Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1919-02-19
Guy YarWOOd Writes His Parents an
Interesting Letter and Quotes
Some Prices Prevailing in
Germany
BUTTER SELLING AT
$500 THE POUND
Eggs Go at $500 Dozen and Cord
wood Sells at $40 a Cord.
Ladies Dresses Cost a
Muniffcient Sum
Lintgen, LuXem bourg
- znn

Got here o. K This is a good deal
heater appearing class of people
than in France. We came through
the corner Of Belgium on our way.
l am with Matt Fleming of Rose
Creek good deal here. l can talk
more of it now than l can French.
/ will give you an idea of the prices
before the armistice was signed.
One pair of shoes $50 to 400 francs,
Is francs for s1.OG nearly:i
ladies hat $50 francs; mems suit
1000 francs; ladies' dress 700 to 900
francs; black shirt not good 60
francs; cordwood 80 francs; butter
10 francs a pound; or So eggs 20
francs dozen. You see it costs soma
thing to live and they could not get
hardly any at that, as it is neutral
country and was surrounded by :ha
Prussians. All they got had to be
struggled in. They were nearly
starved out. We can get along g3od
if we can talk to them. They can't do
enough for Fleming and /. There is
some trouble here now. 1t was caus-t
ed mostly on account of religious
affairs. Don't know how it Will come
out yet. They are to put the queen
off the throne. Don't know anything
of coming home yet. Are All u stay
some time yet now that We are up
here. 1t is bed time so will close.
Guy.
Stenway, France
.. ... Dec. 20, 1918
Dear Folks-Well We got moved
at last. Started the 26th about $3.50
via trucks, coming about half way
and stopped at little town named
Navies which is just this side of Bar
La Due, and put up in billits over
night. Starting out at $3.50 again
and got to Verdun via Souilly, ar
irving there at noon and ate dinner.
| Started from there at $3.50 and got
here at S:15 at night. From Verdun
here there sure are some sights as
it was all the old battlefieIds and
understand the U. S. troops took this
place two days before the armistice
was signed. Although the buildings
are not blown up here. This is an old
French military academy something
like West Point OF course it isn't
like it in appearance though ] sup
pose. Have big barracks and believe
me it took us all day yesterday to
to clean up the blamed buildings.
There was straw, manure, rags, old
shoes, shells, grenades and who
knows what they did not have piled
up. Why there was such a mess I
don't see how they possibly could
stand it. Such dirt and filth l never
did see, and / understand they had
American and other allied prisoners
here. So much for this. Verdun is a
big place and is sure shot to pieces
believe me. There are big salvage
piles there of stuff that was picked
UP on the front including old Ger
etc. From Verdun on there was but
a short time until it got dark, but
saw the trenches, dugouts, wire en-
tanglements, shell holes and German
shell which were left in the drive.
Now the barb wire is being piled up
preparatory to being taken to found
ries to be melted into some useful
articles. The morning we left DON
lain Court there was an inch of snow
on the ground and it was rather
chilly. The snow was on the ground
all the way until We got here, but
not so much of it. Here it is mud
and plenty of it, and raining all the
time, so isn't likely to get much
thinner. I got six letters from you
from Rob and one from Mohney dur
ing the last week, and one from Har-
old Y. He had been on three differ
ent fronts and was there when the
armistice was signed. / got the let
ter with the two pictures in it the
night we arrived here, the 27th, my
21st birthday. Say you are mistaken
in the Rainbow division coming
home. That is the AID and are in the
occupation troops. / understand the
Gath Division was all split up into
casuals after arriving in France, so
don't expect they are home yet. We
are in the 33d Division | guess.
Have been attached to so many other
divisions on the front it is hard to
keep track ourselves. have received
four Public Opinions and that is all.
You speak about German souvenirs
such as helmets, etc. / have no he'll
NETS or anything else Of the sort
which prefer to send through the
mail. Things are too liable to get
lost. / have no big articles, as when
we were on the front We didn't ex-
pect the war to be over so soon, so