Baraboo weekly news. [volume] (Baraboo, Wis.) 1912-197?, 1919-02-06
How Elmer Schram Lost His Life


Mr.. and Mrs. A. Finnegan of Kill
bourn have received a letter from
Herb Wegner which gives in detail
the last hours of Elmer E. Schram,
son of Mr.. and Mrs. Henry Schram
of Baraboo, killed in France. The
Young man was clerk in the Park no.
tel at Kilbourn when Mr.. and Mrs.
Finnegan operated the hosiery, Mr.
Finnegan now being the station agent
at the Dells City. The interesting
letter runs as follows:
Bar-le-du, Meuse, France.
December IL, 1918.
My Dear Friends:
Was indeed surprised to see let
ter from you this morning, but no
letter could have been more welcome
than yours, l wish to assure.
It gives me great pleasure to see
that you have not forgotten me, al
though our acquaintance was very
limited but your letter looks to me
like one from an old friend whose ac-
uuaintance is just being renewed. IL
can be that way, can it not.
have been tempted several times
to write Elmer's folks, but you know
the censorship was very strict on
writing about casualties. l really
wanted to console them, but never
could figure out just what to say.
The censorship now has been raised
on everything but casualties and on
photographs, so | am at a loss JUST
now what to say. l hate to have TINS
letter cut up by censoring, but Will
saw this much now and II you ana
FImer's folks will please abide only
a short time longer, | can give you
all the details connected to it, as L
was right there when It happened and
am the only one of Mr.. and MRS.
Schram's acquaintances who really
saw the fateful affair happen.
It was in the Chateau Thierry drive.
We had our guns in valley between
two nice big hills. He slept on the
hill in front of the guns, which was
very steep and there we "dug in our
Kitchen was in the valley to the lett
of the guns (when facing them); they
uere concealed in little strip OF tim
her. probably so feet wide and ran
the length of the valley.
Aeroplane activity had been very
great for some time, and Elmer was
kept quite busy firing at them as they
came over in droves. They often new
very low and they must have gotten
our range very accurately.
So on the morning of August IL, at
about 10 a. m they threw over ter
rife barrage in the valley, killing nu-
rerous horses that were helpless to
get away. l Rugged the hillside tslde
we slepO, and started running down
the valley and someone called me, -
stopped. That was Elmer, so we
both went along together. After going
about 200 yards we looked around ana
everybody was coming, so was the
barrage, which kept on coming IN the
direction we were going. SO we start
ed out again and went nearly two ana
one-half miles away and then sat
Town. Elmer had a magazine and ne
started reading. l got some neWspa-
ners near by and we both read until
noon. We knew our cooks were not
in our position and that there would
he no dinner until late, so we had dln-
ner with an infantry outfit that was
resting there. After dinner we strolled
hack again, and the works were at
dinner. There were some of our men
wounded, none severely, but none
killed. So we again had dinner and
after that Elmer went to his mole
and guess ne continued reading.
we had 20 horses killed, l think,
and bunch started to bury them.
was lust coming into the valley and
elmer came down and went TO the
sitchen for a drink of water. We had
a few words and l went and started
digging back Of the kitchen. Elmer
hung around a few moments and was
lust starting back when terrific bar
rage was again thrown over. He start
Il TO run for the hill and ran into a
hell that exploded but few feet
from him. | saw at once that II was
suicide to try to make that hill, so
AN over to one in the rear and gained
safety. / stayed on top of this NIL
throughout the affair and never there
9fter witnessed anything so awful.
Many tried to make that hill, bu
we're caught by mustard gas. But al
that, with all their we'll placed shots
the loss of life was not as expected
It to be. Most all our wounded have
already returned and | still consider
~ of h
small loss of life, though most horses
being tied, were killed.
Elmer was removed to field hos
pital somewhere between Fismes ant
Cohan, north of Chateau Thierry. III
did not live long, according to hi