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About Ashland tidings. (Ashland, Or.) 1876-1919 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 31, 1918)
Tuesday, December 31, WfJ? ASIILAXn TIDIXG9 rAK SIX BIG SUBSCRIPTION OFFER iOMlUlt' You Get ALL MAGAZINES and OUR NEWSPAPER yZtSa F0R $2.55 Order Now THIS liXCKf IIO.NAI, OI FL:U It tiUUl) Full A SHORT TIMK ONLY bul'Jirtl'lloon mar br urnr or rrm-wal. All rrnrwnl mibarrtplluna mill k ex leaded lor one 71-ar from prrsent duto ol tiplratlua. SUBSCRIBE AT THE TIDINGS Office. n p 1 THE UNIVERSAL CAR If you use "bogus" or counterfeit parts for replacements and repairs to your Ford car, -ou can't expect satisfactory or dura ble service from your car. It's not fair to Let men the car t0 reiair with poor quality Who Know parts. Stick to the fin It Seniune Ford raa " terials and have your Ford car cared for by men who know Ford mechanism and to best keep the car in running order. Bring your Ford car to our shop where you're sure of the square deal; sure of Ford materials and sure of Ford low price?. Keep your Ford car running full standard. FORD GARAGE. Lee Hall, Prop. 31 .l.-ll 1L-II SOLDIERS' LETTERS Following la a letter from Verl G. Barnthouse, drum major of the 32nd Engineer band. A. K. I'., In which he gives an Interesting description of the enthusiasm with which the news of the signing of the armistice was received In France: Bordeaux, France, Nov. 11, 1918 Dear Folks: Note above date, NOV. 11. Can you Imagine what this date means to us? It means the end of this awful war, and our return home. At 1:13 this afternoon we were out on a prac tice march on the Paris road when we halted for a few minutes' rest near the Cafe of the Gour Poarches. Just alter we had fallen out of for mation a little old Frenchman came along on a bike jelling, "Vive La America," and "Vive La France." On stopping him wo found out that the armistice had been signed at D: 40 a. m , and firing had ceased at 11 a. m. Well! We Just stood on our hind legs and let out one round of good lusty Yank yells that could be heard for miles About this time the whistles of the ocean liners In the harbor and at the American docks turned loose. Boys! This was no time for work, so we rushed back to camp, secured passes and beat It for Bordeaux. On arriving there we found that the Stoves Both Coal and at Reasonable SIMP Hardware FOUR of These French people had proclaimed a half holiday and wero crazy with Joy. American soldiers and sailors gath ered In groups and started parading up and down the main streets, yell In nnH Kln?lnur at the tOOS Of their voices. Girls and women ran out or pushed thru the crowds to kiss ana shake hands with us. The men were Just os bad, but we did not care so much for their kisses. In what seemed but a few minutes the large factories poured out thous ands of men, women and girls who formed In long parade, the girls still wearing their picturesque bloomer overalls and wearing or carrylns the trl-color flag of France. All the busi ness houses were bedesked with the flags of the Allies. The ancient bell towers that surround Bordeaux and In which bats and pigeons have lived for many years gave forth their peals of Joy, and awakened the bats from their mid-day sleep. The giant bells In the cathedrals of St, Michael and St. Andre rang again, but not 03 be fore In solemn tones, but In glad Joyous peals that could be heard above the din of the over-filled streets. Now It becomes dark. (I am tak ing you thru Just as I saw this stir ring time). Again the large electric signs glowed as they did five years ago. Extra Illumination was pro vided by garlands of Japanese lan terns strung across the fronU of the big cafes, and all the big street lamps that bad been dark since the start of the war were lighted. Ho one s Wood Prices thought of supper, and as for drink?, any man In uniform, whether he be British, Belgtyn, American or Al gerian, was welcome to all ami more tlian he could drink. And money, why. It was an Insult to the cafe keepers to have you offer tliem f runes for their wine. Now (aliout 8 p. m.) parades are forming in the Place Uauibetta: The marchers have long lances with a cross piece near the top and from each tip of these cross pieces a Jap. lantern hangs. But Ah! A sound that hushes all noise for a second is heard. Yes, It Is an American mili tary band playing the ".Marseilles," the French national hymn, yulckly the stratus of that martial tune stir the gathered thousands, and now all at onco every soul takes up the words of the chorus and sings with a