The Kendrick gazette. [volume] (Kendrick, Idaho) 1892-1968, 1919-03-07
From A. L. Longfellow


feeling fine. Have been..busy as the
deuce the last two days. 1t seems
as though all the Frenchmen around
here have been run into and busted
up by the rampaging American
soldiers. Most of the time our
Major is out investigating the
claims. am here writing and try
ing to talk their lingo when one
happens in with bill for DANCES
about mile long. They always
want from fifty to one hundred
times more than things are worth.
Here's an example: An American
aviator had trouble somewhere
about 5000 feet up and was forced
to land. He glided down and it
looked like he was going to make it
all right, but he hit the top of a tall
popular tree and the machine fell
nose downward, sliding along and
knocking over a year-old tree and
scraplng up bit of alfalfa ground.
The fall stunned the man in the
machine and the machine caught
fire. Before help reached him he
was SO badly burned that he died on
the way to the hospital. That very
afternoon along comes Mr.. French
man with a bill for 300 francs "for
damages done" So 1t goes! Of
course some of the French people
are very good to the Americans
especially the old ladies of the bet
ter class, but the trades people just
stick the American soldier for all
he is worth.
Believe me, | sure had some fun
on the front. When was transfer
red out of the 1l6th supply train I
started for the front but didn't get
any nearer than Langres. Was
there for a while at French NOR
tar school. Then we went to a
place a few miles below Chateau
Thierry. It was at Belleau Woods
that l saw action for the first time.
We didn't use mortars but 4-inch
guns. | was dispatcher and sure
had some real excitment. We then
went on with the drive as far as
Fere-en-T -Tardenois. There we were
relieved and had few days rest,
then at it again and then another
rest. That time we moved back
and did some salvage work. Then
we moved toward the St. Mihiel
sector. September IL we fired our
French mortars for the first time
The morning of the 18th l hit q
truck, running about twenty miles
an hour and damaged my machine
SO that l had to leave it and gel
another. 1t didn't hurt me very
much but threw the lieutenant who
was with me out of the side OF the
car directly on his head into tht
ditch along the road, and there HI
stuck and had to be helped out, a
the mud was almost two feet deep
!, 1t was funny-but almost the SAM
: minute we hit the truck shell hi
! an ammunition truck and exploded
it or the corner about two hundre,
. yards away. So we were luck
. after all, as there were several cas-
ualties. After the st. Mihiel fraca
was we'll started we moved again
this time to the Argonnc-Meus
sector and fired the mortars in tn
n opening scene. of that play. Tn
d Boche almost returned shell fo
shell and also heaved over a lot O
+ gas. We were in gas masks for fiv
;. hours and half. But out of it al
the 1st French M. Battalion didn
: have a man killed or wounded
which think is wonderful.
Soon after that we were turne
into an ammunition train on a sma
scale and had to carry ammunitio
up to the front. 1t was there, whe
q | was going up on foot one afte
a. noon with a message, that got m
little scratch. But l tell you
ID was fun while it lasted.
| took one trip over two hundre
miles one day. We went to Rheim
u where we inspected the Cathedra
- | was driving a Cadillac 8 on tt
trip and we had as fine roads as cs
be made by man and some as bad
:, . war can make them. | have
i. beautiful souvenir of the Cathedr
be- at Rheims and another from tt
ne Cathedral at Verdun.