Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1919-03-09
BY ADDISON E. SHELDON
Secretary Nebraska State Historical
- - -
Society.

DoClely.
December "a l left Cob
lenz, with one long parting look
at the fortress of Ehrenbreitstein
and the Rhine. I was bound for
the Nebraska Three Hundred Fifty
fifth regiment in its camp at Saar-
burg, about 100 miles distant, !
knew that the Three Hundred Fifty
fifth infantry had been in the thick
est fighting, and that the men from
Nebraska had sustained the reputa-
ton of their home state for courage,
for GOODNESS, for endurance and for
achievement. / had planned The
last days OF my stay in Germany for
a visit with the men of my own
state, the joy of celebrating Christ
mas with them and of carrying a
Christmas message from them to
the people at home.
1t was after dark when the rail-
road train halted at the little village
of Beurig, which is the railway sta
ton for Saarburg, half a mile dis
tant ,on the other side of the Saar
river. A stalwart fellow in khaki
with the letters NJ. P. on his arm
greeted me. You're the man from
Nebraska" he asked, for the gen.
eral headquarters on the Rhine had
telegraphed that ! was coming.
Come in and see the fellows OF
Company Z before you go over to
the regimental headquarters" he
said.
NTurn out, you fellows" said my
companion, and meet a real live
man from Nebraska"
The Nebraska Boys.
There was a storm of responses,
and was at once surrounded by a
bunch of big, stalwart fellows, some
from Norfolk, some from Fremont.
some from Omaha, some from Lin
coin, some from a half dozen other
places, with hand-grip like wise
and volley of questions.
when did you come over?" do
you know when we are going to be
sent homer" DO you know So-and-
So in my town." If ever bunch
Of fellows were hungry for news
from Nebraska. | had found them.
After twenty minutes of hand
shaking with the men, who swarmed
in, and vain attempt to satisfy the
appetite for home news, l was con-
Quoted to Colonel Cavenaugh's
headquarters. and after an hours
visit upon the regimental history
and events of the war, was guided
by another M. P. to the residence
of German master builder, where |
was billeted during my stay at Saar-
burg.
The Star SpangIed Rhine.
Far in the night the church bells
pealed out the coming of the new
Christmas to a war-worn world. The
measured military tread of Ne
braska guard, pacing the stone
paved street, pierced the darkness
of the new Christmas day. What
dream was this? To lie in bed, far
beyond the fortified lines, whose
capture had cost so many good
American lives, in a German house,
in city whose streets were pa
trolled by Nebraska soldiers. who
only few months before had been
chasing plows across Nebraska
prairies. And only a few days be-
fore l had crossed the Rhine for
the first time in my life and had
seen the Stars and Stripes floating
above the great fortresses upon that
riverl How was it possible for all
this to be true?
Germans and Nebraskans.
Daylight brought the fairy tale
verihcation. The little city swarmed
with gay groups of German children
who greeted the Nebraska soldiers
as they marched through the streets
with curious mixture of confidence.
shyness, friendliness and fear.
Christmas day with Nebraska SOL
diers in Germany How the memory
of it will thrill us all to the latest
BREATH There were doings in the
big Y. M. c. A, hall. which was the
social and literary center of the Ne
braska regiment. The Y. NJ. c. A..
hall in this case was the old Turn
verein halle. There were pictures
upon the wall of the kaiser, the
crown prince and other German mill
tary celebrities. Truth conpels me
to state that these pictures had been
ornamented with legends more or
less witty and profane. Nobody
seemed to complain, however, not
even the grownup Germans who
strolled by and looked in at the pro-
ceedings,
The regimental band had been in
stalled in the gallery at one end of
the hall. 1t handed out a repertoire
of Christmas music, running all the
way from America "There'll Be
a Hot Time in the Old Town To-
night" The band did not lack appre-
ciatiye applause. There were pres
ents for every soldier, one at least
from the Y. NJ. c. A. in AmericRand
one for each of many soldiers from
the American Red Cross. Not all
the Red Cross packages got through.
An overloaded dock at Brest had
collapsed and some thousand tons of
Christmas presents were in the sea.
1t was a glad Christmas time, even
with the near memory of some COM
rades who Would never again make
Christmas cheer for US upon this
earth.
Christmas in Germany and peace
and home ahead!
At 3 o'clock in the afternoon the
hall was crowded. A Nebraska meet
ing had been announced. Several
hundred stalwart fellows in khaki
were there. Chaplain Cogle was
chairman of the meeting and intro
duced the visitor. What a rousing
dheer for Nebraska was givenl And
one Of the first letters which fol-
Wilson Gets News of Peace