The Bluffton news. [volume] (Bluffton, Ohio) 1875-current, 1945-03-08

word from Noah n. Basinger, form
er Orange township resident out west
for benefit of his health that they
have been planting potatoes there
since the 14th Of February. He also
visited a cattle ranch of $4,000 acres.
the owner of which has a larger
ranch of $4,000 acres in New Mexico
where he employs 1000 cowboys with
1,20O horses taking care of 100000
head of cattle. Arizona farmers cut
alfalfa seven times year and stack
the bales out in the field as rainfall
is negligible and farms are irrigated
to provide moisture. Noah also
thanks the many friends who recent
ly remembered his birthday anni-
versary and sent greeting cards.
SiSgt. Eugene Firestone, husband
of the former Berda Gratz, daugh-
ter of Mr.. and Mrs. A. d. Gratz, of
this place, has written of his exper-
fences in the Philippines with Ohio's
famous 37th division. In part his
letter reads, Things are going along
fine here, but anything can happen.
/ am sitting by my foxhole, writing
on piece of cardboard. The people
here were certainly happy to see us
come. They've had it pretty tough
the last three years. The other day
/ traded penny box of matches for
roast chicken. We are able to get
all the chickens we want" Sgt.
Firestone has been overseas "a
months.
It's a far cry from hunting Japs
in Burma jungles to the prosaic
career of a clerk-typist-but that's
the change being made by Sgt. Will
liam Meishke, step son of Otto
Greiner living a mile north of town
on the old Clymer farm. Meishke
was one of the famous Merrills Ma
rauders, tough, smart, hard fight
ing outfit which prowled the jungles
raised havoc with japanese commune
cation lines and vanished before the
enemy, caught fatfooted, could mo-
bilize a force to capture them
Meishke was one of the first to land
at Guadalcanal and later volunteered
to go with Merrill's men, where he
served as a machine gunner. He ar.
rived in this country last fall ano
visited the Greiners before leaving
for the Army ordnance camp al
Jackson Mississippi, where he i:
learning to operate a typewriter il
place of a machine gun. Meishkt
says he likes his new career-but il
the call ever comes for more Mau
rauders-well, he's not predicting
just what he will do.
Cpl. Eugene Kohl, son of Mr.. anC
Mrs. Hiram Kohl is with the Amer
ican army in the vicinity of Dussell
dorf, Germany, where his aunt, Mrs
Martha Kohl Schmunk lived 70
four and one-half years before tn
war. Her husband, Louis SchmunR
ceramic engineer was supervise
of the factory of an American com
pany engaged in the manufacture o
bathroom fixtures and other porce
lain products. The Schmunks nov
live in Toronto, Canada.
More Bluffton service men meet il
Hawaii. The first of the week ;
letter was received by Mr.. and Mrs
H. E. Augsburger telling of tn
meeting of Robert Stratton of tn
Navy, son of Mr.. and Mrs. Cliff
Stratton; Chas. Conrad of the Army
son of Mr.. and Mrs. Raymond Con
rad and husband of Mrs. Ola Con
rad of Cherry street and Richarc
Augsburger. They spent Sunday to
gether and really did have a gooC
visit. They hope to see 1t. Rober
West soon as they have found he il
on the same island.
Lady Luck smiled on Mrs. Franl
Zuercher and gave her one of those
rare condolences which pinochl,
players dream of-but seldom see
While spending the week end il
Findlay, the Bluffton woman, playing
in a three-hand pinochle game helC
combination of a run" of fiv,
cards and three hundred pinochle
making a score in the neat amoun
of GAO.