gcls_campsevier_095

TRENCH AND CAMP
YOUNG AMERICAN SOLDIER HOLDS
FRONT LINE TRENCHES ALONG---
BUT THE HUNS WERE NOT COMING

[Column 1]
How a young American soldier
seeing the front line trenches "some-
where in France" unoccupied and
believing his fellow fighters had
been driven back by the Huns held
his position and poured rifle fire in-
to No Man's Land to stop th enemy
who were not here, is interestingly
and amusingly told by william Wal-
lace, a meember of Lieut. William W.
Lyons' outfit, in a letter addressed
to his mother. The letter has been
given The News for publication
through the courtesy of Chaplain J.
S. Lyons of Camp Sevier, a brother
of Lieut. Lyons, and is as follows:
Still in the same place.
Thursday, March 28.
Dear Mama:
A miracle has ahppened--- I'm
still in the same place I was when I
last wrote---it's been almost two
weeks since I landed here. But they
just couldn't bear to leave me here
normally, so they moved everything
away but me. That's almost as bad
as moving myself. I'm up here now,
with a handful o fmen, in about hte
same position as a doughboy I saw
with the infantry. One night the
Americans withdrew from the front
line trenches to the second for the
night. This is a common maneuver,
on both sides, while they occupy the
front line at all. This particular boy,
a kid of about 18, from Tennessee,
had been sent by the captain with
a message to one of the lieutenants.
A few moments later, the captain
heard a terrible commotion break
loose up in the front line. It showed
no signs of letting up, so the captain
took several men and wet up to in-
vestigate. And there, at the junction
of a communicating trench and the the
front line trench, he found this boy,
standing on the firing steps, banging
away with his rifle and throwing
hand grenades at a great rate---at
nothing at all. Everything was quiet
but this one little volcano. He didn't
notice anybody behind him until the
captain grabbed his arm. Then he
turned around, saw who it was and
shouted excitedly, "Hello, Captain!
Glad you came, been holdin' the
front line all by myself." And he
was--- there wasn't another soul there
for half a mile on either side. He
had not known of the withdrawl,
and had gone with his message to
where the lieutenant usually was.
Arriving there and seeing no one,
he had decided that the Boches
were attacking and that the Ameri-
cans had fled. But he wasn't that
kind--- he stayed right there and
withstood the attack. I doubt if
there was a Boche within three-
quarters of a mile of him. But he
believes to this day that he repelled
a Hun attack. I'm just in the posi-
tion he was except that I'm keep-
ing powerfully quiet and not doing
much shooting. We're laying low,
me and my little gang. I've dubbed
them the "Foreign Legion." But I do
them an injustice, for I believe the
"Foreign Legion" has a few native
Americans in it--- my "Legion" has
non. But we're all true Americans
now, and if Fritz wants to find it out,
just let him come over and try us.
We can shoot as straight as any
Frenchman that ever ate frog's legs
or drank Pinard. I don't believe he's
coming over right here, but if he
does, we're all ready for him. Four
out of five of the mend are "raring"
to go to the British fron and put a
stop to this offensive. They are sure
they can do it. But the British don't
need us.

Hardships of war! Maybe they
are, but the only real hardhsip I have
encountered yet is being away from
home. I sometimes get sort of hys-
terical in my thoughts, wishing to get
back to see you. But physically, I
have been very comfortable--- almost
luxurious at times. It may be be-
cause my scale of values in luxuries
has tumbled and that things now
seem fine to me that would not have
seemed so fine a year ago. I just
finished dining suptously on fried
ham and eggs, fried potatoes, bread,
goat butter and blackberry jam and
hot chocolate. I don't know how it
sounds to you, but I feel like Thanks-
giving, Xmas, at home, and fair
week at Aunt Frankies, all combined.
I know one thing, before the war I
would never have considered any
meal sumptuout without icecream.

The weather has been beautiful. It
has been colder this week but per-
fectly clear. The airplanes have had
a great time, and the observation
balloons have been up all day. You
can trace the line for miles and
miles in both directions by the
French and German balloons facing
each other every few miles. It's a
case of live and let live with them---
"You shoot me down and I'll shoot
you down but you let me be and I'll
[Continued on Column 2]
let you be." ANd this being a quiet
sector, they let each other "be."
That is characterisitic of the whole
business. You can't be at grips with
each other. Human nerves couldn't
stand it. There have to be quiet
periods and quiet sectors and where
these are, there have to be quiet
understandings---you let me alone
and I'll let you alone. Of course you
don't hobnob with each other, but, on
the other hand, you don't go gunning
for each other, either. When the
Americans came here, they felt sort
of ashamed of being on a quiet sec-
tor---and then besides, Americans are
just naturally restless and pestifer-
ous, and so they proceeded to start
things. And the result is that the
sector is livelier than it has been for
months and months. It is a sort of a
bixture of quiet and lively--- no big
movements but a general yap-yap-
ping everywhere. Which makes it in-
teresting and unentertaining quite
often

I haven't heard from you since my
last letter. The only mail I have had
was a letter last night from Lois,
which was very welcome adn very in-
teresting. I may get a letter tonight,
but this has to go out on the same
wagon that the mail come in on.
It's about due now, too, so I'll have
to get it ready--- the envelope these
days takes as much time as the let-
ter.

I certainly hope you are well and
strong now and have no new worries.
Don't bother about me---I'm cau-
tious as a scratched dog. And I'm
well and fat and already to come
home. I've got so much to tell I can
hardly hold it. Give my love to
father and Sprole and Maysie, and
everybody in Kentucky. Wagon
in coming.
Affectionately,
WM. WALLACE.
O.K. Wm. W. Lyons, 2nd Lieut.

