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VOL. IV NO. 7
SOME OF HIS
EXPERIENCES
. 1 ..... . , - . , . ; . . .,
;. pear Brother:- I believe you ask
ed! me to write a little history of
the west arid the experience I had
in war wiih .Germany ,
first J will start back at Argura,
N. C. In the year of 1888," I was
born in Jackson county, Argura,
Nj C, played on the oak : hills
there many summer, days. School
days came and found me in the
little church house at Sols Creek '
there being no school house we
studied in the church house. Many
days went by and pretty soon I
was almost a grown up man and
next thing I knew I was inthe.0. N.
& L S. a.t Gullowhee N. C. My
teacher was Prof. Madison who
helped build up the schools in North
Carolina, and pretty soon my mind
ws running westward and my
brother, Lowery E. Fortner, and
-myself began preparations to come
to the ever-green state. This was
inj 1909 I being 21 and brother
Lowery 18v years old. On March
1st, 1909, we boarded the train at
Sylva for Lyman, Wash, We cross
ed; the continent in a N. W. direction
of 3867 miles, and on March 6th
wf stepped off the train in a new
r.mintrv. There we met our sister
who had come west ahead of us
arid whom we had had not seen for
some time.
iWe spent about a month looking
the country over, then we went to
wbrk, Lowery going into the lodging
department and is today chief en
gineer of steam engines of all kinds
at 75 cents per hour I went into
the shingle mill and learned the
shingle business. I ran the steam
cutoff and drag saw at 55 cents per
hour. We worked for the Skagit
Log and Shingle Co. lor about five
years. Lowery made one trip down
south and Father and Mother came
back west with nim.
April 1914 we came up to the
Sank Paiery, at Darrington, Wash,
and when the autumn leaves began
to fall, to the hills we went; killed
many deer, bear and cats. In this
way we learned the country all
around from Victoria, B. C. or from
coast to coast. In the meantime
we bought land and built us a nice
home on Sank river, four miles out
of town. -
I This brings me up to when I was
called to the colors to help make
the world safe (from war).
j I was called September 19, 1917;
pased as A No, 1 man, mustered in
at CamD Lewis. Wash. There I
learned the drills from the squad to
platoon, then company to battalion,
to regimental, to divisional, also
completed the intelligence, passed
ris a sniper for over seas service.
f his was from September 16, 1917
to June 23, 1918. Then on June
23rd, 60,000 of us left Camp Lewis
for New, York, June 29th we were
in CamD Merritt. N. J. July 5th
we crossed the bay and loaded on
the U. S. S. Korah at 23rd Brooklyn
St. New York. July 5th we sailed
eleven large ships for France. July
17th we ducked at Glasglow, Scot
land, thin through Scotland and
England to Southampton, crossed
the English Channel to Rue De La
havre, France.
1 Then we took box cars across
France, which took three days. 'We
unloaded at Meuse, then hiked
Seven kilos, or four 1-3 miles to
Chauffourt, where we drilled from
July 28th to August 29, learned the
hew battle formations and; on Sep
tember 1st, 1918, we started for
the front. We would march at
night through mud and rain and
sometimes mud up to the knee.
Then at day we would get into the
woods and sleep on the cold, ground
land it raining to beat anything.
I On September 29th we came
: under shell fire and gas. ' We were
tin support at Metz and tfancy, and
on the night of September 25th we
took over the French sector where
they had been for four long years,
and at 5:30 o'clock on the 26th we
went over the top, through . No-Man's-Land,
fought ail day long.
losing thousands of meti; We stop
ped at .6:30 that night and took a
short rest.. Our beds were made of
the cold mother earth, mud and
water. At 3:30 of the 27th we
were up and at them again, wading
through barbed wire and mud.
trenches and machine gun fire and
gas and heavy artillery fire, taking
something likd 10,000 German pris
oners. I took up the sniping and
was about 100 yards in front of my
company, clearing out an orchard
of snipers, when I was wounded. I
had six German snipers to my cred
it when I was shot. This was in
the Argonne wood, known as the
Meuse and Argonne battle, the
bullet hitting my right arm abou;
one inch above the elbow, coming
out midway of upper arm in innei
side, entering right chest, fracturing
the 12th Dorsel and out cutting 8th
vertebrae one and one-quarter inch
from back bone carrying along with
it two inches of it. Then I rollec
and pulled myself along down into
a road and rolled into the watei
gutter to get protection from
machine gun fire That was 2:30
p. m. of the 27th; I was picked up
at 4:30 next day, the 28th; nothing
to eat for four long days and nights.
