A Group of Interests
Soldiez
Mr. J. B. Reel Writes From
France.
August 22, 19IS.
Dear Mother:
I guess you got that notice and j
my letters. We landed safely in j
Franco and I am feeling line.
Don't worry about me for I will I
come back home all right. We have
lots of boys over here to help. I
wish I could write you all the news
but they won't let us. I will come
back and tell it to you instead. I have
not met a boy yet that I knew, but
I guess I will.
We are having lovely weather. If
I could only speak French it would
be lots of help. All the buildings are
made of rock. I didn't like the first
city we lande;! in but I like this one
much better.
I hope all are well at home. Now
don't worry about me for I will take
good care of myself and come home
safely.
With lots of love,
Your son,
J. B.
Mr. Paul Cogburn Writes Inter
esting Letter From Camp.
Camp Gordon, Ga.,
September 15, 191S.
Dear Mr. Minis:
I have been wanting to write to
you ever since I got here but I have
been so busy. We don't have any
time to write much.
I get up every morning at 5:20
o'clock and am on the go all day lon.ir
drilling. I hate to get up so early. I
get up every morning rubbing my
eyes, so sleepy I can hardly hold
them open. We have breakfast at six
o'clock and then go out and drill un
til eleven-thirty. We come in and eat
dinner at 12:00, then go out on the
drill ground again until 4:30. Then
we come back to barracks and have
retreat and supper at 5:20. We have
about half an hour and then study
hour at until 9 o'clock. We have to
be in bed by 9:45 so you can see I
haven:t much time to write.
I have just finished reading youv
paper and I enjoyed reading it. I
went to Atlanta yesterday afternoon
and wanted to stay until this after
noon, but I had a skin. They call a
-rf"6 "i' u?e
floor, peeling onions and potatoes
and I wouldn't get back to Atlanta
.in a month.
Y. e have about a thousand men up
here. I see Stanley Crews nearly ev
ery day. I think he likes it up here
fine. I like the place fine, too, but
they don't fail to work you. I don't
mind that a bit, though.
We all can't have easy places now.
Someone has got to bear the burden
of this war and when I say I am one
of the boys to help win this war I
am honest in it. I hope some day to
be back at home with you all and I
will be able, I hope, to tell more than
I am able to write.
Well, nows is scarce so I will close
for this time as I don't want to bore
you to death.
I am going to walk over to Cham
blce. a station about a mile from
camp, for exercise, so 1 will be able
to stand the work tomorrow. 1 had
a shot in my arm yesterday and it is
swollen up today but I hope it will
be all ?. K. tomorrow. I have got
two mere to take on yet and I sup
pose the last one will put me in the
hospital but I hope not.
With my kindest regards to you all
I will bring this letter to a close.
Your friend,
Paul Coerburn.
ISth Co. C. O. T. S.
Camp Gordon, Ga.
Letter to Mrs. C. M. Bailey
From Her Soldier Son.
Dear Mama and Home Folks:.
I am writing to you to let you hear
from mc. I am fine and hope you are,
too.
Don't worry about me for I am
all right and trying to do my best.
We sleep fine and have plenty to eat.
I am trying to make a good soldier.
Of course it would be great pleasure
for me to be at home with you all
but I love my country and freedom.
I am trusting God with all.
Just as I was bidding Papa "good
bye" at the depot, Mr. J. L. Mims
handed me a nice little bag contain
ing so many useful things. This was
from the dear ladies of Edgefield.
I am in the artillery and I like my
officers so much. They are kind and
nice to me. I am now in my uniform.
It fits nicely and I wish you could
ig Letters From Our
. Boys.
see your old boy in his khaki suit. All
of the Edgefield boys are separated
except Earl Hammond and me.
I took my inoculation once and it
made me ricrht sick. On Monday I
had my life insured to you and Papa
as I thought it best in case of trouble
ahead.
Do you all have family prayer as
I requested? I have three Bibles. I
carry the one you gave me in my
I pocket and read it regularly.
I am so anxious to hear from home.
Well, I must close. Tell Robert and
j Leon to write and you all write, too.
; Take care of your dear self, Mama.
Remember me to all the friends,
\ white and colored.
May God abide with you all is my
prayer.
Your loving soldier son.
John Tillman Bailey.
Battery B, 3rd Regt., F. A. R. D.
Columbia, S. C.
Mrs. Fannie Peeler Receives
Letter From Husband in
France.
August ll, 1918.
Sunday evening.
My Dear Wife:
I received your kind and welcome
letter this afternoon and was more
than glad to know that you are well.
I just got back from the trenches
Saturday morning and I was certain
ly glad to get back to camp for I did
n't feel safe up there at all. I think
it will be some time before we go
back to the trenches for we are going
to take some more training before
going back. I hope by that time the
war will be over and I can come back
home.
