Show wilt 1 olson writes interesting letter lettle r the following letter from milton olsen who left this city several month 0 go o to serve as an L D S missionary to new Z zealand aland arrived wednesday in an eni envelope elope marked passed by the military censor n hasting college new zealand july 30 1915 mr ur benfer price utah dear friend benfer probably you would like to know how the war is affecting this country on june 1915 1 I landed on the new zealand coast in the city of wellington the capital and was greatly surprised eO at the size of the city it has a population of about eighty thousand built on the same style as san francisco franisco on june the ship sailed into the harbor bringing back to new zealand six hundred wounded soldiers Eold lers they were mo young men who had volunteered and left their beautiful garden homes here and gone to the front really it was the moat most piti ful sight that I 1 have over ever seen they carried to shore on stretchers and brought up the main street in automobiles every man woman and child of wellington were lined up and down vie street on both sides waving the english colors and slinging flowers into every car as it passed there were people from all over new now zealand to this grand recep lion some came on cars some by boat and ot others 1 ahers by motor cars when the excitement first started I 1 did not know or could not imagine what had happened ei everybody ery aaa running from every direction toward the miln street I 1 stepped inside the fico and asaei what was up ti why I 1 said a ft yo ang pirl girl this it the gres greatest test day ever known to ney nevi zealand six hundred of our boys havo returned home after giving their lives and parts of their lites lives to 0 amr ar country king P pad zid colors 1 ors 0 after thanking her I 1 went into the hotel and climbed on top of tho the roof it was a grand sight to see thorn them all in their uniforms but it was also alio a pitiful one some had bad been hot shot through the mouth tearing the heek cheek from their faces some had been shot in the side oi of tho the face fearing tearing off their ears some had their arena arms shot off and others had ben been shot in the feet and legs As they passed the people would give encouraging cou raging yells singing songs throw ing bouquets and crying out down with wicked germany I 1 and down with the Kai kaiser serl 1 after the parade they were met by their mothers wives and sweethearts and carried into the assembly room vh whre re they gave a grand program I 1 was talking with one onn soldier in particular and he said As we marched through the E egyptian deserts sand sans filling our eyes eres and starving dy and night we did not know whether wo we would be in a fit fi condition or not to meet the bloody ger mans but when night fell we camped and dug soma trenches met tho the germans at daybreak and lot ika them have powder a long as they resisted finally we came to a place anee a settlement here we found hundreds of women and children st starving arvine to death and dead sons and fathers covered the ground the city bad had been blown to pieces by german shells we fed them he continued with the best we had then we passed by leaving them in tho tha hands of god ile further told me that so some me ti times nea their trenches wore were filled with water and they would be fighting for hours in deep cold water oh boy bijj I 1 he said 1 I hope co god th that thit it the united states keeps out of ihil terrible war just imagine I 1 he said all the boys left here now are ready and have to leave for tb th front probably never to come back alve leaving all their loved ones to mourn their lives but thanking their thor maker for the gibat courage they have bave and the honor they have for their country after hearing and seeing this I 1 went to my room and thought wb what a t a terrible thing war is and it should be the desire of every american to stand by their president and stand for peace 1 I am learning learing the maori language and after aver I 1 have finished will re t to price and to my friends wham I 1 love lovo very much sincerely yours J MILTON OLSEN I 1 babaka box 17 new zealand |