The Red Cross picked me up and
loaded me in their ambulance and
started for the hospital. We trav
eled all that night and next day
over a shelled road to E H No. 7
nospital, got dressed and something
to eat first for four. days. Then
we loaded into the Red Cross Hos
pita! train, traveled for two days
when we reached Orleans Red
Cross Base Hospital. This brings
the time to October 6th, and 14
days after I received my wounc
influenza started in my right chest
which caused another operation,
and two Daken tubes put in my
chest and were removed December
25th.
I was on my back for b5 days,
couldn't turn over or raise mysell
up and the first day I was taken
out was' led into a wheel chair. I
tipped the scales at 85 pounds. Was
classed as D to be shipped back to
the U. S. the 2nd of November. Was
sent to Savenay Base, 69, md was
there until the 21st of December;
then went to St. Nazaire to sail for
the U. S. I was not able to cele
brate the 11 month, 11 day and 11
hour, but I enjoyed seeing the other
boys. ,
On December 21st we were load
ed on the U. S. S. Antigone and
sailed for the States. There were
900 casuals of us together, and we
landed at Newport News, Va., Jan
uary 3, 1919; some glad too. Jan
uary, 15, 1 was discharged from the
hospital. So you see 1 was in the
hospital from October 1st to Janua
ry 15, 1919. Then we went ,tc
Camp Fremont, Calif., from there to
Camp Lewis. Wash. We got to
Camp Lewis February 19, 1919 and
were put into the convalescent de
partment and were discharged from
there. I got my final papers March
8th, 1919, and now I ' am home
again feeling my own once more.
Now, as you know, my grand
father, W. R. Fortner helped to
carry che Indians to Little Rock,
Ark., and our father, E. W. Fortner,
helped win our freedom in the strug
gle of 1862-65 and we all came oui
victorious because we were for the
right.
Now, as our great writers say, it
behooves me to tell all I have seen
and heard, but as our great philoso
pher Emerson, we will not speak of
the sacrifice of the present time.
Now we know the struggle o'er
No flash from the rusting guns,
No rifle lights the plain,
No clotted crimson river runs
From Flanders" to Lorraine.
The white year breaks against
the sky, - r
Beyond the last red plain
Save ten million drifting ghosts
who never knew nor cared.
Your loving brother,
Cl. John H. Fortner.
SYLVA, N. C,
CO. CONMISSIONERS
ADOPl jOAD LAW
The County Commissioners in reg
ular session last Monday ado
he Redwine Road biil whereby the
commissioners can sen oonos, oar-
row money or either raise the -one
fourth by taxation. This act only
affects the national and state high
ways, and the reads will remain
under the same law that they have
been for the past several years.
The Commissioners filled all va
cancies in the different road trust
ees through the county, and they
are urged to get busy at once and
rpeair the roads under their super
vision.
As soon as the State . Highway
Commissioners makes the surveys
and estimates as to the cost t ie
County Commissioners will raise
the necessary one fourth to meet
the Federal and State aid.
Accordihg to the press the State
Highway Commissioners are going
to get busy and start work on the
roads through the State at the ear
liest possible moment, and as this
county was among the first to apply
for aid it is thought that we will be
among the first counties to get the
road work started.
WORK ON NEW RAILROAD
WILL BE STARTED SOON
Material to be used in the con
struction ofthe new railroad between
dayesville, in Clay county, and An
drews, of Valley town township, in
Cherokee county, are being received
along the site of the proposed line, ac
cording to word received in Ashe-
f yille. It is the opinion . of the con
tractors that the line will oe com
pleted and ready for freighC and
passenger service within one year.
When the railroad is finished it
will mark the realization of an am
bition of citizens of Clay county
th it had its inception several years
ago.
Moved by public opinion, four
years ago, the commissioners of Ciay
county issued bonds for $75,000.
their share of the contemplated road.
