Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1919-01-17
BASE
HOSPITAL, LIMOGES
How One American Hospital Unit is Located and Work
ing in France-Reception of The News of The
Armistice Signing at Limoges-COur.
tesies of French Civilians to The
American Boys

their Paris was about to fall, and one
has only to be here few DAYS to re-
allze wnat Paris is in their liyes-it
is France!
An American band came ploughing
-tseif through the crowd on a huge
gray Packard and stopped in front of
the iorn gates of the French Generals
headquarters; l fell in with them and
entered: We were in a beautiful
garden with wonderful fountain be-
lore the large stone mansion of the
General. The band formed circle;
The Marsellaise was struck up, when
To- The fountain shot forth a spray
wflicn mounted twenty feet and lights
flashed from every window and FROM
the caves and roof of the mansion.
| could see thru the bars of the fence
that crowd were at a halt and silent.
The moon was up and cast pale glow
over all which helped to mellow the
harsher tints of the red white and blue
lights which were shining as if to re-
mind u, all that even tho there is SO
much wild joy here, yet there are in
store many months of tiresome tho
glorious labor for everyone before the
wounds of the world can be healed.
The "Star Spangled Banner" was
played as never heard 1t before.
All the Americans had been holding
the salute through both the hymns
and at the end my hand got shaky,
out not altogether due to fatigue.
There was a moment of deathllke 81
lence over the who.e area and then
everybody burst into a roar. The
boys finished up with "peppy" airs
that were congenial with the moods OF
al the people and left +
1t is again night and 1 am finish
ing this up before the active duty be-
getting convoy of patients and the
Uown Is celebrating in all stages of
mental and physical IntoxicatIon. Am
glad that l have no opportunity to
sleep IN the guard house till 400 a. m.
Tor it would be impossible. Every
body is singing and coming down to
our pace and paying their compli-
ments to the Americans-''w
brought IT to finish Almost as soon
as Their real strength was felt
The band came this afternoon and
played 4ong concert out in front of
the main gate and the office, later 60
ing, down Ward avenue so that the
elbows In beds could hear. We fed
them and had a formal retreat with
the full outfit formed and dressed
WITH overeoats and gloves. After
supper another concert directly in
front of the guard house; the French
thronged in again and almost mobbed
the band. We had out all the guards
and then hardly could constraln them
Writing under date of December Is
oergt. Standish tells of being assign
ed to duty in the pathological labra-
tory after having been on guard
duty since last Ju-y; his present du-
Ties include making analyses, taking
blood counts, throat cultures, keep.
.ng rec c>rds, ETC.; work for which ne
is fitted by his previous training at
me University of Chicago.
Life CT soldier on active service
in Limoge is not all monotony as is
Indicated by the following extracts
from the letter referred to above.
Last night l went to the Opera
Rlgoletto was sung by a company oil
some note; everyone good but the
mezzo soprano. 1t was all in French
and it was hard to make much out
but it was pretty and the orchestrs
good so l didn't care. The Opera J,
small but quite comfortable and pack
ed to the doors every time there l.
an entertainment A great many d
the Frenchmen sit throughou will
their hats on and carry out further
than we do the habit of leaving be-
tween acts.
"Our outfit are now takins
"leaves" IN punches of Is each, tn,
second bunch are now gone. TIL,
leave area is on the Bretany coas
near Brest, st. Malo **
understand to day that the fourtl
bunch are to be assigned to southern
France in the Pyrennes and nea,
enough to Spain to allow parties t,
cross the border. You needn't thinl
twice to guess that my name Is un
officially on the waiting list for tn,
fourth Ieave. We will go day or 5,
before Christmas: Seven full day
are allowed at the leave area and ex
penses fully covered at the bes
; hotels; in all an absence of II day
from camp. - Wei
; Yesterday the French had anothe
chance for a fete day-Wilson Day
The shops shut again and the peopl
, all over the land turned out. Tn
, Americans rather took it as a mat
oer OF course and let the Frencl
celebrate.
, wilson got much more of an ova
! tion than any royalty in Paris. H
! is loved over here like no other for
! eigner. Clemmenceau said that tn
| oil frrr HI n4 De-
, nothing the world had ever seen be
fore.
1 There is talk of our receiving ne,
patients but as yet they have no
, come; two trains have been unload
5 ed for the other two bases, "a and 2
} but none so far for us. This ma
/ mean that this town VIII be used fo
: an evacuation center for patient
farther up, or it may mean that W
! are not to get any more at 13 Will
the others may stay. At least ar
not setting and definite time as {
when we will pull out: Just eatin
4 and sleeping and working and play
ing-not thinking too much!
Here l have been all the Will,
2 sleeping between sheets, eating goo
3 food, heated with coal, lighted wit
e electricity, access to hot and col
, baths: passes to go out to Gran
/ Opera or to dine with families whoy
t would be well for some of tn
S "First Families" at home to meet
e All this to help win the war! Doesn
5 seem right, does it? But guess
S is deereed by the gods thusly, so
= isn't up to me to say.