The gazette-times. [volume] (Heppner, Or.) 1912-1925, 1919-04-03
MARSHAL MCALISTER SEES
GREATER PART OF FRANCE

The following very interesting com.
munication was received recently by
Mrs. W. B. McAlister from her son
Pvt. w NJ. McAlister. of Co. E.. 18th
Engrs. Ry, A. E, F. and written from
Dijon, France.
/ My Dear Mother and All
As it has been many long daVs
since | have received even the scratch
of the pen from the States, for myself
am stll in the writing humor so will
try and write few lines home.
No doubt you and friends as well
think that we are, or will. be on our
way home soon and there will be no
use to write us as we will not get our
mail Well that is one way to look at
it but the best way is to write until
you hear of us landing in the U. S.
When we get there there will be plenty
of telegraph wires to carry messages if
the storms don't tear them down. OF
course | receive the papers that
Harvey sends and they are a great
help for news. but letter in person
will never come amiss.
While looking through the December
papers | noticed the death of Anna
Mcmillan, which was very sad news
to me, indeed, as it was only a short
time ago that l had written her a
short letter just as | had returned
T,,t
numbered and when the time comes,
there is no use to buck the line for
it is attempting the impossible So
when you see any of them give them
my best regards and sympathy.
Well mother, a little item of mention
l must tell you about, and no doubt
you will be very much surprised your
self as | was at the time. In the mail
last Thursday came package for me
from Capt Hugh Wiley, whom l know
quite well, of Co. B, 18th Engrs. Ry.,
and in it was a sweater and a note
telling me that you was the maker
and the donator for the Red Cross. 1t
appears that this sweater was the
stray one of the many received by B
Co, so upon seeing the name, Capt.
Wiley took it upon himself to send it
to me as he thought | would appre-
ciate it very much He also wrote me
a very nice letter as we'll Will say
that this is some sweater and for heft,
we'll so far l have not seen it's equal.
But there are many thanks to be given
the Red Cross for their work over
here and perhaps they will never get
the credit they deserve. They deserve
credit and honor far above any other
unit or organization on this earth, for
they are there "a hours out of every
day. | have seen their work from the
Spanish border to the front. from the
coast to the Swiss border and all
directions, north, east, south and west
and all over France, that is why l say
this. Everywhere l have been l find
the Red Cross at the head of the list
working for the interest of the soldiers
About the 23rd of January / had the
pleasure and opportunity of taking my
first 7-day furlough since putting Is
months of labor. in France with the
Cavanaugh Holman Construction Co
Ny furlough called for Mentone- Nice
leave area, which is the choice leave
area of the A. E. F. On my way down
stopped for a few hours at Valence
and viewed the city but it was too
cold to chase around much. 1t was
showing and freezing for sometime
before we left and was cold until we
hit Marseilles We left Dijon at 1870
on Friday evening and Saturday morn
ing we were in Valence. In the after
for the south and decided to spend a
few hours in Avignon, which is a city
of about 10000, and very pretty city
On the River Rhone. We were here
;bout y hiurs and had quite an OPP
3ortunity to see the place Here we
applied to the French Red Cross for "a
guide and started on a tour of the city
The guide was a French nurse Of
about 25 and n very pleasant girl to
talk to, (in a soldiers pigeon French),
but got by fine and dandy. We visited
he museum, the Palace of the Pope
Of Rome, the large viaduct the walls of
the city and it's forts, the old prison.
,astles, chateaus, churches and many
ther places of interest, and while
gDng the rounds there always came a
ew minutes for a drink of wine, as the
eNch say water is no good.
Vt p. m, Sunday. we boarded the
mot shot" for Marseilles and arrived
there ar p. m. and received a 24-hour
pass. We viewed the city but there
was too much to see in such a short
time so made hurry up trip and spent
some time at Notre Dame, which is
certainly nice place. The city itself
is laid out more like our cities. and the
10, f. al.
% turn around without getting run
over.
Monday at 4:45 p. m. we were headed
in permission train and shipped to
our destination, where we arrived at
/ o'clock in the morning on Tuesday. |
Then we were lined up and marched to
he Hotel Beach Rivage, Mentone, Gar
. van Apt, France Upon being as
Iigned to a room, which was quite
are and swell for buck private, we
took a good snooze and awoke about
% a. m. and to our surprise we were
tust off the coast of the Mediterranean, |
and by stepping to the window we
could look over the deep blue sea-so
blue that it was almost to good to be
tue.
The first thing was to clean up and
shake ourselves and step out and see
what could be seen close at hand. |
"Sunny France in reality was seen at |
last and "frst handed" 7 know now
where the "Birdie" lived that wrote
sunny France" Twas on this coast
from Mentone to Canuss, including
Monte Carlo and Nice. Beauty, yes, it |
Is here there and everywhere. "ici la, |
duet sont ou.'
Ny seven days furlough having be-
gun. I started out to see what | could |
see What struck me first was the
beauty and cleanliness of these cities
on this coast. Colors Of natural green, |
and fowers-yes flowers in abundance
and everywhere. The hotels and dwell |
ings rising tier after tier from the blue |
sea and nesting against the green
atsai isasr q nd hacl Of q IL