TRANSCRIBED FROM THE NEVADA COUNTY PICAYUNE, NOVEMBER 28, 1918, P. 2
U. S. S. Des Moines, Nov. 2, 1918
Mr. and Mrs. J. B. Hannah,
Cale, Arkansas.
Dear Friends:
I will write you a few lines this evening to let you know that I have not forgotten you and have often wondered why you did not write any more.
I am well and getting along fine, had a spell of the “Flu” but am all right now. I hope you and your family escaped that epidemic. We had a tussle with it on the Dirty Molley for a while but we finally came out conqueror at last. We did no lose a man from that disease. The last trip we made across the weather was stormy and the sea was exceedinly rough and we lost one man overboard in mid ocean. We did not rescue his body.
Well I am glad that there are no more convoy trips to make. O, just think no more o fthese horrible cold watches to stand in the cold rain and storm. I will tell you Mr. Hannah, the Kaiser brought lots of hardships on us, but thank God, we have got his goat at last, and his bunch, including the people of the German empire, Austria Hungary, Turkey and Bulgaria are now at the feet of the allies begging for mercy. Bless God, the right has come out triumphant at last, as it always does in the end.
I am glad the United States has done her bit toward liberating the world from autocracy and anarchy. Although we have endured many hardships and suffered privations and made many sacrifices, the cause has been well worthy of it all. As for me I am glad that I have seen actual service and done my bit to the very best of my knowledge to God and to my country.
Well, we have had some very fine services since I saw you, conducted by myself, certainly the Lord has been with me and answered prayer so many times, in clear definite ways, until my faith and confidence is so much stronger in Him now than ever before. I have lots of things I could tell you if I could see you.
Mr. Hannah, I want to tell you an incident that happened the other day. I am telling this to show you that it pays to be true to God any where and under all circumstances. The incidence that I mention here is actual facts and the conversation took place between the ship doctor and myself. The doctor said to me, “Cummings, I am proud of you, I am glad it has been my privilege to be associated with you during these months that you have been aboard the ship. Before you came on at Charleston, S. C., we had no one to conduct religious service when at sea, the consequence was we had no service on these long, near seven thousand mile trips. The Y. M. C. A. Secretary usually had service for us while in port but O! those long Sundays at sea. I have noticed since you came aboard and have been conducting services, such a remarkable change in the morale of the men and the services have been an inspiration to me and greatly appreciated by the officers of the ship. Cummings, you are to be commended and congratulated for the way you have stood up for your conviction and for the right under such conditions, but I have watched you and you have borne it as patiently and seemed to be happy all the time until I become very much interested in you. Your sermons and prayers have been a great blessing to me and you have been instrumental in drawing me closer to God and strengthening my faith in God. And when I had more than fifty cases of influenza, and quite a number of serious cases of pneumonia, and men were dying like hogs with the cholera on the other ships, and all these burdens on me alone. I felt that it was more than I could bear and would take more than the science of medicine applied with great tact and wisdom to bring these men through. I guess you remember quite well the morning I asked you to especially pray for me and those that were sick? I have thought so many times how that prayer was answered, and O! such consolation and peace I got in my room in prayer and supplication with God. My faith has mounted up and taken hold of divine things as I thought it never could. Cummings, you have been a blessing to me, and I trust that what ever you may do and where ever you may go you will continue to live the life and practice what you preach by precept and example, as you have in the past. May God’s best ever be yours and may His Spirit ever guide and protect you, is my desire for you.
I took him by the hand and looked up in his face, and the tears were trickling down his cheeks. I said with a trembling voice and a heart full of love, “Dear doctor, I was one time lost and without God, but one day I heard the voice of Jesus say ‘Come unto me and I will give you rest, take my yoke upon you, and learn of me, for I am meek and lowly and ye shall find rest unto your soul,’ since the day Jesus cleansed me from sin and spoke peace to my soul, I have endeavored to live right and since I have been on this ship I have only tried to do my duty as all christians should do and it was only through God’s help that I have been enabled to live right and stem the tide of wickedness on the ship.”
Mr. Hannah, I am so glad that one day you prayed for me. I never shall forget those prayers. I often think of you and would like to see you now.
Well, I hope to get excused from future military duties within the next two and three months and come home for a few days.
I am sorry that the picture was not good. I am sending you one of them.
Give my regards to Miss Alice and tell her I never got any answer to that letter. I hope she has had great ___in her meetings and ___her efforts where ever she may go.
Next paragraph unreadable.
We are now in the Brooklyn Navy yard for repair. Perhaps we will be here until after Christmas.
I will close hoping to hear from you soon. As ever your true friend and brother in Christ.
R. E. Cummings.
NOTES: Ruben Elmore Cummings was on born March 29, 1895 and died on June 17, 1964. He is buried in the Roselawn Park Cemetery in Anderson County, Texas. He was of medium height and build with blue eyes and dark brown hair. He was a minister by profession
TRANSCRIBED BY CAROLYN YANCEY KENT
U. S. S. Des Moines, Nov. 2, 1918
Mr. and Mrs. J. B. Hannah,
Cale, Arkansas.
