Renfrew's Record (Alva, Okla.), Vol. 18, No. 13, Ed. 1 Friday, January 24, 1919 Page: 1 of 8
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RENFREW’S RECORD
The Mott Thoroughly Read Newspaper in Woods County
VOLUME 18.
ALVA, WOODS COUNTY, OKLAHOMA, FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 1919.
NUMBER 1.
THE 90TH DIVISION
WON A NAME
November 24, 1918.
Dear Dad: You nlo doubt have
heard of, or will have heard: of Fath-
er’s Day, by the time you get this. It
is a day set aside in which all tile A.E.
F. boys are to write a letter to their
dear old Dads and tell them our his-
tory of experiences since doming
across. We are supposed to do the
writing on the 24th, but as usually our
luck we are going to move tomorrow,
it being Sunday, sb I thought I wculd
write mine tonight, as I might not
have time tomorrow. We are having
things fairly easy now-a-days. We
couriers still have a trip to make ey-
ery day about. I have told you I was
a Horse Dispatch rider and have been
since the middle of October.
Well, here is sr.me of my history as
1 remember it. As you know I left
Camp Travis on the 11th of June and
I guess I have told you our experi-
ences on our trip to New York. We
left Camp Mills, L. I., June 21st and
sailed by the way f Halifax. We were
in the harbor at Halifax about fifty-
ione hours but we weren’t allowed to
land. When we left there we zigzag-
ged across the Atlantic and arrived
in the harbor at La Havre, France,
where we landed on the night of July
6th. We spent a couple of days in a
rest camp there and then we boarded
one of the trains I have described to
you and traveled for two days and a
half, going alrrtost across France,pass-
ing through one of the suburbs of
Paris on the way. We finally arrived
at Recey sur Ourc which is about one
hundred and fifty miles a little s th-
east of Paris. We slept in our pup
tents that night down on the creek
bottom and like to froze to death.
We lef there a seven a. m. next day
and1 made our famous twenty kilomet-
er hike in five hours over the hills
to Aignay-le-Duc, where we received
our final training.
It is quite a picturesque little coun-
try in there arid I personally had a
pretty easy time of it. While we were
there the Intelligenc ; section of the
Division conducted a school for scouts
and snpers a short distance across
country at a place called Baig-Les-
Guif. That is the school of which Fran
cis .poke of me attending. I was just
there as an orderly for Col. Tatum
for whom I was striking at the time.
I had a very good time at that place
and enjoyed the work given by the
school. There was where our famous
division observers received their train
ing.
Well, I left Aignay-Le-Duc some
time about the last of August. I was
•one of the advance party. We travel-
led in these large army motor trucks
and were on the road for about eigh-
teen hours. We went to a little town
close to Toul called Gonderville. We
stayed there only a few clays when we
moved on up toVillcrs-cn-Haye where
our division headquarters was located
while the 90th Division went into lne
and w n her first fightng reputation
during the St. Mihiel drive, t he real
drive didn’t start there until the night
of Sept. 12th, although our boys had
been n line' for several days. The
wight the drive started, the General
and his staff moved up to Mamie and
of course they took their orderlies
with them, which included me as I
was still an orderly for Cel. Tatum.
We were in front of our own artil-
lery that night. There was a little in-
cident happened to me that night I
will tell yGu about when I get home.
I dare not say ahything about it at
present. I will say it had me in a tick-
lish place for a little while. The Huns
were shooting G. I’s. over right along
when we arrived in Mamie. I spent
my first night in a dugout at this place
and I slept in a mud puddle and thot
I had a pretty good bed. Well, our
artillery opened up their barage at
one lo’clock that night. That barage
was something that no one who has
never experienced anything like it
cquld understand. Let me say this, tho,
it was some relief to us when it start-
ed. At Mamie is where I got tired of
my job as an orderly" There also is
where lour division H. D. S. service
stared. Well, we were at Mamie just
about a week when we went hack to
Villers-en-Haye. You have read in
the papers what the American troops
did in the St. Mihiel Salient. Well,the
90th divisic n won a name for them-
selves n that drive. Wc left Villers
about the middle of October and mov-
ed over to Lucy tor a short rest and
then wc moved up to Blcroourt foi a
few days where wc waited for the
dough boys to get transferred over to
the Meuse sector of the Verdun front.