Teil Mother Burnett that I will
send her one of those cards in my
next letter for I can't get any of
them just now. I would have sent
her one when I sent you and Jamie
one but couldn't get the kind I want
ed.
I want you to send me one of the
baby's pictures just as soon as you
can for I am anxious to see one of
them. I haven't seen Jimmie since
I got bac' from the trenches but wid
go to se ' 'm just the first chance I
get.
Fannie, write as soon as you hear
I from Truro"!- -i - "
i niau tnan you do for 1 write you two
letters every week. Well, I will close.
! With love to you all.
Your loving husband,
E. E. Peeler.
Mr. .Townes Writes From
France.
France.
August 15, 1918. '
Editor Thc Advertiser:
A few days ago a detachment of
E men were sent up near the front
to do a little electrical work in a
village behind the lines. In going
j there wc traversed a portion of re
Igained territory anti what was "no
man's land." The fighting in some
j places was terrific. Small trees were
.-.hot to shreds while the larger ones
had their trunks pierced and branch
es broken.
Around Xo Man's Land wheat
fields, unharvested, lay rotting by the
acre. In these fields, covered in the
shell holes, shell-reaped harvests of
men, too, rot away. Aside from the
traffic on the roads there is no sign
of life-not even a bird or an insect
to be seen.
Several small towns were'demolish
ed by Allied fire in driving the Ger
mans back. When a village or section
is out of danger of the enemy's guns
the civilian populace moves in again.
One old lady with a pack on her
shoulders and her child walking down
j the street of a certain little town now
! out of the danger zone, stopped at
the doorway of her old home and
laid down her pack. It had been a
long while since she left it-before
a certain Hun drive. Now on return
ing she stood before a pile of stones
land crumbling building on all sides,
i With the innate fortitude of her peo
I pie she gathered up her belongings
, without a murmur and with her
! child went on her way to find a lodg
: ing for the night.
j Comparing the Frenchman with
I the American we must yield to him
j in the matter of economy. He is econ
; omy personified. He utilizes the chaff
.from the wheat and the odor from
j the roses. But it seems that what he
! saves in means and material he loses
! in time for he takes his own good
: time about his work.
He must have his drink, too, from
champagne to coffee, according as
his pocketbook is flush or flat.
In France the American soldier is
allowed to drink the light wines and
a good many of the boys are pretty
frank with their francs in this re
spect.
As a rule you can get hold of a
bottle of wine but candy and sweets
are very scarce. A fairly good bottle
of port wine may be bought for a
I ten franc note. We miss our little
! sweets we used to buy in the States.
When we ask the old I-renchman
j at the counter for chocolate, five
times out of ten he answers, "Fin
jnee." "Finsh?" you ask, "Oui, oui,"
he says. And that is about as far as
the conversation goes unless you
have a little knowledge of French.
Those of the boys who remember
their Latin can often make them
selves understood as the Frenchman
knows Latin too.
I have not had a letter from the
States since I came over. Trust the
mail will be coming in in a few days.
Private S. B. Townes.
Grady Manson Has Arrived
Overseas.
August 16, 1918.
Somewhere in France.
My Dear Mother:
I wonder how you all are at home
today. All right, I hope. I am getting
on fine and taking things as they I
come.
I made the trip across all right. I j
was not even sea sick. In fact, I en
joyed it all the way. We were in Eng
land several days. We passed through
several large cities and saw a good
bit of the country. I liked it fine.
Large crowds came out everywhere
as we passed.
We are now in France. From what
I have seen I like it fine. Where we
are going or how long we will be here
1 do not know.
Have you heard from Winton late
ly? I am going to write to him and
hope I will get to see him some time.
I guess by the time you get this
the old sunny South will be getting
white. I hope the crops are good.
I am in good spirits and anxious
to get after the Huns now. Will be
glad when the time comes to get a
chance at them. I don't think it will
take us long to finish it up when we ?
get started.
I won't write much this time but
will write you more later. Listen, did
you ever hear from Lois? I suppose
you have. Mama, you must write me j
as much as you can. I will ein-" n'
I will write you a few lines to let
you hear from me. Am "Somewhere
in France" and getting on fine.
. This is certainly a beautiful piece
of country, and you can "bet your
life" we U. S. A. boys are going to
?help the French kee]) it.
Well. Mr. Minis, I have seen a
few wounded soldiers and a few Ger
man prisoners but it doesn't frighten
us boys to see a few wounded sol
diers every once in a while.
J 1 received your card a short while
jago but just haven't had time to
! answer it. I know you will pardon me.
j The people are very smart and ac
tive over here. They have good land.
J They work it well and make good
j crops of grain and food stuffs. The
women folks take the places of men
on the farm and also in other things.
They certainly treat the soldier
boys nicely. They do all they can to
teach us the French language. Of
course we teach them ours in return.