free, unbridled Joy, for are they not free again from the Huns? The mighty chorus of voices near ly raises tiie heavens, for there must bo at least 10,000 people In this place. And now the "Star Spanned Banner" is beiug played. Instead of sous, every man, woman and child stops and silently uncovers their heads, while the American men stand at attention and salute until the last strains are played. Then they all burst out with "Vive La Am-iica, and "Vive Ia Allies." The parade starts. We fall in with a bunch of Americans and lead the column. As we start a young girl about 17 runs out and shoves a small French flag In my hand ami says in French: "Carry this flac. monsieur. In honor of our brave American, al- liuR, and keep it as a lit from a girl of La Belle France." 1 have this flag and I sure value it very much. 1 He parade winds itj wav thru some of the principal streets and re turns, and now we are on our way to camp. The streets are very crowded, but always the people cry. "Alleydu I.a Americans." In Knslls'li it means, "Give way to the Americans." We have reached camp and have rolled in our bunks for a much needed rest 7 a. m., Tuesday nioriiin.'. Break. fast over, ami we are all a-tluglo to be out and see w hat s soini: on In Lormont. so I form the band and we go to Lormont, a few blocks from here. As we reach the out'iirts we start playing "The Stars and Stripes Forever, a very stirrlus march Out from the houses the people pile. The little lds and you tin ladles, 16 and 17 years old, form ahead of us and start dancing and slutting us down the street. As we start past a flower stand th? proprietor rushes out with both , hands full of flowers and give them to me, and there I am, trying to wield a 9-pound drum ma Jor baton and carry a big bunch of flowers. We stop In the square and nlavS few pieces. While playing the peo ple smoiner us witn flowers. We had to press a soldier into service as a flower bearer. These flowers we plnced on our and the officers' mess tables, and our barracks ara full of them. We are now In camp and to- nignt we piay in Bordeaux for a giant paraae or American, British, French and Algerian troops. The French troops are composed of the mounted city police and gerdamles. 7 p. m. Our truck is waiting out side, so I must call the band Into formation, so we will be ready to de part for Bordeaux. 11:30 p. m. Back again and dead tired. Will tell you all about the time tonight. Well, here gooes to try and tell you about last night, but that would be hard to express In written words. for It was a glorious night, all In all We arrived in Bordeaux under orders to report at the Y. M, C. A. there. On arriving we found we were not at the right place, so 1 called ur our adjutant and asked him for or ders, tie then asked th colonel and he said to report at the Hotel de VII le, or the city hall. We gof there after awhile and found the mayor of Bordeaux and a general and his staff of officers waiting for us. We formed at the head of the parade between the .huge arches of the entrance to the court yard, ' At the given sign we started with a guard of mounted police at each side of us. We had a squad of French soldiers, a squad of American M. P.'g and an outside guard of giant black Algerians. Just as we passed out of the gate they set off huse red flare fires that lit up the procession and across the street. The red light played on the windows and cornices of the Cathedral St. Andre. The people were massed so on the streets that our three rows of guards had hard time keeping the people back so we oouU play. At times they lWllll III 111 SON'S 1 Store I broke thru the guards and ran In and gave us flowers and flags, or threw handfulls of confetti at us. Our march continued thru the princi pal streets and into the large public square, thence to the river front and back to the Hotel de Vllle, where we played the national airs of Franc. Italy, England and America. We then crawled Into our trucks and home we went. Well, mother dear, It has been six days since I started this letter, but things have been so confused that 1 did not have time to finish, and now I have another big time of which to tell you. Sunday nt 11 a. m. wo ate our lunch here, then got Into trucks for a forty kilometer (37 miles ride to n town down the liver by the name of Blaye, an ancient fortified town of about 20,000 people. We arrived there about 2 p. m., formed at the head of a company of Infantry, and started on a parade thru the streets. It was not long until we had about 3000 or 4000 French men, women and kids fallen In behind