There is where I joined the H. D. S.
boys, and let me say right here, while
we never went over the tep, we were
in some ticklish places that were just
as dangerous if notonore so than go-
ing over the top would be. We had no
come-back at the huns. We were giv-
en messages to carry and they had to
be carried regardless of consequences
no matter how many G. I. cans were
thrown at us. You see, the huns could
shoot those shells and machine guns
bullets and airplanes could follow us
up and shoot machine guns or bombs
either one at us,and we couldn’t shoot
back, was the beauty of it (nit). But
wc never failed to1 get through with
our messages and none cf us were
ever hurt. Although the last week of
the drive we rodt night and day and
most of us were about down sick ow-
ing to the bad water we had to drink
and climatic c. nditions. It was raining
most of the time. We had to move
our headquarters every day>«r two in
order to keep with the dough boys.
The -rtillery could hardly keep with-
in range of the hur.s the last we
We were at Sassy a little tow t
:!• sc tc E an-sur-Mei se on the ba t rs
f the MeuSe river w.i<*t the last gun
,;as lied. We were where we could
hear the last shot frel alright. E/-
cry one of the H. D. S. l eys made
trip the b st night of '.he drive and
let me tell you, it was sure dark
And furthermore, the Germans hadn’t
quit firing shells yet either. But none
of our boys were hurt so I consider
that ws were pretty lucky. But after
all is said and dlone, we will have to
hand it to the dough boys. They sure
made the supreme sacrifice and did
some splendid work considering what
they had to oonitend with. I take my
hat off to them.
We have lost our General now, is
what everyone hates the worst. He
has been promoted to Corps Com-
mander. He left this morning.
Our Division is one of the nine
best, chosen for occupation troops.
We are on our way to occupy Ger-
man territory now. So I will get to
see Belgium and part of Germany
too, I guess. I don’t know when I will
get home, but I think we will get
back some time in January. It won’t
be long now, anyway.
I will tell yiou more about things
over here when I get home. Needless
to say I wouldn’t trade my farm for
all of this country if 1 had to stay
over here.
Well, don’t work too hard tor I am
coming home before long.
Good bye, your son,
JOE H. BAGENSTOS.
Hqs. Trp 90th Div. A.E.F..A.P.O.770
OUR SOLDIER DEAD
Annette Kohn
“In Flanders field, where poppies blow,"
In France where beautious roses grow,
There let them rest—forever sleep,
While we eternal vigil keep
With.our heart’s love—with our soul’s prayer,
For all our Fallen “Over There.”
The sounding sea between us rolls
And in perpetual requiem tolls—
Three thousand miles of cheerless space
Lie ’twixt us and their resting place
’Twas God Who took them by the hand
And left them in the stranger land.
The earth is sacred where they fell—
Forever on it lies the spell
Of hero deeds in Freedom s cause,
And men unborn shall come and pause
To say a prayer, or bow the head,
So leave these graves to hold their dead.
Let not our sighing nor our tears
Fall on them thru the coming years,
Who on the land, on sea, in air,
With dauntless courage everywhere,
Their homes and country glorified—
Stood to their arms, and smiling died.
Great France will leave no need nor room
That we place flowers on their tomb—
And proudly o’er they resting place,
Will float forever in its grace,
O’er cross, and star, and.symbol tag.
Their own beloved country’s Flag.
The morning sun will gild with light,
The stars keep holy watch at night,
The Winter spread soft pall of snow,
The Summer flowers about them grow,
The sweet birds sing their Springtime call.
God’s love and mercy guard them all.
ing in there, als see them firing en-
gines n the railroads. I was in Paris
the other day. It sure is some city,
and Brest and Bordeaux is pretty
good size, too. You sp< ke about hav-
ing the Spanish Hu over there. We
haven’t got it here or haven’t heard
of it any way. 1 was g-ung to tell you
about the rount when we came over.
