Baraboo weekly news. [volume] (Baraboo, Wis.) 1912-197?, 1919-01-23

Mr.. and Mrs. F. C. Schuster. 31S
Martin street, Baraboo. have received
the following letter from their son,
now in France:
Pierrefitte, France.
December 3, 1918.
Dear Mother and Dad:
Jtist a few lines to let you know |
am fine and dandy, and how are you
now? Have you heard from Herb
How is he? have been rather anx-
ious to hear how he was getting along.
I sure hope he is better, as see by
the papers there are lots Of deaths in
the camps in the states. Well, don't
think it will be long before we are
back in the good old U. S. A., but one
can never tell. Everything is going
fine. You folks can never realize what
this war was like, but the good Lord
was with me, and am now able to tell
you about it. tell you those who
went through all of it now realize
what life is. l never care to see any
more of it. I shudder now when |
think of the hell we have been
through. helped to bury over three
hundred comrades on one hill at E1er-
ges-that was on the ChateauThierry
sector. After the battle of the Marine
we went from Jaulgonne to Fismes.
You read Of it in the paper, only you
didn't know it was the 32d division.
From there we went to the sector
north of scissors, on the Juvigny pla-
teau That is where Boyd Ladd got
his, and several others from around
home. Perhaps you saw in the paper
where a bunch Of German prisoners
were killed at the mouth of a cave.
One of their own shells came over and
hit right among them. There were
four of us military police guarding.
Two of them were killed and one was
wounded. / was the only one who
came through with nothing worse
than good scare; and the Boche-
well some we found and some moth
ing but parts Of
From that sector we went to Yer
dun in the Argonne woods, and you
have read of that, so won't write it
now, but tell you about it later.
Am sending a. little write UP of our
division. Pretty good. You can see
by it we have been through the whole
line, and only few Of the old bunch
are left. Take our company of mill
tary police-only about twenty or
thirty out of the 275 are left, and am
thankful that l am still here to tell
the story. And no matter what you
hear, bel eve It, if It seems imposst-
BILE, as from what l have seen moth
ing is impossible.
Talk about long faces-you should
see some of us boys when other get
mail and we don't. | sure enjoy read
ing your letters. Every time have
nothing else to do I get an old letter
out and retd it over. More than once
l have pulled my pocketbook out (no
not for money, as that doesn't last
long) but to look at yours and dads
picture, and it sure kept up my spirits.
These French are sure q funny
class of people old fash
Toned. They do their washing In a
puddle of water, or a creek or river
no boiling or warm water. Most eV-
cry town has community washhouse.
II there is canal or river around,
down on their knees on a rock and
paddle to clean their clothes. One
fellow has been threshing for about
a month now, and Is not through yet
It would not take two hours to thresn
it in the states. They use falls and
e-propelled machines. The houses
and barns are all together You go IN
one door that you think is the house,
and you are in the barn; go through
the barn right into the house. The
buildings are all stone and all oulit
together. Believe me. this sure Is
great life. but would not have missed
a