Baraboo weekly news. [volume] (Baraboo, Wis.) 1912-197?, 1919-02-13
From a Radio Operator

The attached very 1nteTe6Clng let-
Ter was received by C. W.. Hilliard
Grom Warren J. Hubbard, formerly an
operator on the Madison division Of,
The Chicago & North Western, now
a radio operator with the 32nd divi-
sion. Ef
} SpeicheT, Germany.
@ Dec. 3rd, 1918.
Dear Friend Charlie:
Will this be your frst letter from
Germany or have some Of the other
boys reached the promised land"
too? This is not the end of our jour
ney, presumably that is the Rhine or
some point beyond, wherever the line
is to be, for the S2nd always pene-
trates to the furthermost points.
1t has been quite wonderful trip
this far. We were bucking Fritz down
on the Mouse river when hOstilities
ceased. near a little battered-up town
by the name of Velsones, north of Yer
dun and east of Sedan, only short
distance from the northern border, so
when the news came that the 32nd
was to lead the advance Of the army
f occupation in this sector, just a
hort jump took us over the border.
Dur route lay through LOnguon and
IIongwy, important mining centers be-
fore the war, when the big majority
of the population had been caught by
the German invasion and were COM
PEELED to associate with the Boche
for four years Longwy lies at the
point where the borders Of France,
Belgium and Luxembourg meet, in
beautiful little valley. From the south
one comes into 1t on road that
seems to almost hang over the city,
giving a view of every nook and cor
ner in il similar to the view from an
aeroplane, and from its extent
should Judge it held population OF
twenty-five thousand or more before
the war, barely touched by shell fire.
hut nevertheless one Of the best ex-
.amples of German kultur, The filth
they left behind on the streets, in
homes. beautiful rooms and well every
place. filth that had accumulated in
four years, stamp them as purely AMI
mails. The people In these invaded
districts call them "cashuns" which
translated means pigs, but a pig has
redeeming features, and the women
and children and old men, and as
usual particularly the women, were
not immune from the soldiers gener-
ally. They practiced their methods
here perhaps more strongly than IN
many cities, for they had plenty OF
time and no interference, and of course
the town was stripped, had been in
the first year of the war, | suppose
Indeed the talk of proper toOd ana
clothing which had been extreme Tor
the past four years was not IN the
ewes of these people comparable as
hardship with the German soldier HIM
self Those two days we spent in
Longwy gave us bunch of first hand
done on the Germans, all old stun
really. that we had encountered here
and there before but never quite so
evident and in quite such quantity
before.
Belgium was next on our list SO
we slipped over the border early one
morning to find the country "doued
mn like a Christmas tree. The news
of our coming had preceded us by
days and the pOpulace had worked
overtime to prepare a welcome tor us.
Every village was a miniature nag FAC
forv. and arches of flowers and hagS
with inscriptions of Welcome" on
them were built over the highway
along our route and the last MEMBER
of every family down to the family cat
was out to give US a "highbalP' as we
.SlipDed by. but we only cut OF
small corner of the country and were
well into Luxembourg before we real
lied the fact, for oar welcome was
abated none. At the little city OF
Petengen, we were officially welcomed
to Luxembourg The day had been de-
clared a holiday in anticipation or our
coming so every one was present ana
it was quite a cereinon1ous analr.
Speeches were delivered, our dough
boys put over little parade, the LAX
emburg band played Yankee Doc
die" and the inhabitants put forth
their best efforts to make the first
American troops in Luxembourg feel
thew were 1QQGSQ WSLCOAICs "AANN @A'
tended to change my half-formed opin'
ion of the people and their sympathies
knowing that they were at least three
fourths German in origin, 1t seemed
likely their sympathies were with the
@'Vaterland," but apparently they dis
like the German quite as heartily as
the rest of the world. despite the fac'
that he treated them in "fatherly'
fashion in comparison with his treat
ment of the Belgiums and French.
1t is very beautiful old country Of
varied scenery and untouched by wal
or course, in its physical characterize
les, and probably the best preserved
little section of country in Europe to
day, with a contented, prosperous III
neace times) and withal a progressive
people. l am led to believe thel
school system has it on moot part o
Europe and every little city has SOM
~whc mn