead or how badly hurt, but to keep
madly rushing on to get the Hun"
and they got what they could"
Found Germans Chained to Gums