The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1919-01-30
Society and Club Life
From Over There
Being Excerpts from Letters Writ
ten by Kenosha Soldiers.

Kenosha soldiers are still having real
experiences some where over there.
They are scattered from one end Of the
western front to the other, through the
center of occupied Germany and even
in Russia and Siberia. From all of
them comes much the same story-they
are contented in the service but hope
that it will not be very long before
they are back home again in Keno
sha.
Many interesting letters have been
received from our soldiers over
there" They tell how the boys are
spending the winter and give virulent
accounts of the life on the various
fronts. Some of these letters are quot
ed in part below.
After the Bolsheviki.
"Tell the folks at home, writes
James w. Brown, who is serving with
the Canadians, "that although the war
is over on the Western Front we have
a little war of our own out here with
the Bolsheviki which does not seem
likely to finish up as speedily as some
people may expect. Conditions here
must be just as frightful as ever
they could have been in northern France
for the girls and women. 1t is pain
full to see the trainloads of refugees
come in and to see the squalor and
poverty in which they are forced to
live. The children crowd around the
cooks at meal-time with their pals or
sacks waiting for just a few crumbs
or scraps that may have been left. I
have learned to appreciate America
and will be glad when / can return to
ito
Soldier Brown celebrated his birth
day by marching five miles through the
streets of Vladivostok over cobble-
stones when he as a member of one
of the first Canadian units to be sent
to this city entered that city.
From Old Samur.
That the boys who charged the foe
at Chateau-Thierry so fearlessly were
not the only ones who suffered in the
great fight is the story told by Private
Herbert Gabrielson in a recent letter
to his mother Mrs. George Gabrielson
of North Sheridan Road. Young Cab
rielson has been at a training camp
at old Samur from which they have
sent officers to the front and where
he has seen plenty of service if not
actual fighting. He declares that the
Americans are all in good spirits but
they are anxious to get back to the
States.
A Regular" Writes.
Three years ago Herman j. Peters
dorf, son of Mrs. Augusta Petersdorf,
702 Market street, enlisted in the
"regulars and when the war came he
was already for service. He was for
eighteen months on the western front
as member Of Company A, 26th In
fantry of the First Division and
through all the fighting he has come out
uninjured. In a recent letter to his
mother he told how his company had
spent Christmas in Germany and had
enjoyed the feast spread for them by
the company cook.
Merry Christmas Indeed.
A real soldier Christmas is describ-
ed by Fred r. Bahr, a former employee
of the Kenosha News Publishing Com
pany, in recent letter to his friend
Charles Zweenic, Of this city. Tt
was written on Christmas morning
from the Base Hospital at Issoudum,
France.
"Well, Santa was here it starts.
" After taps last night the light went
out. Ten minutes later they were
turned on again and. into the ward came
Red Cross worker who with few
assistants brought and trimmed a
Christmas tree. After that on went the
dims again. And about midnight we
heard noise like sleighbells and the
"noiseo came. upstairs and walked
about all our beds.
We could clearly see by the dim light
that Santa had hung two large
socks at the foot of each bed and af-
ter he left the ward-Oooh! lahi lah!
Talk about noise. Everybody sure was
happy. The socks contained one pair
wooden socks, one pound of homemade
candy, box of 100 cigarettes, nuts,
oranges and matches.
After about an hour Of fellowship,
smoking cigarettes, eating candy and
throwing nutshells, quiet came again.
Then from the corner of the ward came
the touching strains of "Solemn
Night F" sung by a male quartette.
Today we are all happy and hoping
that the folks back in the States are
the same Young Bahr expects to be
out of the Hospital in few days and
hopes to be back in Kenosha before
many months.
In the account in Monday s edition
of the marriage of Miss Meta Rass-