our bunch, and wero singing and yelling at the tops of their voices. After the pa rade we had a concert, then we start ed at 5 p. m. to eat our supper. At 7 p. ni. vo finished a dinner that was fit for a king. First we had wine, all we wanted. Then soup, fol lowed by beef a la mode and browned potatoes. Then more wine, then salad with chicken a la king. Then more wine with fresh English wal nuts, followed by benedictlne and cof fee, and then champagne In heancoup quantities. Then they turned us loose. The town" was ours. Wc danced on the streets with the girls and women, and at 81") p. m., we started on another parade which lasted until 9 p. in Then we went Into the mayor's office and then In to the court room which was furnish ed in a luxurious manner. There were a couple of speeches by Frenchmen, and while the French orchestra played La Marseilles we drank a champagne toust to the Republic of France. Then we went down stairs Into the court yard and played "The Star-Spangled Banner," and our chnnlaln gave an address. While he was speaking a Welch man from southern England made somo dirty remarks about the Ameri cans, and In about two seconds I and a couple more of the band had him and had clouted him a couple of good ones. Then we turned ltlm over to the French police who had a hard time getting him into the jail, as the French people were trying to get to him. They spit on him and want ed to mob him. After this little show was over we played a few more pieces, and then got Into our trucks for our ride home. Well, this is some letter. If yoa get tired of reading it In Ine day, why, finish It the next. Dear folks, I will now bring this newspaper to a close, and bid you all good-bye for this time. With love to all, as ever. BARNEY. In the following letters which Msr! A. Schue-man reently received from her son Fred, who is with the 6"th artillery in France, the details of his casualty an related: American Red Cross Hospital No. 110 .Nov. 1, 1918. Dear Mother and all: They tell me 1 em severplv wound ed, but I don't believe It. Some one jumped over the ridge and kicked USE Land Plaster NOW Ashland Lumber Co. Phone 20 nn In the face with a nair of corked shoes while we were shooting scrap ncl ut Heinle, and now I am forty miles behind the lines awaiting a ride in one of those splendid Red frnss trams to somo Base Hospital In one of tho larger cities for a nice rest. I am O. K only a peeled nose nmi mv fnee looks as If I had the small pox. The lad next to me changed rrom an aote-uoaieu smuiei to a llttej case In a fraction of a sec nnri an von see I am always lucky. When they shot me with lock-jaw an ti-toxin it hurt worso man my nose and I lest my bet of a dinner In New York with Hodburg mat ne wouiu bo in a Base Hospital before I would Don't change my address aa my mall will be forwarded. Love and a Hap py Thanksgiving to all. Baso Hospital No. 80, Nov. 6. My Dear Mother: I am writing this curled up In bad, not that I need to stay ther- but It's the only place to write. I been here for about two days sleeping on a spring cot, between sheets and In pajamas, the first I have seen in nmnv mnoriR. They told mo I could have my clothes yesterday, but Bome- how It w as mussea up anu i man i get Mhem. However, I'll have them In a day or so ond that will be better than running around in pajamas. After leaving here you go to a con vnlennent eamn and after thorolv re covering they send you to a replace ment camp ana irom mere oacx m your regiment. From the latest nown it looks as tho I mlnht not hit the lino again. I don't know the de tails or mai eveni yei, dui u seemeu if Frit cot a shell over the hill and It exploded to one side of our gun about twenty feet in rroni oi me, where I was moving some projectiles, i.mnn nSnnt fnnp feet from me was badly wounded, but I was only dazed for a few seconds ana men pickch mysolf up ond made for the First ii.i otgtlnn The rest of the gun crew could have been annihilated for all I knew. I looked back once and n i anv una nmoke. and kcDt going. They patched me up and loaded me Into an amouiance mo w . Thirds z Salesman from Virginia vchc was chewing and swapping yams with the men on the Post Office corner. "Have a chew," say? he to Jake. Jake doesn't think he's chew ing unless his cheek bulges out like he had the mumps. "Call that a chew?" he snorts. "Sure!" says the .PEYTON BRAND Real Gravely Chewing Plug each piece packed in a pouch Couldn't even get my razor or comb. We were unloaded ut a Field Hospi tal some distance behind tho lines where I was dressed again and then