The Tucumcari news and Tucumcari times. [volume] (Tucumcari, N.M.) 1907-1921, 1919-01-16

75-pound pack on our backs we reach
our destination, and I'll assure you the
welcome we received on our arrival
was nothing like the one we got when
we arrived in Neverss. We passed
through town after town that had been
swept clean to the ground some had
only few walls left standing, still
some were only piles of rock to show
where once had been peaceable city
or village, and still we marched on,
and at times | thought surely must
drop out from fatigue, but would
grit my teeth and hang on, and we
were passing over ground which not
two weeks before was in German
hands, and as we neared the front we
could hear the heavy artillery which
kept growing louder every step we
roar, and the airplanes came and went
over in droves and at last we stopped
and made camp, and the first thing in
the morning we started to work and
that night about $3.50 here came the
Fritzies, and I'll assure you the re-
ception we received was anything but
cold, and as things began to quiet
to sleep here he came again about
ll:15 p. m. Its funny about the Ger
man planes, you can tell them by
the sound of their motor. Well, !
lay there and heard him coming,
helpless you might say, couldn't run,
had no place to run, but had to lay
right ther. ari take it and speaking
Of suspense, well you don't know what
it is until you have laid flat on your
back and heard one of those German
planes above your head and waiting
for him to drop his cargo of steel on
you. Well, he flew around and went
right over my tent and everything as
quiet as night could be even the
front had stopped it seemed. only to
make his "buzz! buzz" over my head
more nerve-racking. wouldn't mind
!. if had an even break with him but
all one can do it lie there and either
pray or cuss. Well ! done both, but
mostly prayed, and he finally let go,
only THREE" this time, and when
they hit ! thought my ear-drums
would break. One hit about a hun
dred feet from my tent and only Is
feet from another tent, and as luck
would have it. it was real muddy and
soft ground causing the bomb to sink
about feet into the ground before it
went off, though it tore the tent all
to pieces, it never hurt either one Of
the men lying inside.
When we finish work at night il is
dark and as we can't have any lights
about the camp after dark, am set
ting in a German dugout, about 30
feet under the ground writing this on
one of Fritzies tables, and sitting on
one of his chairs. The dugouts are
built just like palace inside, all
whole mountain is undermined. We
have gone through almost all of it
but one hole which goes almost direct
down, and we thought it best not to
go down there as all the light we have
is u candle. As ! sit here | can feel
the earth shake from the big guns.
This is ground they held for almost
are full of these dugouts, some small
and some large, and little farther
over there is one with a big dynamo
in it, and two big gasoline engines, all
ready for use. Fritz was so busy when
he left here he didn't have time to de-
stroy them. They supplied lights for
all these caves. It's sure wonderful
IN nl nf a
fields are strewn with guns, unexplod-
ed shells, hand grenades, and every
thing that you could think of for mod
ern and ancient warfare but we never
touch any of it, pass it up like it was
hot, believe me.
Well, folks, don't let this letter wor-
ry you, because am in the best of
health, and we will leave the rest tc
God as you know He rules, until you
have come real close to being bumped
off you never know how cool you can
take it, but you know, it takes the
Irish to beat the Dutch. leave it to
me, III do my part. Closing in the
best of health. FRED.
P. ST. haven't shaved nor washed
my face for ten days. You should see
your model young man now, Give my
best regards to all. After Fritz fin
ished his bombing he turned his ma
chine gun on us. For few minutes
it seemed to rain steel. None of us
were hurt.
"Spincourt, France" Dec. 4, 1918
Dear Mother and Brothers.
Won, ,,yo poost ualcopna lattare IN