We left New York City the 8th of
August, and got to Liverpool, Eng-
SAW THE HUN FLEET
SURRENDER
Ernest Davis, who recently receiv-
ed an honorable discharge from the
aero service, is again at his post to
clerk in the office of the Alva Whole-
sale Grocery company. Ernest's squad
ron spent some eight or ten months
in training fields in England. One off
/vugusi. aim Km iu ................. their stations was at Crail, Scotland
land, the 20th and from there we came j near Dundee Bay where the German
to South Hampton on a third class navy surrendered its battleships, U-
passenger coach. You can see by the | boats, -etc., to the British and Ameri-
niap that i its clear across England'ican fleets,
and from there we got in a cattle i
boat and came across the English
Channel to LaHavre, and from there
to Dicci n and stayed there all night
and the next morning we went to
It was Ernest’s good fortune to
witness this great historic event ii
the drama f the great war. He re-
grets that he saw but little of France
,as he only crossed the Straits o'
ami nil* IIC.M lllt’l nv I,IN lie- l.’Iliy IIUSWU lilt Uliona v
Beame. So jtoii kn w that is traveling i Dover toCalais a few times. However
------- a...i tlip water |le js g]a(j (0 home again, bu’
MORTON SHARE DISCHARGED!
Morton Share, son of Mr. and Mrs.
C. C. Share, redeivedi his honorable
discharge from Camp Travfs and
came home last week. His father and
mother had spent the last two
months in San Antonio and came
home with him. His many friends
are glad to see him looking so well.
NO “FLU” THERE
THE LARGEST VOLUNTARY
OFFERING IN HISTORY
Saraney, France.
Thanksgiving Day.
Dear Mother and All:
, How are you-all? I am feeling fine
and dandy. We are still at Saraney,
but don’t know how long we will be
here. I got my mail the other day and
sure was glad to get it. I was asleep
when I got mine. I had been up the
night before wating on patients and
when I woke up there was nine letters
, T io Mrs I lying there, so yieu may know about
Sunday. January ». .!*■«* “ ’ hj I Id.. Wc had apple and peach
Linn.c Allen.,, a birthday, her s,Her Wt had fri„, chicke„
P: 1 r»trc». ,nv,ted „„ liv€ „„ ,|,c la.
relatives in honor of the day. Those .
,, , r. o | on this train,
present were: Mr. and Mrs. K. u
Renfrew of Woodward, J. A. Ren-
A BIRTHDAY DINNER
In the history of mankind the larg-
est sum ever provided through volun-
tary offerings for an altruistic cause
was flic great fund in November in
the United War Work Campaign. In
tli j period beginning November 11th,
day ever memoriable as the one
m which hostilities ceased in the
Great World War, the entire Ameri-
can people—the rich and the poor,
the members of all parties, races
and religious faiths—united their
gifts and sacrifices in, rolling up the
vas sum of more linn $200,000,000.
Ths fact alone would give the cam-
paign unique distinction. When the
unfavorablec ircumstances which at-
tended this great effort are borne
in mind, it becomes all the more re-
markable. If the success of an en-
terprise or the vreatness °f a victory
are determined by then umber and
iextent of the difficulties and obsta-
cles overcome, then the triumph
achieved by the multitude iof workers
who carried through to a successful
issue this patriotic endeavor was in-
deed notable and truly great. In the
history of financial campaigns, when
was there ever one conducted in the
face of so many difficulties?—John
R. Mott, Director General.
frew, wife and daughter, of Aba,
Mrs. C. A. Arnold] ot Pueblo, Colo.:
Mr. and Mrs. Allen Doughty, Verne
and Olive, of Alva; Misses Audrey
and'-Thelma DeGccr of Freedom, and
Miss Anna Rfeley of Freedom. After
dinner music and kodaking was in-
Four or five of the boys went to
town the other night and got drunk,
and it book about two dozen M. P’s.
to take them to the guard house, but
they finally got hem there and the
sargeant that was wilt them went to
the Sargeant of the M. P’s. to try to
go them out, but didn’t have any luck.
some. And coming across the water
sure was some trip. We went far
enough north *to see some ice bergs.
I think we went dose to Halifax and
came down bctwi eu Scotland and
Ireland through the ,\> rth Channel
and through the Irish Sea. It is not
any wonder it took us twelve days to
come across is it?
