Friday, 23 August, 1918, Vol 32, No 19--According to the Fayette Democrat-Leader, a former Howard countian, Ralph Talbot Ward, is the youngest colonel in the United States Army. He was born near Fayette in 1883, and moved to Colorado with his parents when quite a child and entered West Point from that state. Friday, 23 August, 1918, Vol 32, No 19--A LETTER FROM MILLER PYLE--Miller Pyle, who is with the signal corps in France, and who was recently severely burned by gas, writes us under date of July 30: "Base Hospital No. 3. Dear Scott: I am getting along nicely and will soon be in the game once more. Have been having a great deal of trouble past few days but am about O.K. again. Was badly burned by poison gas. I have had a number of letters asking about signal work and am enclosing a clipping form the Paris edition of the New York Herald, which should give everybody an idea of the service required of the signal men. the Red Cross is surely doing a great work over here, and you people who so generously gave that they might be here surely won a victory back at home and on the field. This is a great hospital. Part of the buildings were built in the 13th century by monks. It is situated on the banks of a small river. It has some 4 or 5 thousand beds, and some of America's finest medical men, so you see when a fellow goes all in on a shell-torn field where the air is always roaring and hissing with death then in a few hours finds himself in a nice bed with a good, old-fashioned American girl doing all she can to make him comfortable, he will surely get well. Best regards to friends." The clipping referred to by Mr. Pyle follows: "Any story of the fighting south of the Marne--or anywhere else, for that matter--that does not mention the Signal Corps' part in it would be about as complete as the story of Jonah with the whale left out. One of the first Hun shells fired in the opening barrage of the fifth great-offensive--a barrage that French officers declared was comparable to that which ushered in the battle of Verdun--landed in a wood, upset a tree and dropped it neatly across a ten occupied by a Signal Corps lieutenant. The Signal Corps did not need to be prodded into action, however. The Signal Corps was already in action. It had been tolerably easy, in the preceding days, to keep communication intact--if doing skilled work of the most delicate kind under fire can ever be called easy. But the barrage started things. The wires were torn into shreds, and it was up to the Signal Corps men to put the shreds together again. Not once, but time and again, while they were splicing two tattered ends, a shell on either side of them would rip the wire in two new places. They worked fast, but the shells came faster. One wire was cut in 168 places in a kilometer of length. In another piece of wire of half a kilometer, the longest whole fragments that remained measured exactly eight feet. One sergeant was in a front-line dugout when the shells began to arrive. A message was coming over. He started to take it. A shell landed just outside the dugout. So the sergeant left the dugout and calmly started to cut in on the torn strands, when another shell killed him. Wireless suffered as much as wires. The slender antennae on slim bamboo poles, both front and rear, were ripped out of the ground time and again. Saplings were hastily erected in their place and the apparatus once again got in working order, but not for long. The shells kept coming faster than the saplings could be put up. The men who did the work, and suffered as heavily as any combat unit engaged doing it, were all picked specialists, men who had proved they could do anything under the sun in the trouble line before they left the States, and who were now proving that they could keep it up under conditions not exactly like those under which American trouble men had ever worked before. They all volunteered for the work, and every man of them knew what it meant. They worked in pairs, and sometimes one, sometimes both, were struck at their task. The order in which they were to go out with on a roster, and the only difficulty was to prevent them from squeezing in ahead of their turn. Four Signal Corps men, a sergeant and a corporal among them, and fifteen Infantry men were in a front-line trench when the Germans came romping in on both sides. The 19 Yanks were apparently caught--flanked on both sides, with no means of escape in the rear. The only clear spot was forward, out toward the river, from which the enemy was advancing. So the 19 went forward. They reached the shelter of a railway embankment and the Germans, 150 strong, occupied the trench. The 19 were isolated, but they didn't intend to stay that way. They just left the embankment charged their own occupied trench, and bagged the 150. A few seconds later they were leading the whole kit and boodle off to the rear." Friday, 23 August, 1918, Vol 32, No 19--Francis, little daughter of Mr. and Mrs. J. H. Bradley, is seriously ill of measles and pneumonia. Friday, 23 August, 1918, Vol 32, No 19--Mrs. M. T. Griffith, accompanied by her son, Cromer, went to Columbia yesterday and made arrangements for his entering the University next Monday. Friday, 23 August, 1918, Vol 32, No 19--Higbee's ghost, or lady in black, has changed the location of her appearances, having been seen one night last week by Henry Powell walking along the Katy track a mile north of No. 11 mine. Mr. Powell, who is staying on his father's farm for the present, while speeding home on a railway velocipede, passed the woman about 1 a.m. She was walking hurriedly toward town. Friday, 23 August, 1918, Vol 32, No 19--Born, on the 17th, to Mr. and Mrs. Alfred Brooks, a son. Friday, 23 August, 1918, Vol 32, No 19--Mrs. Chas. Stevenson and Mrs. French Henderson of Fulton