The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1919-02-04

, LETTERS FROM SOME.
:. WHERE IN FRANCE
(Continued from page ~
: vestment room on the flo6rs ant
, trampled on them. Many costly sur
plices, robes, etc, We're soiled and tori
beyond hope Of repair. The pipes o
, the organ were removed, and, NJ
doubt, were shell containers few
months later.
4 Even the surrounding Goods acre
wasn't spared, an enormous crater
caused by a bursting shell, sent tomt
and monument in every direction.
n What cut me to the quick we're the
fifteen or more rude wooden crosses
II supreme sacrifice for the liberation
! OF Moray. III
i We were billeted In the home Of an
artist, judging from appearances, and
upon our arrival found his patterns
and reference paintings scattered all
over and piled in front Of the fireplace
where most of them had been burned.
About three days after our arrival the
artist and his family returned, and
amidst tears and sobs collected what
little they could from what remained
Of their belongings. The artists par
ents were killed when the town was
first shelled, and he did not know the
fate of his brothers and other menl-
bers OF the family who were there at
tho time. He had not heard from any
Of them since they left the village I'M
der shell fire. -
We also found Boche souvenirs ga
lore. One of the boys unearthed a
Herr Hauptman's' locker, and ap'
peared logged complete, with iron
| cross and helmet also. / did my best
10 get a XGott NIT uns" belt, but luck
! wasn't mine. 1%
A sad accident put a "quietus" on
souvenir hunting, and put little Will
lie" out of it entirely. One of the
assistant truck drivers Astounding in
American nerve picked up German
bard grenade, and evidently thought
it a plaything, with the result that he
is handless. Moray was full of "Ver-
hotens' and 'Vorsichtigs" and when
we saw couple of mines and gren'
AIDES lying around in careless abandon
down in a dungeon, swore off i'm
mediately and only kick things up !
have given the ''dozenth over" Every
cellar seemed to be mined. q
We next moved to .Arnaville, which
escaped fairly WE'LL only the lower
section receiving the Dombardment.
We had excellent billets here, and
the first sergeant and had q boy
doir" dc luxe. evidently belonging to
the mademoiselle Qfthc maison. En-
ormous French mirrors, beautiful fur
niture, and most of all our "couchet"
built up to the ceiling with the colt.
est OF feather ticks, when I'd retireg1
looked Ikea little coon IN the pic
|ture entitled EGr From the Madden
ling Crowd. a piano OF excellent tone
and oceans OF music made life worth
living here. too. 3;
From Arnaville We moved to Van
dieres, which was In "No mans land
for some ,tilpe. y ItsWas formerly occu-
pied by the Germans, and according
TO the tale of an old lady, who escap-
ed the German exodus by hiding in
her cellar (they ,droye the whole pop.
ulation with them as they left), the
first thing the German officers did
was TO line up the priests and two
other prominent cViliant and shot
them down, merely ,as an example to
the others of what their fate would
be if they created any disturbance.
She also said that the German pri'
yatc was gentleman in every re-
spect and it was the officers who
committed all the atrocities.
They evidently left Wanderers In
great hurry, as most OF the 1nhabl'
tants belongings are here, although.
they had been thoroughly searched
judging from the way clothes etc.
We're lying around.
They also overlooked, mirable die.
tus, the French madame's preserves,
also their supply of Rhenser, an ex-
cellent mineral water (bottled. Al
first, we hesitated to drink it but we
noticed several coons were having
great old time with it and were UNI
Affected, 80 we INDUCED, and have been
for over week. ~
We have many a tasty spread, and
sure live in luxury. We have a room
almost equal to that at Arnaville, with
an enormous fireplace, where we
cook excellent" flapjacks, and pre-
pare madame's nicely put-up peas,
carrots. string beans, etc. We also
have quite variety. of fruits, cher
ries, mirabelles, ounces, plums, etc.
l feal I'll not be able to eat army mess
again when we leave here.
One day 1 accompanied "a burial
party to witness the last rites OF some
of our boys who were evidently
scouting party caught by the German
machine gunners.
NThe> chaplain and secuted over the
plains to locate the bodies of some
Germans reported seen in our local
ity, and after roaming over fields
filled with shell holes and hand gren.
AIDES, we gave UP our search We saw
several sticks with a. German cap up
on them and zone dead German here
written upon It. 80 concluded someone
else had been there.
War is what Sherman said It Is
when you witness the burial Of sol.
dfers over here. We were unable TO
ind their Identification tags. - some
poor mother will always be wonder
Ing what happened to her boy.
The Sunday following three OF as
-n~A ~, q ~Hfll hunt HOP hA3mAfG and