buff for another ambulance ride to an Evacuation Hospital. Wo were there about two days, but you must hand it to them for managing us. The casualties were pretty heavy that day and there were uround 3 DO of us walking patients besides a great number of little cases, but somehow they managed to give us three meals a day and a place to sler-p. I slept in a wood on a litter with plenty of blankets which was the best lied I had had for some days. The Red Cross gave us cigarettes and chew ing gum by the market bau'tet. hot cocoa all the time and a place to write. They certainly treated us fine for such a condition. From there we came here by train, a duy's ride, but tills hospital has only been In operation about a month and things aren't as good as might be. Nevertheless we get good surgi cal treatment. They t;ave us a bath and a pair of pajams upon arriving and took everything except what we had in our pockets away from us. When we are able to be about we are Issued new stuff, our old clothing li sterilized, mended and Issued again. I must close now, "there is nothing more to tell about, but will write again soon and let you know how 1 am getting along. With love. Nov. ,18, 19 IS. My Dear Mother: I am going to write that belateJ letter, as you must be wondering what Is the. matter with me, but we haven't hud much chanc? to write. I was sent to one of the Base Hospi tals where we were given medical attention. This Hospital is locate) near one of the larger cities, but we aren t allowed to vi:dt It yet. My nose is nearly healed up. 1 am still wearing a patch across It, however. The J)r. says there will he- quite a scar across the bridge and probablv will have a bump there, but I got out pretty lucky so I'm not kicking. At present 1 am pounding a typewriter in the office. There Is nothing to do hare and I can stay witli it as long as I wish. When my outfit comes off the line and begins to pre pare for embarkation I Intend to go back to it. I will miss a lot of wor any way. We wero very glad to learn that William had decided to quit. There vas a great celebration among the French, but the news was received very quietly by the patients. The chief subject cf dhcusio-.i around here now is who goes home first ami when. Last ninht tin rumor was around that the old divisions were at one of tho Base porta ready to em bark and tonight we read in tiie pa per that they were to form the Array of Occupation and are on their way to Germany, so we hud a big laugh on some of the old timers, but at any rate I think that the old heads who have been here for eighteen months will be the first to return and they des?rve it They have had the hardest fighting and the worst hardships of the bunch. Tho general opinion which amounts to as much as . Js that the Coast Artillery Cor3 will be shoved into some of those outfits. We are a separate unit not attached to a division, so we are orphans. Sometimes It is ad vantagcous end sometimes not. I am looking forward to the time when we can ajl be together again as you hoped foj In one of your last letters and the time has come that we have been looking for so long. The only thing Is that they may keep us here for awhile to reconstruct the country, but that lot will fall more to the engineers and labor battalions The office force has put In for sev en day furloughs and I wouldn't be surprised to see them go thru. I hope so. There,ls a fine bunch of fellows working in this ornce. ah casuals like myself who have been sent back to the Hospital from the Front and want to work In the of fice where they kept them. If things were not over I would want to go back, but I figure It is better down here whefe the conditions are so much better than the Front. Must close now and go to w ork. Love to all. FRED, Among the late letters from -the Ashland boys who have been seeing service In France is one from Eb wood Hedburg to his father, G. H Hedburg, In which he states that the censor had been removed and the boys are able to write anything they choose. This letter was written from Gudmont, France, on November 24, and In'lt Elwood says: Well, Dad, the censor's Ud la off and you will be the one that gets my dope first. It seems good to be able to write anything one wants to In bis letters. I think I'll give you a brief sketch of where I've been since I left fw salesman. "This is Real Gravely. That small chew satisfies, and the longer you chew it the better it tastes.That's why it doesn't cost anything extra to. chew this class of tobacco." II I l flrtktr-tkat't uk u ttt tlui-dUMittfiiU lnf ( ' tun mi, York