The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1919-01-22

MI JSIlN YES

stsThe man service In this county
I borders on the ridiculous. II therefis
- Improvement soon many OF us viii
4 be obliged to read John Calvin's
4 works ard Milton's Paradise Lost"
4 .,'When the roads become too
Iishttul for travel We assemble ct
the vtil9ge stores an discuss the ROAD
questioA, bond issues and the tax on
gAs and dogs.
s'sThe following gem from an. an
Gent arthor, may Or may not be wor.
thy Of consideration by our present
Legislature: "onr thoughts depart
from the vast shores OF memory. en-
bark on the sea OF imagination, arrive
ct the harbor Of intelligence, and are
entered at the custom house OF the
understanding"
/ "'Let US hope that the members Of
our legislature do not have an inex-
haustible magazine Of cquivocations.
.''M. Z. Fetty, Of Hasans, recently
received the following letter from his
son-in-law, Rev. Clarence NJ. Small,
who is with the American Expedition
ary Force:
Dear Father-in.law and Family:
Now that hostilities have ceased +
have little time to write you have
been In active service and am glad to
have had a part in this great war and
am thankful it has righteous ter.
m!f.atlon. The army is we'll pleased
over the result. Suppose you will be
interested In some OF my war expert
eAees especially ;bosc in which had
narrow escapes from death. have
been IN two battles. The people IN
the states cannot realize the amount Of
preparation and the tremendous exer-
ton, anxiety, steai.ness Of purpose
and strength OF nerve that are re-
quired to make what is called big
drive. ] did not get into the first OF
! the battle beginning September &c,
1 as | was obliged to carry over 1000
francs in French money from the regi-
nent to which I was attached Tho
boys sent it home as they did not
Wish to carry it into the battle. It
took me three days to stra!ghten out
an accounts at place five miles be-
hind the line on which most Of our
heavy artillery was placed. AT this
place on September Is, we were
shelled hy q long range gun. Six men
were Killed In building by the ",
hut where had been counting money.
had Just moved out. Four big shrap-
mel shells came close to mo that day.
Ono was close enough to have wound.
ed or killed me and many others IN
an orchard, but as It happened 1t did.
NOT explode. On Monday afternoon,
September 80, a ~ man from Chicago
aHd were chased by long range fire
on IN observation balloon. When the
firing began we we're walking toward
the balloon, then they moved the bal.
loon toward as and we had to double
tine across the field and get around
barbed wire entanglements: Yon
should have seen us 90, dropping pros
trate on the ground every time a she'll
came, to avoid the shrapnel. We
went On TO 9 village which was fire.
auently bombarded severely. Hers
we taxed with a chaplain who in the
forenoon buried twelve Of our boys.
Soon after he was killed. In the even.
Ing l rode in an ambulance To the top
OF hill. remained there three DAYS
and we were almost continually comb.
ed with big shells. The bursting Of
these shells Is the most nerye.racking
experience one cen have. No words
can tell what IT. is like. Sherman's
saying, War is hell is mild state.
ment He never saw anything like
this war. You never knew but what
the neat one would get you. When
our ~ goods came on Wednesday, the
shelling wds SO furious that we had to
abcudon unloading until the next day.
During that night II horses were
killed In the orchard where stayed,
trees were knocked down, limbs we're
cut OF and many deep pits made in
the earth. The previous evening II
went to house to examine the eel
lar to see IL 1t was a suitable place to-
put our 'Y' goods and to our surprise
g big shell banged into the back Of It..
OF course We left there at once. The
next morning I went to a ueighboring
Village and had breakfast. Just after
1sleit and willie others were still there
9 she'll appeared right on the spot and
killed three soldiers After breakfast
Invent to a post command to tell them
their supplies had come. On the way,
while walking along the road, I heard
Q shell coming you can hear them
whistling through the airand plung-
ed PROSTATE in the ditch along side Of
the road The shell struck near tho
roots Of the hedge and tho shrapnel
cut the brush Just above me. On the
following morning We went down a lit
tie valley on q plank road. Ali along
this was set our artillery firing at q
great rate. When the guns went on
the conclusion was SO great that II
iaintost knocked one off the road.
Those marching and the location Of
the cannon were sighted by German
aeroplanes. Knowing this, knew
the next thing would be a return fire
by the German artillery. This soon
followed and several soldiers were
killed. These were few OF my most
hazardous experiences in my first bat
tie. It was the battle Of the Argonne
FRECKLES AND HIS III
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