The Clio messenger. (Clio, Mich.) 1907-current, 1919-04-24
TWO CLIO BOYS
HOME FROM WAR
LxyUT. KNICKERBOCKER AND
JESS LADUE RETURN
Both Boys Had Interesting Expert
ences But are Glad to Get
Back Hcme"

The Messenger editor has been de-
lighted within the past week to grasp
the hands of two Vienna township
boys who went across the seas and
served their country faithfully in the
great struggle for human liberty
throughout the world. The first we
shall mention is Jess LaDue, because
he was grievously wounded, and we
have often thought of him with much
anxiety and solicitude. We did not
have much opportunity to talk to
him, but enough to observe, with
pleasure, that he was looking as
though in splendid health and to
hear him say that his wounds had at
last healed nicely and that he was
feeling fine. 1t will be remembered
that Jess was wounded in the left
arm and seriously wounded in the
back by machine gun fire while help
ing in the last great drive which
smashed the German army and sent
the Kaiser a fugitive to Holland.
He laid on the shell swept battle
fielS for many hours before it was
possible to give him assistance and
then followed weary months in the
hospitals, while the surgeons were
cutting the bullets out Of his back
and his wounds were healing. We
have been told by those who have
heard part of his narrative that he
was first knocked down on the battle
field from the shock of an exploding
shell. AS he regained strength,
he started to crawl toward shell
hole and then a German machine
gunner got him. He finally reached
the shell hole, despite his wounds,
and a grewsome sight upon which he
was compelled to gaze for some time
was a German soldier, sitting erect
and stone dead on the opposite edge
of the crater. Finally another Amer
lean boy tumbled into the shell hole
and he and Jess pulled the dead
Bosche into it with them and straight
ened him out so that they would not
have to look at his face. Finally, as
we have said, help came, and now
Jess is at home again in good, old
u. S. A., the best and most enlight-
ened country on earth, and we ven-
ture to say that his tragic experiences
cover there" seem, sometimes, more
like a dream than reality
Lieutenant Walter Knickerbocker,
of the engineering service of the A.
f. F., was in France more than a
year. 1t was his fortune to be en-
gagged in the theoretical work of his
department, so that, however greatly
he may have wished to do so, he was
not engaged during the war in the
zone of actual hostilities. This gave
him exceptional facilities for study
ing the progress of the war and the
tremendous agencies that were used
in prosecuting it. He was in Paris
when the city was under fire from
the German long range gun and saw
the church which was wrecked by one
of it's shells and where many worship
ers were killed. After the armistice
was signed he visited the famous city
of Rheims, where the great cathedral
raj and the entire city, in fact, was
wrecked by the artillery fire of the
Germans which continued almost
throughout the war in that particular
spot. The city had, before the war
began, about as many inhabitants as
Flint. 1t contained eighteen humid
red dwellings, the great majority of
which were totally wrecked and only
sixteen of which escaped damage
from exploding shells. Walter has a
diagram of the wrecked city, bearing
little dots where the shells struck
which make it appear like piece of
polka dot calico. He says there is a
strip of devastated country extending
practically the whole length Of the
battle line in France and Belgium so
thoroughly torn with shell fire and
scanned with trenches and excavations
that it will be many years before it
can be reclaimed. Walter learned
to .id French quite readily and it is
1E} interesting to hear him read
from a magazine printed in that lam
guage, translating it as he reads.
He brought home with him two copies
of the famous French magazine,
ILLUSTRATION and will receive it for
several months to come. The sub
lscription price Of this magazine is
V$17.00 per year. Walter pays
warm tribute to the valor and scien-
tific ability Of the French soldier, bat
like all of the other American boys
who saw service abroad, his exper-
fences but deepened his love and ad-
miration for his native land.