'But I tell you right now. the hardest
thing wc have hit since we came over
! here is to learn the French language.
I Please send me a paper some time.
I hardly ever get to sec an American
paper. I get to see plenty of French
but I can't read them very well.
Write and tell me all the news, j
With best wishes to you and all my
friends, I am,
Sincerely,
Private Geo. M. Kilgore.
Earl Prince Writes to His
Mother From France.
August 23, 1918.
My Dear Mama:
I know you think that I'm not go
ing to write to you any more, but I
have not had a chance to write for
the last few days. This leaves me
well and doing fine and I hope it will
find you all the same.
We landed in France all right and
I like it fine. We were in England
when I wrote to you before. I hope
you got it all right. I would like it
better here if I could tell what the
people say. It looks so funny to see
them trying to make us understand
what they are saying.
How is Son getting on? Fine, I
hope. I wonder if he is still at Colum
bia and I certainly hope he has been
home before now if he is. How are I
Olive and the others getting on? Il
guess John Henry is doing some sein-j
p
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What a satisfis
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High f
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ing now.
Have you all decided what you are
going to do another year? I hnn* vnn
Well, us I have no news I will close
for this time. Don't worry about me,
for I'm all right. I'm just as well
cared for as I can be. The govern
ment is certainly doing all they can
to take care of us. So don't you wor
ry. I will write just as often as I can.
Lovingly,
Earl.
Mr. W. F. Manson Writes
From France to His Moth
er.
August 9. 1018.
My Dear Mother:
Your letter of the 6th of July was
received on August 7th, this making
the second received from you since
arriving. I was so glad to hear from
you and to know you were in such
good spirits.
I was somewhat uneasy about your
health and was certainly relieved to
know you were all right. Of course
I know you are not strong at your
best. I am also so glad to know that
Papa is all right. I know "Bubber"
will do his best and I feel proud that
my belovecLparents have someone to
be with them. I do hope he will be
able to stay with you through the
war for I know he is the only son
left. If he were not needed at home
I would say for him to go the front.
I think two out of three sons should
be enough, and a just share to fur
nish.
I am glad to hear that the crops
are doing nicely. It will mean so
much to all if wc have a good yield
from the crops. I guess Papa and
"Bubber" are having some rest now.
I know they appreciate it after a
hard summer's work.
Mother, I was at the front when
I received your letter and now I am
at a rest camp. When the mail came
to us we were eating supper. By the
way, the sup;.>r was cooked by an
old Edgefield boy, Walter Criffis, he
being thc mess orderly for my sec
tion at the time. Wc draw our rations
on the front very differently from the
way we do in the rest camps.
Two other boys from home are
in my company whom you know be
sides Walter Griffis. They are Gordon
Johnson and Bill Byrd. All are doing
fine and they make good soldiers.
There is also another in the company
whom I had forgotten. He is a son of
Mr. Whit Dorn. I am not as personal
11 MI :!l ii
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Lotion to get next to reel heat after that
me. No more fruitless hugging a radiator,
uiel prices seal the doom of extravagant,
xsting heating plants. If you want a per
fectly heated home ana greatly reduced
iue! h?b you will irivest in
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::<v':>'- . Cl A IA <&l 0?*? ^15^
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Mo. Ul
?ND BPJ?HT. L*S?3 ANY FUEL
El *.v!S3 save the nation millions In
fuc] money this v/Enter. Act now.
Hrgan New Price List
m prices on Estey Organs effective
These prices are net cash, and all
nterest at the rate of 8 per cent from
? interest is added into thej face of the
A stool and book is included with each organ. ? All
organs have action 32 unless otherwise specified. This
action has eleven stops and two full sets of reeds of five
octaves each.
The terrific increase in the cost of material and
prices for labor make these prices necessary. All of
my prices are the same as are fixed by the factory,
plus S.>.()0 pqr organ to cover freight.
Style No. 18 . . $105 Style Xo. S walnut $125
Style Xo. S oak . $120 Style Xo. S walnut $140
Prices on church styles and the entire line furnished
on application. I have at present a full stock on
hand. Call and examine my entire line.
JOHN A. HOLLAND
The Greenwood Piano Man
REFERENCE-Thc Bank of Greenwood, the oldest and strong
est bank in Gleenwood ('(ninty
Subscription Rates of the
Effective October 1st, 1918, the subscription rates
ol'The State will be as follows:
Daily and Sunday, per year. $0.00
Daily only, per year . . . -. 7.00
Sunday only, per year. '2.00
Semi-weekly, per year. 1..50
Short term subscription at same rate. Payable
invariably in advance.
Until October first renewals for not more than one
year in advance will be accepted at the old rate,
$8.00 per year.
Subscribe to The State now, and have a real news
paper, covering local, State and general news, come
to your home as a daily visitor.
Address,
The State Company
COLUMBIA, S. C.
_ i