The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-06-27
SMOKES BRING JOY
AFTER Big BATTLE
Yankee Hero Says Soldiers
Wanted Tobacco More
'.i- -
Than Billets.
FREED FRENCH GOT PART
Glad to Give Every Acknowl-
edgement to Good Deeds,
Sergeant Writes. '''

willing as the returned soldiers who
pay calls Of duty Gas they describe their
visits) to The SUN Tobacco Fund are to
talk Of their experiences abroad. It. u
rare a story as thrilling a. the one yes
'tefday recounted is told 20 the fund. A
Second Lieutenant who was In the thick
Of the glorious days of the American
Expeditionary Force in the actions on
the line Of the Mouse, when The slogan
was "On to Sedan" and the Germans
were fleeing before them Ike frightened
rabbits really reused the keenest inter-
est by his brief and thrilling description
OF one of these battles on the heels of
which the tired soldiers wefs rewarded
by q full description OF Sun Tobacco
Fund cigarettes and smoking tobacco.
That gift of THE SUN, " said he yes
terday. came SO in the nick of time
that there seemed something uncanny
about its. arrival. 1t certainl.' did seem
so to the men in my company who had
had no previous share of the good things
The SUN brought over to us. wasn't
SURPRISED because had knowledge shat
THE gun aimed to be wherever IL was
most needed.
This particular time tobacco was
most needed. 1t happened in the latter
part of October. 1918, when We were
driving the Germans out OF Harricourt.
We proceeded with unusual caution be-
cause we knew that there were civil ans
in Hsrricourt and In order to spare them
the big artillery was not brought into
action. but we went forward to take
the place with machine guns ,Harri-
court, as you probably know. was one
OF the places which we liberated from
the obnoxious rule of the Hun. 1t had
been trampled on for four years by his
heaviest spurred boots -.-....
I'VE drove the Germans ahead of US
with persistent firing and from Harri-
court they fell back on Beaumont, Auths
and Antruche- 1t cost Us most Of a
days work to clean up their machine
gun nests and there was no. let up pos
sible until we had done this. Then hav-
ing accomplished II we felt or 1 felt, and
guess my superior officers did, that we
were entitled to a good rest
Better Than BiIIets.
"On the oatskirts Of the village the
billeting unit overlook US. and 1 wiped
| my head with sag while asking then
what the prospect was for a svod night.
, rest. II seemed a little discouraginl
for Harricourt had been so long at tht
mercy OF the enemy. But they told u.
that back in the village we would fnt
something better than a billet
They were right for In the towr
street was a Sun fund canton Ioadei
with what We needed more than food
| or sleep-tobacco. The boys in charg,
wanted to know where they could de
| liver 1t, and they were directed to tn.
church. They drove up there followet
by every soldier who was able to- wall
and by most OF the civilian population
The church at Harricourt was prac
tlcally unshelled. Only one wall ha1
suffered, but the cemetery walls adjoin
ing were a mass of rubbIe from the
Smelling. At the door OF the church TIKI
Sun tobacco smokes were given out, and
big lot were put in my charge for dis
tribution to the boys who should com,
| along later.
What I want 20 say and TO make
point Of Is the fact that some of thi!
| tobacco was handed out freely to tn,
poor devils of civilians. THE SUN mad,
no distinction, and for the first time IL
| four years the male Inhabitants OF Har
ricourt had smokes OF real tobacco. 1
was a gift to them from America Of
real American tobacco. How they en-.