Well. Minna, I will try to tell you
ah. ut the train. Wc just had one in-
spection a few minutes agio. There arc
two of us assigned to each cai and
there are sixteen cars, two kitchens
and one store oar leavies thirteen
ward cars. There is quite a bit of
work but 1 guess it won t last long
for we are hauling them pretty fast.
600 at a time. We have three officers,
one captain and twto lieutenants, and
they are sure fine doctors, and wc
have got three nurses. They are the
only ones I have seen I could talk
American to since I got here. It isn t
any wonder I learned to talk French,
is it? I don’t think we will be over
here two ntonths longer, for they are
shipping them out pretty fast. We are
still at Saraney waitingg orders to go
to Paris when we go and take about
six hundred to Brest
Believe me, we sure get to see the
country. It isn’t anything like
thought it would be. You see (only lev-
el country. It is all rough and there
isn’t over two or three acres in a
field! and around the towns there is
high dock walls. They are built in a
canyon, or qu a hill, but one thing
they have is railroads. They haven t
got very good passenger trains over
here. All the U. S. H. T. is made'in
England. I was talking with some
nurses who had only been ovier here
a week and they are ready to gbo home
now, that is, they want to bad enough
hut they don’t want to half as had as
we do.
From your son,
JOHN W. MILLER,
Savaney, France. Hospital Training
No.. 67.
he wouldn’t take a fortune fo1
experience he lias had.
OBITUARY
Walter Grove Vetter was born ii
Wichita county, Kansas, August 17
1891, and died at the Alva Hospital
January 19, 1919, age 28 years, 5 mo
and 2 days.
When Walter was a baby 2 year
old, his parents movedi-io PondCre*,!
Okalahcjna, shortly aftgr the sypen
ing of the Strip. Here he spent nios
of his youth moving with his parent
to Alva at the age of 16. At Pon<
Creek he was employed by the M'
Clelland Gentry Mlotor company an<
althiough the firm moved to Okla
homa City, where if has grown int
one of the biggest automobile firm
of the state, the attachment formei
for Walter when in their employ nev
ver died and Mr. Gentry, the re
maining member of the firm,although
unable to attend the^funeral of 4i?
friend in perton sent Mr.'J. F. Scot
member of 'the’firm to represen
*** <» - •« : —
with them and he went, of course,
hut didn’t find the others, for they
had got out and come back to the
Card of Thank*
We desire to thank our many j train and there were armed guards all
friends tor the kindness shown us j around the guard house. Ha, ha, I call
during the sickness and death of our ; that going some, don’t you? Tli sol-
beloved husband, son and brother, diers can’t buy anything to drink here
and for the many beautiful floral of- I don’t know how they got it unless
MR. SILAS CROSSER DEAD
ferings. Mrs. LIZZIE ROSS,
Mr. and Mrs. J. B. ROSS,
W. E. ROSS,
Mrs. VELMA YOHN,
Mrs. BESSIE WENZEL.
they got a Frenchman to buy it for
them.
Well, Ed, I wish you were over here
I think we could get a job in the
round house. I see a lot of girls work-
Silas Crosse*. an aged and respect-
ed citizen of Alva, died at his home,
corner of Eighth and! Church streets,
at 10:30 Thursday morning. The im-
mediate cause cf his death was from
a fall he received Saturday, on the
siddwalk north of the square, by
which his leg was broken. He was 86
years of age and is survived by his
wife and son, Fred \\ • Grosser, and a
daughter, who have the sympathy of
many friends in their great loss. No
funeral arrangements have been
made as we go to press. Obituary
next week. *
Starving, But Sunning Themselves
AN IMPORTANT REQUEST
The Red Cross is asking all rela-
tives of men from Woods county,
who have lest their lives in the' world
war. to assist them by sending the
names, date of death and branch of
service with address to nearest rela-
tive. This is a very important matter
and should he attended to at once.
Call on or address Home Service Sec-
tion Red Cross, Mrs. Louis Miller,
Chhairman.