The other $75,000 was furnished by
the Valleytown township. Work wbs
started on the road but the money
was used up in grading and only a
few cross ties were laid before the
project had to be abandoned. The
autnorities in charge have tried for
the past three years to induce some
interested company to complete the
road but only recently have their
wishes been realized. S. F. Chapman
and John Arbogastof Asheville have
formed a corporation and contract
ed to complete the road within the
next year. It is believed that work
jn the road will be started in a few
days.
Hayesville, the county seat of
Clay county, is isolated by lack of
ail facilities and it is believed that
che completion of the road will serve
is a boon to building in this section
jf the state.
In anticipation of the completion
jf the road, three brick mercantile
juildings have been started and the
vlethodist congregation has just
completed a $25,000 church.
Several business men of Clay
Graham and Cherokee county, have
iormed a corporation and bought
the Andrews Sun, Tney will spend
$20,000 for improvements and wil
convert the publication into a tri-
county weekly paper.
NOTICE
Advertisment
To all who read the advertisment
of my property for taxes in Sylva
Towdship in last weeks issue.
v 1 1 1 '
it was a mistaKe ana snouid not
have been printed, for I paid my
taxes on this property on J an. 8th
1919 and have my receipt for same
If all the mistakes that have been
on our tax books this season were
in dollars and cents and I had them
I could p ly my taxes several times
without being advertised.
Yours truly
S. H. Montieth,
APR. 11. 1919.
PEACE TREATY
READY BY FASTER
ARIS, April 6, The preliminary
peace treaty will be readv bv Easter
and the Germans will be asked to
come and sign it-at the end of April
or the beginning of May. Premier
Lloyd George of Great Britain, de
clared in an interview today with
Stephane Lauzanne, editor of the
Matin.
In answer to a remark by M. Lau
zanne that what troubled public opin
ion wasnotso much the delay as the
secrecy in which the peace negotia
tions were wrapped and the fear that
j there was some divergence of opin
ion, the British premier said.
I iaffirm that there is no differ
ence mong the negotiators. They
are bften confronted with technical
differences which can only be settled
after close study. Take the ques-
ion of reparations. In substnace the
allies have one common principle,
whicrj I once set forth thus: 'Ger
many must pay up to the last far-
hing of her power.'
"But is it sufficient to draw up a
bill and hand it to enemy? Must
we not require guarantees and must
we not study the terms, methods
and forms of delayed payments?
Mu;it we not be able to say to our
adversaary when he pleads inade
quacy of resources: 'Yes, you ca'i
go as far as that and you must od
it and you . must do that?' In a word,
shaiVwe simply present a bill orcol-
ect the money, all the money pos
sible? Well, that is where the work
comes in slow and that technical ex
pens of the highest capabilities and
great experience are not in agree
mentamong themselves either as to
thfemethodof liquidation or as to the
assets to be realized;:
No, there is divergence" among
the negotiators, but, alas, there are
inevitable ones among the experts
01 ten among tnose trom the same
country. Who is to decide between
hem if not the negotiators and do
you think it can always be done
quickly?"
M. La"zanne remarked that what
public opinion could not underst and
was, why, before everything, Ger
1 1 m - 1 a 1
many was not nanaea a tun Dill no
ma ter what amount and forced to
admit full liability.
And who says we shall not do
so?" cried Premier Lloyd George.
Who says we have not decided
that?"
JNo one, the interviewer inter
rupted, "has said that you have de
cided it."
The British premier resumed:
"Cannot the people wait until we
have finished our work instead of al
ways wanting to judge our inten
tions. This conference had to meet
and discuss things under conditions
unprecedented in history. All eyes
are turned toward it, and what is
more grave, all ears are glued at its
keyhole. Enemy ears tremble witn
joy when they detect some hesita
tion. Friendly ears half hearconfus
ed rumors which are peddled far
and quickly.
"The day does not pass but what
some false news here and there takes
its flight. Nevertheless, no day passes
but that we in silent deliberation
feel approaching nearer the great
aim and experience for each other
more esteem, confidence and affect
ion. Let public opinion wait a few
days. It will then be able to pronounc
on facts, not rumors." Asheville
Citizen.
