WW2 Era Letter Written by Lady telling spooky stories to her Cousin, who was serving in the Infantry. He would be killed before the letter was written.

[Heartfeltzero]

This letter was written by a young lady named Carolyn to her cousin named Arthur J Quinn jr. She was writing a few spooky stories to him. Arthur was serving in the 180th Infantry Regiment, 45th Infantry Division. The letter was written on April 9th 1945, but little did Carolyn know, her cousin Arthur had been killed in action 13 days earlier on March 27th in Germany. She hadn’t yet been notified of his death. This letter would never reach him. It reads:

“ Mendham, N.J.
April 9, 1945

Dear Patty:

Your air-mail of March 25 arrived on April 5. We received a letter today mailed from France on March 26 via regular mail. The postmistress told us the regular mail comes through faster than either V-mail or Air mail.

Forgive me for being stupid. I thought you knew Kay was John’s wife. Now wait just a minute, did you know he was married? In case you didn’t, here are the vital statistics. He married Kay eighteen months ago, six weeks after he had been discharged from the Air Corps. They live in Netcong. Kay’s home town for the past four years. Her family had lived in the Poconos prior to that time. She is eight months younger than I, and is the baby of her family. Her brother wrote to her from France and said he couldn’t imagine little Kay being married. He has been oversees for three years.

Don’t get frightened if you receive a small package in the near future marked “photo”. That face with the blank expression is yours truly. I did a dopey thing. I tried to send it air mail. The postmistress looked at me and looked at the package, that pop had packed so beautifully, and told me in a very heartbroken tone that packages can’t be sent air mail. My face did a quick auburn and I said, “oh yes, I remember now”. She told me I could have sent it air mail if I had simply put it in a mailer envelope. I was afraid to do that because they probably would have put it up on our end and stood a ton of k-rations on top of it!

Living in the hills is a great experience, especially if you live in the Mendham hills. We live here, and believe me, Pat, after living in this house, spooks hold no terror for me.

We have owned this place for twenty years but have only lived here for fourteen. ( that’s fourteen too many). When we first started to live here, there were only two neighbors, halfway nearby. One of these neighbors was a periodical drunkard. When he was “slightly under the influence” he always went gunning for someone. Maybe it was the German up on the hill or a farmer about a mile away. Several times he and the farmer had shooting matches on our corner. (Poor mom). After that, his wife always hid his shells and he went out with an empty gun, just as happy. During these “happy duels” my mother would gather her four little darlings in the house, close the shudders and lock the doors.

One night mom and pop really turned grey in ten seconds. About 3 o’clock in the morning, somebody pounded on the front door with all four feet and shouted, “open up in the name of the law!” They did as they were told.

There were two state troopers. Nice time to come visiting! They wanted to know who lived here and why? We learned later that all the schoolhouses in this section had been robbed. They knew this place had been deserted for years and decided to investigate the car standing in the yard. While the one trooper was talking to my parents - with coffee - news, the other was going over the car with a flashlight. They finally left and my mommy and pappy once more locked their doors and hoped for the best.

We had this place originally for summer vacation and weekends. One night in early fall, about midnight, they heard low tense voices outside of the French windows. “You stay here, I’ll walk around the other way and lead him off. Don’t forget now, if he comes around this way, flash your light on him and give a long low whistle”. “ Okay, but don’t let anything slip, if we lose him now, he will be gone for good”.

Mom and pop barricaded the doors and windows and awaited results. They heard the sound of running feet and then, “Hey, get him, he is heading for the woods.” After that, dead silence.

Mom told a neighbor about it next day and she told mom they were coon hunters. She said they always hunted around here but she would tell them the place was inhabited. Our front and back yards were just young jungles and I suppose they made good hunting grounds.

These were some of the more harmless experiences but all of them weren’t as funny. The very first year we moved here (permanently) John was pushing George down the driveway in his little wagon, when George spotted a pretty gun by the edge of the driveway! George was about four at the time and John ten. George made a grab for it but John was quicker. He picked it up and flew into the house to pop. Our(?) ex-aviation was visiting us then and he and pop took the gun to the state trooper station in Chester.

It was a .38 with one bullet fired. Mom and pop had heard a shot the night before but ignored it because shooting around here was as common as breathing. The police simply took the gun and said nothing, but the next night a car rode up and down flashing a light all along the edge of the driveway. Apparently someone lost their cap pistol!

Now do you wonder that Kay doesn’t love me very much when I tell her spooks stories about Washington? She lives alone in (Netcong) stanhope and is scared to death when John isn’t home!

Mom and I are going to hitch hike to Morristown, that’s the way we travel. I have to go to the doctor - my ear is bothering me - it keeps falling off!!!

Don’t you think you have a screwy cousin? My brothers voted me “the girl they would most like to put in a padded cell”. (They didn’t really but it makes good reading, or does it?)

Bye now,

Love, Carolyn.”

This letter would be returned to Carolyn with a “deceased” stamped on. The war in Europe would end less than 2 months later.

[BlackCat1982]

Another tragic letter, one can only imagine the anguish of receiving this back unread.

[Heartfeltzero]

Indeed