The Press., 1919-03-13

with full chorus and soloists will be prasent at the final rehearsal, so if thought best to have public rehears- ! ASHFORD 1 WestfOrd
 The following is an interesting let ter received by Miss Bertha Burrill frsm her brother, Private Elmer E. Burrill:
 France, Jan. 7, 1919. received your letters o. K I am not stuck on my job at present, but wheL they talk about Chateau Thierry l can say I was there and the same with hhhe Argonne drive. That was bloody fight in the Argonne Forest. If you eser see anything about the Lost Battalion in the paper or hear any one talking about it you can say your brcshSr was there. believe I wrote you abo6 it before. We broke IthrSsh .Eae German line, as we were ls2 &l t the troops on our right
 couldn't and the Germans surr3anded lin theldark. We were iaye2 Jays s f! ikho1 food or Iwatei Th} es9planes caAne over to drop food |us. but-they couldn't ex- actly iocate {us in the dense forest and the feod ddppped inside the. German lines. The German commander sent one of cur men that they had taken, back with order asking us to sur render. Hel said that it was useless for us to hold out any longer. He said he could hear the means of the wounded and he felt sorry for them, and for the sake of humanity to sur render The reply Col. Whittlesey gave them was to "Go to He'll" We learned later that they were going to attack us with flame thrower the next day. Had we not been successful in driving them back we would not have been here to-day. Col. Whittlesey and Capt. MeMurcing each got Congress sional Medal of Honor. That is the highest award anyone can get. Here
 
 German Commander Lieut.. Fritz Prinz |sant Col. Whittlesey after the war was |oter. He said 'Those men were splendid fighters. I would like to meet Col. Whittlesey, It would be a great honor. His battalion fought Very bravely and broke into our line, but in the darkness we surrounded them. We couldn't see how it was that they held out. The prisoners flat we took were pitiful sights, but q was long time before we could find ttne who would take back the message. They said they would be ashamed to lAsk their comrades to surrender. I meant what I said about hearing the eries of the wounded and feeling pity Iyor the soldiers. We had great ad- 3iration for those men. Our own
 ere all tired out and could not have
 sAd it where we were. If we had Deell it wolnoaa oSn. sa shaNe. gone hard with that battallOlI prepared another attack with flame |throwers. I don't think that they could have stood that, but your troops drove back our men. Everything that I wrote in that message was sincere, when I said We envy you I meant it. Those were fine troops"
 That's the letter word for word. Now as for coming home I can't tell when that will be. I am quite sure I will be home before the grass is green.
 Elmer Burrill, 3OSth Inf, Machine Gun Go.
 Warrenyille
 Mrs. w. c. Brown was in Whitman tic over the Sabbath.
 Charles Lawten has been working at garage in Stafford.
 The usual meeting of the Who-De club was held Tuesday evening.
 The local school-room was equipped with slate blackboards last week. w. A. King of Willimantic, o. D. Baker and others of this place took a day fishing in Westford recently. B. H. Gardiner is having some re- pairs made on the Gaylor house. Frank Bennette is doing the work. The river was entirely cleared of ice early last week. In previous years the ice has stayed until April and one l year as late as May. No one here will lack supply of the best ice this sum- mer as we had plenty of it in Febru- ary.