THE MINISTRY SF LITTLE CHILDREN
The tragic death of little four
year old Miriam Allen Rhinehart
deeply stirred and moved the Clyde
community. She was a universa
favorite, bhe was so bngnt ana
intelligent, so sunny and cheerful.
ner ministry though Dnet was
blessed, inspiring and helpful. She
was a blessing to the writer and
his family, for she sjent almost as
much time with us as she did at
her own home. The sweet spirited
little child is now with Jesus who
when here among men, took little
children in His arms, and blessed
them, declaring that of such is the
kingdom of heaven'.
My heart goes out toward parents
who have lost dear, little children.
My wife and I buried our firstborn
when only nine months old so I
$l".5p
purpose dedicating this article to
fathers and mothers who have com
mitted darling babes to old mother
earth 'ashes to ashes, dust to
dust." i
the innocence, the gaity, the pur
ity and the simplicity of children
have called forth some of the sweet
est, tenderest and most pathetic
strains of poetry in the world's lit
erature. Now hear the poet king of
Israel: "Out of the mouths of babes
and sucklings hast thou founded a
stronghold because of thine ene
mies, that thou mightest still the
enemy and the avenger." It is the
consensus of opinion among our
ablest expositors that David means
iteral babes and susklihgs. Thus
he sublime Hebrew poet finds
childhood a refuge from the carp
ing cares, perplexing doubts and
rude rebuffs of this wicked world.
How the genius of our great poets
ha? been stirred and kindled by the
celestial beauty of childhood. The
following lines by an American
poet finds an echo in - every human
heart:
They are idols of the heart and the
household.
They are angels of God in disguise;
His sunlight still sleeps in the
tresses
His glory still gleams from their
eyes. . .
Oh! those truants from home and
fiom Heaven, .
They have made me more manly
and mild,
And I know how Jesus could liken
The Kinf n m of God to a child.
I love to listen to our poets be
cause they seem to stand upon a
loftier plane than ordinary mortals
and have clearer insight into hu
man experience. The beauty of
childhood touched the heart and
fired the imagination of Words
worth. Hear himVv i
Not in entire foretfulnes,
And not in utter nakedneMS t' . :
But trHinguaorpol!
come
From God, who is our home.
Heaven lies about us in bur infancy
Henry Vaughn has the following
exquisitely beautiful sentiment:
Happv those early days, when 1
Shined in my angel infancy!
Before I understood this place,
Appointed for my second race
Or taught my soul to fancy aught
But a white celestial thought;
When yet I had not walked
A mile or. two from my first love
And back at that short space,
Could see a glimpse of His bright
face.
What a stronghold for troubled
hearts is bright, sweet, sunny child
hood! Disaster has evertaken you,
misfortune has come upon you
Sharpers have overreached and de
frauded you. friends have been
false; thoroughly disgusted with
humanity, you turn away from the
din, the bustle and tumult of the
world, and seek refuge in the bosom
of your family. The children "climb
your knee the envied kiss to share.
their love, innocence and purity are
for your storm-driven spirit an im
pregnable anchorage. Your heart
was fast becoming encrusted with
the very ice of moral death, but
the genial sunshine of the home
circle has thawed it all away. A
legion of scowling demons were
about to enter tne courts or your
spiritual being; but the .bright eyes,
the glad smiles and merry shouts
of childhood have, exorcised them.
You are lifted to a higher plane-
you feel the bracing air waves of
a' purer atmosphere. The broken
hearted motner wno nas just re
turned from the grave of her dear
husband, finds in the love of the
sunny haired nestlings' in her dark
ened home a perennial well-spring
of life. With more than the strength
of a giant, those velvety, dimpled
hands bouy up and sustain the
mother who would faint and fall
under her burden of care and g.ief.
Mr. Lincoln says: I never knew
what the grace of God really meant
until my little Willie died."
T. Fulton Glenn:
Clyde-on-the-Pigeon, Feb. 3. 1919.
Mr. F. A. Brown has sold his
home near the Doggett school and
moved to Sylva, Jackson county; but
before going he gave t the Doggett
school more than a hundred vol
umes of good books to go in the li
brary.. We are grateful to Mr. Brown
for the books. It shows he is inter
ested in the community. Forest
City Herald,
THE YEAR IN ADVANCE
HOFFMAN HOLDING PRCERS- 1
Rapid progess and development
has marked the course of the?. ttofik
man Process as it is being handled
by the New Method Molding anfo
Metals Corporation of Buffalo, duiw
ing the past few weeks. K' """ .