are the guests of Mr. and Mrs. Geo. Purdy. Friday, 23 August, 1918, Vol 32, No 19--FRANCES SUE KEITER DEAD--The many Higbee friends of Mr. and Mrs. E. Y. Keiter of Moberly were grieved beyond measure when word came Wednesday that their little daughter, Frances Sue, was dead at their home in that city, the news coming as a great shock, as no one here knew of her illness. the bereaved parents have the sympathy of their host of friends in old Higbee. The following is taken from the Moberly Index of the 22nd: "Frances Sue Keiter died at 7:50 o'clock the morning of Wednesday, August 21 in the family home at 901 South Williams street. She was born in Renick January 16, 1908, and her age was ten years, eleven months and five days. She was the only daughter of Rev. and Mrs. E. Y. Keiter and also leaves one brother, W. Eugene Keiter, and two grandmothers, Mesdames. Burton and Keiter, as well as many other relatives to mourn her untimely death. The last illness of little Frances Sue dates from last Thursday and from the first it was known that her case was critical, but the family and attendants hoped against hope while all that skilled attention and loving kindness could do was done for the little sufferer but all attention was unavailing. About one an done half hours before her eyes closed upon earth and opened in paradise she became calm and her nervousness vanished. She then told her father that she was dying and that she could not see, since he looked double to her. Continuing she said that she was not afraid to die and asked that her little playmates from the neighborhood be called to tell her goodbye and with a sweet patient smile she bade them adieu. Then she kissed her parents, brother and grandmothers and quietly talked to them until she became so weak that she could speak no longer, and those who watched and waited the impending separation say that she was fully conscious as life left the body. One year ago Rev. Keiter baptized his little daughter and she was a consistent Christian, belonging to the Junior congregation of the Central Christian church and being a regular attendant at all of the services. While friends and associates loved Frances Sue for her sweet unspoiled disposition and many splendid traits of character, it was in the home life that her pure unspotted life shone to perfection and the adoring and loving brother watched her development and rejoiced in her love of home and her tender care and attention for her family and all took a deep interest in her musical ambitions and her natural bent toward domestic life and the brightening of the home which was blessed for awhile by the sweet flower of humanity which now adorns the Garden of God she worshipped, loved and revered. The body will lie in state in the family home until time to be taken to the church for the last sad rites and all friends and acquaintances are requested to call at the home to see the remains of little Frances Sue. The funeral will be conducted by the Rev. E. M. Richmond in the Central Christian church at 3 o'clock Friday afternoon. Interment in Oakland cemetery. Friday, 23 August, 1918, Vol 32, No 19--S. E. Marrs received a card Sunday from his son Sam, advising him of his safe arrival in France. Friday, 23 August, 1918, Vol 32, No 19--Mrs. Georgia Middleton will leave Sunday for Boseman, Montana, where she has a position as teacher in the schools in that city. Friday, 23 August, 1918, Vol 32, No 19--Mr. and Mrs. T. D. Williams and John Lilly returned Monday from Albia, Ia., where they were called Friday by the death of Chas. Lilly, a cousin. Friday, 23 August, 1918, Vol 32, No 19--Higbee friends of Weaver Stevenson, who has been stationed at Camp Pike, Ark., for several months, received word from him this week that he had landed safely in France. Friday, 23 August, 1918, Vol 32, No 19--Miss Pearl Forsythe, who will graduate from the high school this year, was granted a teachers' certificate by County Superintendent McCully last week and was made about the happiest young lady in town. Friday, 23 August, 1918, Vol 32, No 19--Aubrey Wheeler, who is in the navy, and who is stationed at New York, visited his father, Fred Wheeler, of near Huntsville, last week, and also his grandmother, Mrs. George Wheeler, and other relatives near town. Friday, 23 August, 1918, Vol 32, No 19--Mr. and Mrs. Thos. Rees and children leave this week for Springfield, Ill., where they will make their future home. No better people ever lived among us and they are given up with a great deal of regret by a wide circle of friends. Friday, 23 August, 1918, Vol 32, No 19--Mr. and Mrs. Frank Goin and Mr. and Mrs. Roy Dennis, among Higbee's most desirable citizens, will leave this week for Springfield, Ill., where they will make their future home. They have a host of friends in old Higbee who give them up with a great deal of regret. Friday, 23 August, 1918, Vol 32, No 19--A SERVICE FLAG FOR HIGBEE BOYS--A fund is being raised to buy a service flag for the Higbee boys in the service. This includes boys who registered from Higbee, there being something like 100 who have answered the call to the colors. There will also be room left for stars for other boys that will be called in future drafts. A steel flag pole set in concrete, will be erected at the intersection of Division and Randolph streets and it will probably cost $100 or more. So it will not be necessary for anyone to contribute much, but everybody should contribute something to this worthy cause in honor of our boys. There will be no committee to go to the country, so it has been arranged to handle contributions at Burton & Burton store and the NEWS office. So if anyone has not been solicited they will please call at either of the above named places. Kathy Bowlin, Additions, corrections, comments welcome.