Sunbonnet Soliloquy

By Jewell Ellen Smith

An Oklahoma Mother’s Letter

Mothers are all the same. They never change. Not from one generation to the next. At least, that’s what I have decided after reading my newest old letter.

Last Christmas, while we were visiting in Tulsa, Oklahoma, our daughter Nan took her dad and me to a stamp shop to see if he could pick up any American or foreign stamps to add to his prized collections.

He didn’t find many he could afford, but for 15 cents I bought a 61 year old letter that is a prize to me. It was written January 15, 1919 by an Oklahoma mother to her son Craig, who had moved to Oakland, California.

I bought it -- not for the 3 cents George Washington stamp on the envelope, though (husband) Smitty says it is valuable -- but for the mother’s thoughts and for the newspaper clipping she had enclosed for her son.

The clipping, now yellowed and brittle, is datelined Fort Sill, Okla., Jan. 10, (1919) and tells of 25 Oklahoma soldiers wounded in World War I, who had just arrived at the base hospital at Fort Sill.

Written in pencil, with a bold, clear hand, the letter reads:

“Dear Son

I written you several days ago but as yet I haven’t received any ans to my letter so I will write you again this leaves us all well hope it may find you all well Everything here is going on just about as usual Craig Mae wrote that you had a bad cough since you had the flue Craig get a bottle of Bulls Herbs and Iron & take it according to the directions and it will strengthen you up & make your well and help your cough and also get some good kind of cough medicine & take it regularly until your cough is cured and if you have a hurting or pain in your chest get a bottle of Vicks Vapor rub and rub it on your throat and chest at night and it will relieve and help you greatly now Caig mind me and do not neglect to take these medicines if you need them and take care of yourself how do you like out there by this time some of the Soldier boys are coming in Hubert Cady and Melvin Darling are here and they are looking for Gad Livingston in anytime as he written his folks that he had landed in America Bryan Wright came from the training camp about 2 weeks ago discharged Honorably and last Sunday they taken him to Muskogee to be operated on for appendecideous Bill Wright come over to the house to get your pap to assist them in helping him out of the wagon & on the train he went over and helped them and said Bryan did not look very bad sick but he was shiped back dead Tuesday night on the 12.40 train it was very sad him being so young and seemingly not so very sick well I will close for this time as it is getting late answer soon Lovingly from your Mother S R Hays kind regards and best wishes to all”.

The newspaper clipping reads, in part:

“Fort Sill, Okm., Jan. 10 -- (Special) -- Twenty-five Oklahomans wounded and disabled soldiers, members of the 36th division, back from overseas, have just arrived at the base hospital here for treatment. They will be discharged immediately after they are cured. Together with the Oklahomans were 17 other wounded soldiers.

“Most of those received at the hospital here are slightly wounded and are recuperating rapidly. Their wounds consist of machine gun bullets through the legs and body. A few are suffering from gas. The Oklahomans are: ...”

Wars are all the same. They never change. Not from one war to the next. What soldiers endure is all the same, too. At least, that’s what I have decided.

Do you agree that the 61 year old Oklahoma letter was worth a bit more than fifteen cents?

Published February 1981. Click your browser’s ‘Back’ button to return.