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PAGE SIX "MULE SKINNER'* HAS f AN INTERESTING TIMf Lanciistt'i' Boy In France, One o First t? <! >, Writes of Life nn<l Work There. s \ * The News has received the fol lowing letter, with enclosure, fron Willis F. Ballard, a Lancaster ho: who went to camp with the first in crement of the 1917 draft: V. Dear Kditor: I am one of the boys who lefi Lancaster Sept. 20. 1917. for Cam] Jackson, and am now with the A. E F. (over here) and must say that we boys are doing fine. Most of us whc came over when I did have been tc the front once, except myself and a number of others who happened tc be "mule skinners,'' who do not go right in the line. 1 have seen a b;t of the results of the war and see more and more every day, but must say the best thing that I have seen yet was one of Germany's "High Flyers," that was brought down by aircraft guns and machine guns ^ *" Oh, he looked good coming to the ground, but his fate was no more th^n that of which many of his comrades met ^vhile intruding where they are forbidden for another one of was caught in the same trap the next day right near the same place. .Have seen a number of big guns In action, among them was a l.r?-inch gun that was tossing the Germans hard rations from a distance of from 15 to 20 miles. Oh, it was some popgun?there's no doubt ol that. irnol.^o/ol in n C iU iUHUilCU 19 ? <II|I|MI1K I I (.Mil Ull "Stars ami Stirpes" of a mule skin ner's practical experience at th< job. which you may print in youi paper if you wish. I occasional^ see The News over here. Some o * m the boys get it at times. Well for fear I should tell toi ? much I suppose I had better stop tthir With best regards to everybodj back h ome, I am, sincerely. Wag oner Willis F. Ballard, Supply Co. F. 118th Inf., A. P. O. No. 749 A. E 4 F \*? Franse. July 13th. 1918. ^ Dear Henry: Well Henry you ain' got nothing on me much. I'm at th< front ossie. Of course I ain't quitt as near as you are maybe but I an r ? "f aire?r y \p bo close it ain't healthy to go oui T, ) promonading in no quiet countrj > a* lane with a madamoselle on youi .% arm like I used to do down in the ' S. O. S. Well they was a lot of mules coming up here from down in the S. 0 S. town where I wrote to you from and it seems that they needed some mule skinners right quick to take them up. One morning the C. O. come over to our company and wants to know if there's any mule ^ skinners in the doughboys that wants to go to the front, sf Now Henry what I don't know about mules would fill a fair sized r ensiklopedia. I never even looked 7*' one lip before, but it's .almost like hooking up a tame horse and I would of done anything Henry to get to the front. So I stepped out of line nnd pulled my hat over on one side and kind of spit sideways to give the 'old bird a good impression of the real tning he wanted most right then. Well Henry I got to rome alright. We left the S. O. S. about ten days ago and we just pulled in. All we * had to do on the way up was to carry water for them pesky rabbits. I ran just bet you Henry that a mule ran drink twice as much water as a elephant any old day. ? But the worst part of it now that I'm up here is that I'm still a noncombatant and am still a doughboy too. I enlisted to fight Henry and about the first time I get a chance $ I'm going right up in the front line threnah with the doughboys and , take a crack at a Hun. Good luck old Pal. ,rv S. T B. f *; ? * Franse, July 15th, 1918, j * Freind Henry: W$ll Henry 1 ^ r hooked up old Hardbolled and Jenr this a. m.?them's the 2 mules < I di*ew out of the lot Henry?and it rl was Just like pie. , The boys all say old Hardbolled *V / has a had glim and might he had If he wanted to, but.jf he never let on this morning.. He was Just as gentle as a kitten. The only time he pricked up hit ears was when the guns started shooting. I guess they must b? something doing up on the froni from the way It sounds. Anyway Henry I guess I can gei away with this mule skinners Jot like it was nothing. The only thing I don't like la that I have to be a noncombatant all the time and can'l A dight like I want to. But It's a % ' V * 4 w* - THE LANCASTER NEWS | whole lot better than being back in when I get back to that mule skin, the S. O. S. at that Henry. rer's outfit but I'm worrying about So long Henry, it just as much as if a rich uncle had ! S. T. B. died or something. I got a Boche P. S. Before I turn this over to the and the fun I had was worth a i sensor I'll tell you some more about dozen mules especially one like old Hardboiled. 