on March 25 on the steamship Mauritania. Wo were eight days ou the Atlantic and we landed In Eng- land ut Liverpool where we took the j train for Romscy, If you have a I large map you can trace where these . places are. We wero In England Jui-t j a w eek when we were ordered to hike : to South Hampton w here we embark ; ed for France. We wero one nielli on the Channel mini u lumieei ui uavre. We wer , there Uvo days and we liiinhed Into some of these French chevaux cars I and beat It for Limoges. Wc were two days and nights on the train . and we got Into Limoges ou April 11. i We stayed in Limoges, golnv on hike land standing Inspections till May 5, j when part of the battery went out I to Pierre Bufflere and got etabll3h ted in some fine billets. It was there ! that we got most of our training oa the guns and orleiituer, etc. It was wlille we were there that I went over to Nexon for a week to leuni a little camouflaging. Pierre Bufflere waa the only home wehavo known over, here. We were there so long that we got to know a lot of the French people and we were living good then and it was our French home. We got our guns and tractors and tanks titerc. On July 25 we pulled out for La Courtine and we had some train. A'.l our guns and tractors hooked on be hind in on those littlu dinky flat cars they have over litre, (lot in La Courtinc on the 2Cth. It was a big French camp originally and It was sure crowded. We lived in pup tents for a while and then got some bar racks W? stayed there and flxel our guns then fooled around till August 20, when we loaded up for Douieuv. Got there on the 22nd. ! We Just fooled around there having inspection anu going sw:mming. etc., till the 2Sth when we started for the front on our own pow:-r. ' Moved into Jezulnviile In billets on September 7. Our gun positions were near there and Pont-a-Mousson. We opened up on Fritz at 2: U0 a. m. of S.;pt. 12, and believe me, it was som barrage. We left Pont-a-Mousson early Sept. 17 and got to Royameux . that night. The next stop was Vavin court, then Pierrefitte. then we went on io our positions which were near Dombasle. We turned 1'iose here at 2:t0 a m. Sept. 20. On the 28th we were out of ranee (had been for a day! and Rodney Smith and I took a hike up to the front llne3. We were in Moniaufacon a few hours after it va-s taken from the Germans. I cut a shoulder strap off of a dead Ger man up there and sent it to you. Did you get It? We had a lot of fun. We were with the Infantry reserves and It was some excitement. We left Dombasle at 11:30 p. m. October 5 for Verdun and got there at 4:00 a. m. ths next morning. Verdun Is all shot to pieces. I got a piece of the stained glass win dow from the cathedral there. Our positions were a few kilometers from Verdun and we fired October 17. We fooled around firing off and on till October 19 when we left for Forges. That was our hardest front In my estimation. Our kitchen truck got stuck in the mud and for a day and a night we worked in the rain with nothing to cat but a little corned willle and a piece of bread. I nearly knocked my stomach out eating so much cold canned goods. From there we went to Flevllle which was our last position. We were in five big offensives and they were all successes and no bad luck. All thru the whole time (we were 72 days on the front) I had the dis agreeable (to me) Job of camouflag ing the gun positions besides being on a gun section. I'm mighty glad we got into the scrap. It was mighty hard work but it was worth It. Front Flevllle we went to a little village called Lochere and stayed there a few days. Then we went to Lenqn court where we cleaned up our ord nance and got some clean new clothes From Senoncourt we came here' and I hope and expect that our next trip will be by rail and for a port ot embarkation. We aren't doing much here. Another follow and I had a tine rabbit dinner this evening.' The lady that cooked it treats us Just like we were her sons, and there Isn't anything she won't do for us. That Is only a brief sketch of what I've been doing but believe me I've got lots more to tell, and when I get home I'll talk till I run out of breath. Well, Dad, I must stop now and get a little sleep. Since we have been back from the front I hit the hay pretty early. Its quite a treat, believe me. I've gone two and three days and nights without any sleep and now that we can sleep I sure get my share. Good night, Dad. Give my love to all the family and save lots for yourself. N ELWOOD. Do not attempt to put the world In' your mould; It Is too large and too broad.