Smyrna times., 1919-01-22
HAROLD J, WISE WRITES,
LETTER HOME FROM FRANCE
SON OF REV. W. A. WISE D. D..
SUPT. OF EASTERN DISTRICT

Is Getting to see Something of France
Writes Parents and Interesting Let
ter-Paris and other Places Visited
Harold J. Wise, son of Rev. w. A.
Wise, district superintendent of East
eln District, resident of Smyrna, who
left last summer for France and is
a private in the U. S. Marine Corps as
assistant in the chief paymasters Of
flee, writes the following letter from
France which we publish in full. 1t
reads as follows:
Paris, France, Dec. %, 1918
Dear Folks:-Your first letter
reached me on Friday last and l was
extremely glad and very much re-
ieved to find that everything was al
right in the States. Before l write
any more l want to relieve your minds
as to that report of an epidemic of
"flu" over here. | have heard moth
ing about it and aside from four or
five cases there is nothing to it. |
have been well ever since | came over,
except for a cold now and then, but
expect to have them until l get used
to this damp climate. You need not
worry about me for | am trying to
take care of myself as much as pos
sible. Right now l am we'll and have
not even a cold.
This must be "Jupiter's Day" for
the elements are celebrating in a fit
ting manner. 1t has been raining all
day and no sign of a let up in sight.
/ would not mind this so much if it
were not for the fact that am leav-
! ing Paris tonight for Nevers, which
! is directly southeast Of Paris about
two hundred and fifty kilOs from this
city. Two of us are going down there
! to bring back a couple of motorcycles
and it may be clear before we start
back on Tuesday or Wednesday. |
am expecting to be back in Paris for
/ Olll llobIllclo IL VIC llelNC SOOu weather
and roads, for it is but days ride on
a machine. We are leaving on the
train tonight and expect to get there
before morning and if they give us
the machines we may start back to-
morrow.
We had great time last night. A
Mrs. Wise, wife of Colonel w. C. Wise
U. S. Marines, gave US a big Christ
mas dinner at the barracks. She is
a Red Cross worker and there was al
so a bunch of French girls who WORK
here at the office, besides five or sly
Red Cross girls. We had a good tim,
and a great feed, so | will not lose my
turkey-dinner after all. We had ou
pictures taken and if they are good
will bring one home as a souvenir.
A Visit to the Chamber Of Horrors.
After the dinner, last night, thre
of us visited the Chamber of Horror
and it was a great treat. 1t cost u
one franc and fifty centimes, abou
twenty-eight cents, each and it wa
well worth it. We entered the plac
and found extremely lifelike wax Fl
cures of famous characters. The frs
we ran into was of an old French pea
SAINT and he was so life-like that w
really thought he was real. He wa
standing out in the room like all tn
rest of us and did not look like a dun
my. Even the stubble of his bear
looked natural. Then we saw all tn
Oldtime notables of France such a
Napoleon and the many Louis. Som
of the displays were of the moder
scenes of this war and they locke
just like some l have seen in tn
trenches. We saw wax models {
Daniel in the Lions den, of Christian
worshiping in the catacombs befol
the revolution. Then we walked int
room and saw Wilson, wax fgur
standing with an American paper
his hands. The light was not brigl
and l leaned close to find from whel
the paper came but could not quit
discern the name. l turned to a coup
of American dOugh-boys who wei
looking at him and asked them whel
the paper was from. They did M
answer and l thought them impolir
until found | was talking to a coup
of dummys. l almost jumped whC
learned they were not real for it W;
spooky in that dark hole with peop
that seemed so live and yet were nc
We saw the Kaiser in a cage and
was shown cringing against the we
with terrible expression on his fac
hollow eyed and detected, as tho
were facing certain death. PershinI
n figure stood just across the rool
looking down upon the Kaiser with
stern expression. l tell you they we
so real that | was wary even of t