1 went out this p. ilardboiled. Write me toot sweet m. to where I got him anchored ilenry. " down to a captured German cannon Always your pal, 1 and what do you think he puhed off S. T. B. ' Henry? He laid his old grizzled P. S. Don't ever let anybody tell " i nose over on my shoulder just as you this mule skinner's job is a nonthough he was a kitten. I ain't no' combatant job Henry. It's every? f ..n : ^ ? r u t M * \ i I i i. i t?' * *? * i iiiui v aiittiu u i uiiii wuw iiiuii i am iiung uui illUi. ja cat.. | Seth T. Bailey, Corp. Inf. t You can say what you please llen-| )! ry but it takes gentleness to get an I DEVISE PLAN TO KEEP animal's goat. Treat a mule right! . and he'll treat you right Henry. I COMBAT UNITS FILLED , could handle any kind of a mule the , army has got on its books and get Soldiers Cured of Wounds Are , away with it because I got a naek Kcturned to Their Old , of handling them with kindness. Commands. , Well Henry there goes the mess ?_ call. I missed some calls in this Headquarters American Army in . Army all right, but that's one call I! ''ranee, Sept. 16.?The problem of don't miss only here it ought to be ' eoplng the combat units of the arcalled stew call because stew is what m-v "P 1? ^"11 strength, or replacewe get. S. T. B. tnent as it is technically termed, has been a perplexing one to the military France, July 19th, 191S. authorities. Here the experience of Hello Henry: Well Henry 1 guess"'? French and British did not anvou are in the big fight and are still JHwer- Their systems of replacement alive. If you are you'll get this let-iiire hased on different conditions ter alright. That rumpus the other "'an those that confront us. Both day was the beginning of the big fra- :,re fighting virtually at home while cus sure enough. vve nre overseas. But 1 guess the Germans are kind Originally it was planned to creof sorry they started it Henry. I'm"0 ?"e replacement division for each about 5 kilometers nearer Germany! c?rps. This was to be a fully equipthan I was and from the looks of P?d atid organized division fed from things Henry I'll be about 10 more :| depot division as men were drawn 21 . by morning on acct. of keeping the/,oni hll the combat division. ^ supplies up to the boys. Theoretically this was perfect, but T But I got a lot of things to tell P,0hlems of many kinds began to de- th about Henry. I alwavs maintained NP,?P 111 practice. rirst in time of| being kind "to animals was alright |nPed il was seen that a completed ing % and I still do. but that old Ilard-jaml train,!(l '"vision could not lie 8er ' boiled sure did fool me Henry, lie! <Ue' bl,t Inevitably would be drawn , ' wasn't no common mule, though. Helmto ,he combat troops, thus destroy- ^ was a Itoehe jackass if there ever] ?????^ was one. llo's clean across the /CATARRH / * o Itine and in Germany by this time if svp he didn't meet a 2 ton shell on the A t or hca^ or'hroat JhnC frn Catarrh try th* ,r<l road somewhere. vapor treatment? f?(TKjS we Here's what happened Henry. I /I , s(r Yesterday morning they told me I, X WeSur?V~\TTrt*^ gni could hook ui> and take the chow up jn ( to the boys. So long about 5 p. x. 1, N?W PRICES ?30*. 60c. $1.20 b?? started out with the chow and 2 K.J I \V?11 n,,k, tho ,.?rv .I..,., <!||111j|||111|;;jjjj11|{jj||11|Jjjj|j111jjjjj|j11jj|||j ry we got up to where we could see, t the smoke quite a ways off and stop-! '==, ped as the K. P. said he would find! 5 a M. P. to show us the way through, ss: j Pretty soon Henry a little shell about j == t the size of a barracKs bag came EE r along and hit about 50 ft. behind us = va y . and Flingo! I kept pulling on Hard- ^E 1^1 } boiled but I might as well talked to == ^ the moon or something. EE ' Well Henry we had one little EjE grand-charrlot race for about a mile straight ahead. The only difference E= VVVV was I l'iioss is the charriots don't ZZZ K M spill out K. P.s and splash stow all ? B f over the driver. And the)' don't u B B B hp ever pass machine (runs popping like "=== A B v hi hell and waves of doughboys chas- ?ing Germans. It wouldn't he right to tell all that ?happened Henry. We went right = 1 I across one trensh and come so near == LiV/v/IV r running over a doughboy colonel that I guess he's got shell shock = maybe. Anyway he was shocked [EE with some kind of shock I'll bet. := We run right over a machine gun that was popping faster than I could = , count?that is it was till we run over : I it. There was about 15 Germans in a ditch a little ways on but I didn't =: see much of them. I guess they ?? A11 C L. thought we'd sprung some kind of gzz All ijllDS a new tank on them the way they beat it. About the next thing I remember == TIIT Henry we hit another ditch and 1 flf right there's where I quit old Hard- = boiled forever and I didn't feel I'd ?? lost anything either. The wagon EEE tipped over and the last I saw of It them 2 crazy mules was dragging it toward the Rine. All the chow == 4 4 DisCOlltillllC 1 that didn't slop out on the way over ~~ ... spilled out there on top of me. j == SllOSCriptlOIl is p Well Henry I laid there about an =: rri,;o ?nlir.? i 1 IIID llillll^ tU hour kind of stunned and while I was zzz. there I bet there was 1,000 Roches = Tllis Fill(3 forC< ) passed me headed towards Germany. ?? Ordinarily Henry they would have OH October 1st, stopped and plugged me or run a == . .. cooto through me but they didn't EE tlH'l Cfll tCF. 1 lie have no time for that for pretty soon =: and to See that t there was a wave of American dough- EE boys went by after them with their <== , ^ shirt sleeves rolled up and who kept EE telling the Germans to come back EE and fight a man's fight and I guess that was one of their main reasons 33 for running. 