Woods county papers, please copy.
him. ,
Soon after coming to Alva, M
Vetter secured a position in the auto
mobile department of H. E. Noble
Hardware store where he remidnf
until he opened up in the autombbii
and garage business for himself i
1910. Mr. Vieitter was a man possesse
of mechanical ability that borden
close on the line of genius and I
prospered in his business and in tl
short space of 8 years time built i
a competency that was indeed ve-
gratifying and had passed the tryir
period of his life and was prepan
to live andl enjoy the hard earn<
fruits of his toil when he was call
from his .earthly labors to his ete
nal rest beyond the river of tim
On June 21 1917, he was united
marriage to Miss Lena Nilson.
this union two children, a son and
daughter, were born. The boy died
infancy, but the daughter, now to
years of age, liv.eis to share with h
mother the less of a loving and i
dulgent husband and father.
Funeral services were Held Tuesd'
afternoon at the Catholic churc*
where a large crowd of friends co
gregated to pay their last respes
to his memory. Rev. Father Smei
read the church rites, after whh
he spoke a few appropriate words <
commendation of the good traits <
the deceased and cheer and comfo
for those bereft, after which the r
mains were laid t rest in the Cath<
lie cemetery amid a proruslou of Hov-
ers that betokened the high regar
in which he was held while living.
JOHN UMBER MOVES
John Umber, the enterprising west
side harness man, has rented the,
Green andl Green building recently
occupied by Mead’s storevand is trans
ferring his large stock of goods this
week. Mr. Umber’s rapidly growing
business necessitates the change to
more commodious quarters. We wish
him continued succes jin his. new
quarters.
TOM FERGUSON, Jr.f DEAD
i l 'to - ’ G to
f %'; V . ,
; >„ ,___
L„. . ' *' , “ *■
Sunlight Is about the only necessity of life left to the serving Papier
of Armenia, Syria, and othur flaUern countries which have been lavaged b>
the Hun and the Turk. ^ . (1p.th f-om
Here are some Svrinn children, emaciated on tho ^'^VL.tCr wUh
starvation, sitting out-in the sun. trying to keiep body and1 soul °Bether ^
! the pitifully small rations allowed them by Insufficient relief fu,*“8' ^ m
■ tlonai funds for relieving these vicl.ms of war and famUie wi _ mln;.
; America bv the American Committee for Rc.icl Ll ihc • -
mum of $21),000.000 having been pledged to tilts work
Tho week of February 3-10 ha= been set by Southwestern campaign
rectors for raising their quota of the $30,000,000.
NORMAL NEWS
Tom Ferguson. <*n of ex-Gover-
uor and Mrs. T. V Ferguson of
tonga, died last w ek at Ft Sill where
he was a member of an air squadn n.
He was buried at V
A touching featur
was shown when c<
Sill circled above th
ped floral tributes
planes. Mr. Fergu
bnother of Senator
of Cherokee and h
paper man himself
at nga. Mon
of tb scr- i 'P
!<•« from Ft.
and dr p-
i their ait-
w-s also a
Fergus n
■•’ a news-
Prof. Perceful has returned to tal-
up his work at Northwestern. Bot
he and Prof. Lisk are to be retainc
in the science department. The at
justment of their work is not as y
completed,'But auUMm: *oon.
Miss Crumley has returned to Alv
but has not yet taken up her cla
work. We hope she will be with i
tomorrow.
The first issue of the Northweste
is out and the others are promisi
ion schedule time.
There is to be a basket ball gar
between N. S. N. and Waynoka Tu.
night. We feel srrry for Waynol
lint someone must lie sacrificed.
The Y. M. C. A. of N. S. N. has
very important meeting for Weiliv
day of this week. We desire to ha
all the members present.
—Josephine Embry
I,. Ci. White of Wichita visited h
with his wife last Saturday and Si:
day.
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Renfrew, J. P. Renfrew's Record (Alva, Okla.), Vol. 18, No. 13, Ed. 1 Friday, January 24, 1919, newspaper, January 24, 1919; Alva, Oklahoma. (https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc1078134/m1/1/?q=wichita+falls: accessed July 10, 2024), The Gateway to Oklahoma History, https://gateway.okhistory.org; crediting Oklahoma Historical Society.