The Cordova daily times., 1919-03-08
C0RD0VAB BOY IN OCCUPIED
 RHINE TOWN

Our former toWnsman, A. c. Elliott American expeditionary force in France, writes from Bordeaux to c. M. Rosswog of his experiences, as fol lows:
 Dear Charlie: Your welcome let ter of November 25 arrived last night. Was glad to hear from you, and the news from the old Copper River was interesting. Your letter was the first news I had of the death of Willie Jones. I have heard nothing from any of the Alaska boys over here for a long time, not even from Warren Taylor It was really too bad about Willie. He was a good kid, always full of fun, and as clean as they make them. It seems unjust that boys like that should get showed up to the front and shot while many of us roughnecks, for whom nobody gives a damn, get stuck into bullet-proof jobs in the S. o. s. They never let me get over twenty miles from Bordeaux during the whole scrap here, and even after it was all over and the dust settled I tried to get permission to go up and see the front, but was refused.
 How He Got to the Front
 T got permission, however, to go for a week to one of the legitimate leave areas, and proceeded to get lost en route. I managed to get into Paris, where I have a friend with considerable authority at his disposal, and he gave me the necessary creden- tials to visit Metz and Coblenz, over in the dear old fatherland, where the doughboys are keeping the watch on the Rhine. I sure had some trip. Spent six hours in Metz. There are only about one hundred American troops there, and they are receiving German railroad equipment that is be- ing delivered under the terms of the armistice. The French army is patrol ling the town and country in this dis trict.
 Soldiers with loaded rifles patrol the city in squads of six or eight men on bicycles at all times, day and night, and one must have sure enough au- thoribed permission to go sightseeing there.
 The kaiser's Statue
 q visited the cathedral, which I believe is the most beautiful one in Europe, and saw the statue of Kaiser Bill which met with slight accident the day before I was there. It was a large bronze affair, representing the proud kaiser on fine horse, gazing out over his possessions. The French decided, I guess, that he had gazed long enough, however, and hitched an auto truck towline around his neck and dragged him off his perch. They are going to make souvenir medals from the bronze.
 The Gibraltar of the Rhine :,
 At Coblenz 1 went through the fam ous Ehrenbreitstein castle, sometimes called the Gibraltar of the Rhine' It is situated on the east bank of the Rhine, opposite the junction of the Rhine and the Moselle It is a hill about 800 feet high commanding the country for miles in every direction, which has been converted into a mod ern fort capable of accommodating a garrison of about forty thousand men, During all the time of German occu- patton no foreign officer or soldier was ever permitted to enter the place. I climbed up the main road afoot and when I got to the first gate dough- boy from Montana stepped out. Got a pass? he asked. I showed mine Where you from? was next, and then, When dye think we'll get home? These sports have marched over one hundred miles into German territory and are in possession of some of the kaiser's most treasured territory, but all they seem to be interested in is what the cook is going to slip over on them at the next meal and when they are going to get back to Gods country. They talk more about home and their future plans than they do of their adventures of the past two months in Argonne and Champagne.
 German Hardships Myth
 The Germans in the occupied ter ritory are very good to the Ameri- cans This, of course, is policy, not love. l was billeted in a German hotel in Coblenz and never was bet ter treated in my life. One thing learned however, was that the Ger mans have not suffered as great pri- vations as we have been led to be- Ln{