1 Well 1 felt like fighting some my- EE " self by that time Henry after hav- EE ing all that stew all over me and 1 everything and besides I. was damned EE I mad at Hard boiled. So I copped an == I If I ' other fellow's gun who was one of EE m MW M t the unlucky ones and away we went. zE Well Henry it all wound up by me EE t t getting a bulletin the leg, I had a! EE i'nlce long rldo on one of them ready;== > i ;!made rots that you make with 2 guns ' V ^ l and a couple of blouses. I'm in the sis ? ^ # Afo t hospital now Henry. 1 ^ ' I V t I know damned well I'll get hell r^fllllllin?lllllllllllll]llin^^?|II|jXlOT. ' 3. LANCASTER S. C. People who go to the Confederate reunion at Tulsa, Okla , September ' inclusive, will have the opportunity of seeing a thousand oil wells in leratlo" They are scattered all over that portion of Oklahoma, many ieni within sight of Tulsa. More than 300.0JC oarrels of oil are shipped fi ulsa alone every day They are worth an average of $2.25 a barrel. Ol le main source of Tulsa's wealth. ; the essential replacement re- were threatened. Officers atul n ve. Returning from hospital went i Then came a question of personnel the replacement divisions and t , . . might go where chance sent th 1 morale. A very high percentage, , , , , . , into new regiments and new di wounded soon are able to return , . ? . , , ions, even into new corps, the front but, under the proposed Item when they were discharged] The m,lltary authorities soon , in hospital their original units' was destructive to morale re filled and they were sent to were then faced with an alternat ange commands. In this way the system. rit and loyalty that is developed A recently issued general or each division, making it a coherent provides for a "replacement bat iy with characteristics all its own. ion" for each corps. This is to iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii'iiiiiiilllllllllllilllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllliilllllllllllllllll )TICE TO SUBSCRIBE * Lancaster N THE LABEL ON YOUR PAPER AND SE! YOUR SUBSCRIPTION EXPIRES On OCTOBER 1st, 1911 criptions Not Paid in Advance Will Be Disct WAR INDUSTRIES BOARD HAS ISSUED FOLLOWING RULING sending papers after date of expiration of subscri aid." become effective October 1, 1918. es newspapers to stop all subscriptions that are not 1918, and prohibits newspapers extending credit News urges all its subscribers to remit promptly if tl heir subscription is always paid in advance. a DON'T. PUT IT OFF I } . * /-I ??-rtf^Na : c r 1 * t ? * ** % . * . > . . -. / . . . . ' . I ' *' ' \ TUESDAY, SEPT. 17, 1918. ' under command of the corp^ comj mander, its strength is not flxei but i will vary as circumstances require i and it has only a small permanent ? personnel. As wounded officers and >:* men of class A are evacuated from y hospital they go to the replacement i battalion of their original division A and eventually find their way back homo to their army family. Only w lien a division commander's requisition exceeds the number of men of 0^4 proper grade and arm originally belonging to his division do new men > find their way in. The plan has been worked out affor n r?o rofn 1 nnolvaio r?f Urif ich nnrl > French casualties with a view to determining what percentage of casualties are evacuated from hospital ^ >s of class A that is, men able- to re- ; \ furn to combat troops, and' the army authorities believe that for the present at least it will meet the situation ||i that had arisen. It tends to per| petuate the unit personnel and non| commissioned grades will be to a certain extent filled by promotion from within the division Itself. j ?? - , | , [Stare &S>_are Alike Jj j aftft 3 TTTTTTTTTTTiTi ? 24' | IS *3; PROFESSIONAL CARDS ^ rom ^ till = I?It. J. KKUCK FUNDKRHITRK, ^ M Dental Surgeon. office Hours: 8:30 to 12:30 A.'M. 2:00 to 6:00 P. M * . PT111 - - - w I And by Appointment. > f Office Phone 160. Residence Phone 291. Office over Laneastor Pharmacy, and ve nR> w. S. HOLIA, Veterinary Physician, Surgeon and Dentist. Offlco der at Gregory. Hood Live Stock Co. tal- stables. Residence Phone 185( be Office Phone 226. lllllllllll!tlllll!!lll!!l!!!ll!lllllllllllll!llllllll!M |>a ews | E WHEN | 14 r\ 38 ^ ratinued. =. i i THE | ption unless the g| wSSS % ; paid in fylyance S on subscriptions S hey ^re iRarrears ,, ^ :m- I , , JL ?T # |i