Dear Friends:
I will write you a few lines this evening to let you know that I have not forgotten you and have often wondered why you did not write any more.
I am well and getting along fine, had a spell of the “Flu” but am all right now. I hope you and your family escaped that epidemic. We had a tussle with it on the Dirty Molley for a while but we finally came out conqueror at last. We did no lose a man from that disease. The last trip we made across the weather was stormy and the sea was exceedinly rough and we lost one man overboard in mid ocean. We did not rescue his body.
Well I am glad that there are no more convoy trips to make. O, just think no more o fthese horrible cold watches to stand in the cold rain and storm. I will tell you Mr. Hannah, the Kaiser brought lots of hardships on us, but thank God, we have got his goat at last, and his bunch, including the people of the German empire, Austria Hungary, Turkey and Bulgaria are now at the feet of the allies begging for mercy. Bless God, the right has come out triumphant at last, as it always does in the end.
I am glad the United States has done her bit toward liberating the world from autocracy and anarchy. Although we have endured many hardships and suffered privations and made many sacrifices, the cause has been well worthy of it all. As for me I am glad that I have seen actual service and done my bit to the very best of my knowledge to God and to my country.
Well, we have had some very fine services since I saw you, conducted by myself, certainly the Lord has been with me and answered prayer so many times, in clear definite ways, until my faith and confidence is so much stronger in Him now than ever before. I have lots of things I could tell you if I could see you.
Mr. Hannah, I want to tell you an incident that happened the other day. I am telling this to show you that it pays to be true to God any where and under all circumstances. The incidence that I mention here is actual facts and the conversation took place between the ship doctor and myself. The doctor said to me, “Cummings, I am proud of you, I am glad it has been my privilege to be associated with you during these months that you have been aboard the ship. Before you came on at Charleston, S. C., we had no one to conduct religious service when at sea, the consequence was we had no service on these long, near seven thousand mile trips. The Y. M. C. A. Secretary usually had service for us while in port but O! those long Sundays at sea. I have noticed since you came aboard and have been conducting services, such a remarkable change in the morale of the men and the services have been an inspiration to me and greatly appreciated by the officers of the ship. Cummings, you are to be commended and congratulated for the way you have stood up for your conviction and for the right under such conditions, but I have watched you and you have borne it as patiently and seemed to be happy all the time until I become very much interested in you. Your sermons and prayers have been a great blessing to me and you have been instrumental in drawing me closer to God and strengthening my faith in God. And when I had more than fifty cases of influenza, and quite a number of serious cases of pneumonia, and men were dying like hogs with the cholera on the other ships, and all these burdens on me alone. I felt that it was more than I could bear and would take more than the science of medicine applied with great tact and wisdom to bring these men through. I guess you remember quite well the morning I asked you to especially pray for me and those that were sick? I have thought so many times how that prayer was answered, and O! such consolation and peace I got in my room in prayer and supplication with God. My faith has mounted up and taken hold of divine things as I thought it never could. Cummings, you have been a blessing to me, and I trust that what ever you may do and where ever you may go you will continue to live the life and practice what you preach by precept and example, as you have in the past. May God’s best ever be yours and may His Spirit ever guide and protect you, is my desire for you.
I took him by the hand and looked up in his face, and the tears were trickling down his cheeks. I said with a trembling voice and a heart full of love, “Dear doctor, I was one time lost and without God, but one day I heard the voice of Jesus say ‘Come unto me and I will give you rest, take my yoke upon you, and learn of me, for I am meek and lowly and ye shall find rest unto your soul,’ since the day Jesus cleansed me from sin and spoke peace to my soul, I have endeavored to live right and since I have been on this ship I have only tried to do my duty as all christians should do and it was only through God’s help that I have been enabled to live right and stem the tide of wickedness on the ship.”
Mr. Hannah, I am so glad that one day you prayed for me. I never shall forget those prayers. I often think of you and would like to see you now.
Well, I hope to get excused from future military duties within the next two and three months and come home for a few days.
I am sorry that the picture was not good. I am sending you one of them.
Give my regards to Miss Alice and tell her I never got any answer to that letter. I hope she has had great ___in her meetings and ___her efforts where ever she may go.
Next paragraph unreadable.
We are now in the Brooklyn Navy yard for repair. Perhaps we will be here until after Christmas.
I will close hoping to hear from you soon. As ever your true friend and brother in Christ.
R. E. Cummings.
NOTES: Ruben Elmore Cummings was on born March 29, 1895 and died on June 17, 1964. He is buried in the Roselawn Park Cemetery in Anderson County, Texas. He was of medium height and build with blue eyes and dark brown hair. He was a minister by profession
TRANSCRIBED BY CAROLYN YANCEY KENT