. It was m the first week of list
November that, - William M; Holfe
man's new inntioiwas firf t showji
to the world in aembnstfatida"t
No. 369 Main Street, maintained bf
the Eastern Bond and Securities
Company. Since that time the new
f$cjis of casting EftlCand mai
louring heat refrlcislies has be
Come the talk afthe industrial
world. The New Mthod Molding
and Metals Corporation procures the
raw materiaKfrctm the mines in
North Carolina and has established
there a modest plant where it is '
ground up from a huge stick of am
phibole asbestos and actinolite and
mixed with the material that serves '
to bind it together again, the. forv
mula for which bond is Hoffman's
valuable secret.
For Western Pennsylvania and
Western New York the Buffalo sub
sidiary company has started opera
tions by securing a factory atNd, -87
Bray ton Street, where it is now
producing fire bricks, refractories
and insulating material. The first
order for this new Buffalo enter-
prise came properly from another
progressive Buffalo company which
h lew years ago was lighting its way
into existencetoo and now is one ;
of the city's tfest industries.
The New York company which
handles the business for Eastern
New York, Western Massachusetts,
all of Connecticut and Vermont, hag
piled up a mass of orders and to fill
them has arranged for a found
which is to be built on the new lines
necessary lor a fioffman process
plant, at Glendale Long Islaad, has
granted a franchise under royalty'
to the Walker M. Levett Co., which
operates the largest foundry in New '.
York uty. - ;
The Philadelphia company which
controls Eastern Pennsylvania and
Mry land and m Muk
bia, has been in operation little T'
over a month and has made r pec- ,
tactular progress. r I he v presideWis '
Chari es A. Davis, formerly in charge -of
the Union Works, Sarr Francisco.
then of the Newport News Ship
building Company, and when he. s
was chief erecting engineer for the .
E. I. Du Pont Nemours Powder
Company , Mr. Hurley of the Emer
gency Meet sent for him and placed
nim in charge of the 27 ship ways
at Hog Island. He resigned from f
Hog Island alter the war to take up -the
Hoffman process. His associ
ates are all former executives of .
Hog Island. -Buffalo Evening Times..
WHAT MR HOFFMAN HAS, TO ' . ':
SAY "" '. "
Amphibole Asbestos is the short
fiber grade of this mineral and has
no value except as a heat resisting
product and in order to make it c
useful or of commercial value, it
must be ground tine, and 1 proved
very difficult to reduce it to a pow
der as its fibrous condition prevent
ed it from feeding . to the; grinding,
device. After trying almost every
make of grinding mill I becaflae
discouraged and was' about to . &ive
if up as one of the mechanical im
possibilities when I hit upon a de- -vice
which worked successfully;
What we propose to do, is- to; firsts .
develop the proeess for; prepariiig ,
(he mateuai . for use' at Sylva; ahd
after this has proved a ;suitei8jij(,,,t
plan is to ma uoi acture the refactiH
ry fire linings and other, pro 'acts
here also. -
v DEBiitAi LtiL (iffttEE :t:,
The first of a series of three an
nual debates between the CiiHowhee
Normal and Industrial. School $nd
Mars Hill OoMeVwmf beVh-etdat-- .
Cullowhee, SaturdajTevening, April
12. The following query will be dis-. .
cu.iS3ci: Resolved, that the United ,
States Government should estab(ish
schedules of minimum wages . Jbrf
unskilled laborers, constitutionality
conceded. - v ':
Cullowhee, represented by Harry
Davis and C. R. Bird; will' support
the affirmative side. Mars jU CoU ;
lege, taking the negajtive, r$i).berep-.
resented by Coy Muckle and Chal
mers B. Yarley. Each speaker wil$
haye fifteen minutes for the first ;
speech and five minutes for rebnttai.
The programme for the evening
includes a piano duet by Misses
Helen Conroy and Sallie Reynolds,
and solos by Miss Emma Johnson,
of the Department of Music. The:
public is cordially invited to be pre-
sent for this programme, which will
begin at eight o'clock, central time.
1 ,
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