Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1919-02-08

Luxembourg we got wonderful well
come, with flags and crowds out TO
greet us ut every place. God help
Luxemburrs II the Germans ever get
their thumb on her again!
We crossed the German border nj
Rosport, crossing the Saucr ut that
place.
Rheineck, Germany. Dec. -, l9iS.--
My battalion went TO Rergbrohl. and
for two days | was with II then, Then
was sent for BY Colonel FINLEY. and
paid the nice compliment OF being
chosen the organizer and president oil
q board of editors to write the history
Of the regiment, beginning with its
premiere in 1889 TO the present date.
Believe me II is n Job. land, what makes
II heartbreaker more than anything
else. is that my timex Is limited. for,
like everything In the army, set time
is liked, The book, which II Is planned
to be SEQ to Geo pages In lencth, must
be drafted and virtually req y for the
publishers by Feb. Is. SO | can warn
you in advance that YOU wont hear
much from little johnnie until after
that date.
We 'It'itu oiu tblil y ' GltElui8u IL Wv
skeptical as to our reception. We had
our advance guards and points U was
a mounted point for couple days,
preceding the regiment on my trusty
stoed alone, so as 10 protect those poor
boys from any treacherous attack) and
all the rest of the authorized require
ments of an army entering enemy
territory. and then decided that Fritz
had had his belly full of war and was
too anxious to be friendly to ever even
say cross word. and showed the band
out in front instead. And you should
have heard them. Every town we
entered we marched down in solid
column behind the band. which was
pounding The Yanks are Coming.
The YankS are Coming" down their
dirty threats as we went thru every
town. Never in my life did the dear old
regimental march sound so good as the
day we swung into Mayen and smash
ing them in the ears with it, And the
fools swallowed it. and laughed. and
here and there almost cheered. and
showed their great JOY in seeing the
Americans (shammed of course) by
putting gunny sacks over the head of
the kaiser's statue and lining the
streets to smile US thru. They grovel.
which is something they can never say
Of the French
When we passed from France in
Luxembourg We couldn't help but notice
the difference in the towns They
wer so clean in the little province next
to Germany. They were so dirty just
he
travels had taken us In Euxemburc
there were cattle. chickens. bedclothes.
curtains, clocks. and such things which
were not there in France, because the
boche had taken them.
One night I heard an argument. in
which 1t was agreed that a F'renchman
should be ashamed of his dirty towns
after getting into towns across the
line, where. without any more things
Tor cleaning at hand there was so
much more cleanliness. / agreed with
1t, until thought it over. The Luxem-
burgers had their cattle, their chickens,
etc.. the French didn't Why? Because
the French thought too much for their
liberty to give it up. When the Dutch
con1mandant demanded gold of those
Belgian Luxemburgers (more German
olood tran anything else, OF course)
they got the gold. Therefore they
left the chicken and the rest. In one
town in France they told us when the
German major demanded of the mayor
the location Of the municipal funds, and
Tor reply he got. without a turn of
the head by the old Frenchman: ASK
the dos. For punishment they killed
the dog, and locked up the old man
Out the town still has it's money,
hidden God knows where, and the old
man has his liberty again, and bis old
independence. And after it all
thought of old Pat Henry's Give me
liberty or etc. and decided to my
self: I'D rather be dirty democrat
than the cleanest slave on earth"