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[top column 3]
KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS
NEWSY GLEANINGS

Corporl George E. Mew, Co. A, 105th
Ammuniton Train, has returned
from Charleston, S. C. where he
spent a few days with relatives and
friends.

Joseph L. Clancy, Co. C., 120th In-
fantry, has returned from a visit to
the home folks, at Knoxville, Tenn.

Corporal George B. Mahoney had a
delightful visit at home in Chatta-
nooga, Tenn

There might be finer dogs in
Camp Sevier than Trixie and her tow
sons, Brownie and Spot, of the 105th
Am. Train, but if so the writer of
this article has not met them.

Thusday evening a part of la-
dies from Greenville, consisting of
Miss Glays McGee, piano; Miss El-
len Wilson., songs; Miss Dorothea
Mathon, dramatic readings; Miss Bri-
gil Sellers, violin, and Miss Priscilla
Poteat, piano, put on a program way
beyone the sort that is usually of-
fered to soldiers; and demonstrated
beyond all doubt that the boys in
the service can appreciate something
besides rag time. We trust that we
may have the pleasure of hearing
these charming people soon again.

Leo Troostwyk, 'cello, George
Muse, violin, and Miss Bryant, piano,
executed instrumental numbers in a
highly artisitc way. Their ensebmle
was of such brilliancy that the au-
dience encored again and again.

Now a word about Private Adams,
magician; Houdin was great, so was
Kellar, but for mystifying tricks with
out apparatus and without stage set- [Continued on following column half way down]

[Column 4]
"Dad" Sinex Has
Charge of Y.M.C.A
Work in All Outpost

F. B. Sinex, known to the soldiers
of Camp Sevier only by the name of
"Dad," has been put in charge of the
Y.M.C.A. work in the out post com-
panies. The job is equivalent to that
of looking after any where from five
to 15 buildings and when you get
Dad Sinex going he is equivalent to
any job that you can conceive of a
man undertaking.

"Dad" might be described as 144
pounds of the highest type of human
energy with which there is to be
found an unusurpassed amount of
determination and in which there is a
heart that is big enough for every
soldier in Camp Sevier to have a
share of Dad's love. Dad is known to
those on the outside of camp life as
a professional whirlwind Campaign-
ist. He has been associated with dif-
ferent religious and college financial
campaigns over the north and south,
making unsurpassed records in all
he undertook. He was born in New
Albany, Ind., but has been in the
south for the past 18 years with the
exception of a few years that were
spent in Chicago in speacial work..

Camp Sevier was especially fortu-
nate last August when Dad was as-
signed to this Sevier. He was among
the first few here, there have been
most a hundred secretaries since that
time to come and go, but today there
are only three of the first arrivals
and Dad is one of the three.

You will hear more about Dad
later.

LIKES "Y" WORK.

Mr. J. S. Kennedy, associate Camp
Secretary, of Nashville, who is giving
his time to Y.M.C.A. work, in Camp
Sevier, at a sacrifice, without cost to
the Y.M.C.A. has expressed himself
as liking the work that is being car-
ried on by the Y.M.C.A. and the
fellows seem to feel the same way
about Mr. Kennedy.

They are always glad to greet men
of his callibre who make such sacri-
fices.

[continued line from column 3, presented in column 4]
tings, scenery and ssistants, give us
Adams.

Sunday evening we were favored
withA a concert by the band from
the 105th Engineer Batallion. Their
offerings were as usual splendid,
particularly a medley that went over
big.

Private Greenhaig embroidered
the liquid velvet of his magnificent
concert with several vocal numbers
in a masterful manner.

Watch for the date of the opening
of our movie show.

These were welcome callers at the
Knights of Columbus building dur-
ing the week:
Mrs. J. H. Willias, Pineapple, Ala.
Mrs. J. W. Caldwell, Lebanon, Tenn.
Mrs. H. [torn] Libbey, Carter City,
Kas.
Mrs. E. J. Sherwood, Conway, S. C.
Miss Ella Sessions, Conway, S. C.
Miss Kathleen Sessions, Conway.
S. C.
John L. Curran, wife and son,
Nashville, Tenn.
Mr. E. V. Boniface, Mt. Pleasant,
S. C.
R. E. Bradford, Jr, Charleston, S.
C.
G.E. Boniface, Charleston, S. C.
Mrs. J. M. Clancy, Memphis, Tenn.
Mrs. Wm. Dullker, Memphis, Tenn.
Mrs. W. A. Reed Memphis, Tenn.
Mr. and Mrs. Stephen Ryan, PAeru,
Indiana.
Miss Mary Ryan, Peru, Indiana.

"AMERICA AT WAR"
COLONIAL TODAY

The title, "America at War Over
here and Over There," has been
stamped upon this series of pictures,
and the many scenes depicted com-
prise a comprehensive picturization of
what America has accomplished in
her first year of warfare against
German aggression. "America at
War" is in nine reels or acts. Be-
ginning with scenes showing the de-
struction of Gelgium, the films por-
tray the stupendous activities which
hve manifested themselbes in the va-
rious branches of Uncle Sam's fight-
ing organizations.

The nation's progress in aviation,
shipbuilding, hospital and ambulance
units and submarines are shown. The
prictures are replete with spectacular
moments, such as a night battle in
an American camp; maneuvers of
America's great naval fleet; a realistic
attack with smoke, gas and liquid fire
barrages; a naval movement in which
some of our best submarines and tor-
pedo boat destroyers have participat-
ed. The film ends with a special
reel showing "our boys over there' in
action on the firing line in France.