Letter from Florence Virginia Drud to Harris Heard - November 8, 1918
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Saint Louis, Missouri- [November] 8, 1918 Yesterday morning the news came that the Kaiser had signed over peace terms (amounting to unconditional surrender). at 11:30 the bells began the ring and the whistles to blow. I went to lunch from 11:30 to 12:30. Everyone wore a broad grin and everyone congratulated every one else on the Kaiser
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The office boys had torn up every piece of paper they could lay their hands on and had thrown them into the air A railroad man told Papa that he was working at a large table covered with orders and big order books. He said the boys grabbed all those orders and had them torn up and out of the window before he could say a word. The only thing he saved from destruction was his order book. Grace said that the side-walk in front of Scruggs was covered with hundreds of bells and receipts To return to my court the air was filled with paper and confetti Someone started to sing the
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[page 2] I through all the corridors. One parade would no sooner leave than another one would enter. Finally when it was seen that no work would be done all the office people were dismissed for the day. They dismissed the library and Margory and Margaretta Scott went down town to celebrate. Mar. Scott had to go home but the cars had stopped running. She though perhaps she might see someone she knew in [m.s. illegible: 1 wd] machine so she & M.D. stood in the middle of the street and scanned all the machine occupants. A roadster stopped just in front of them. While it was waiting for traffic to move on two men stepped up to it and shook hands with the driver and laughed and then sang a song for him. when they finished the car moved on and the two men were left facing M.D. and M.S. (I forgot to say that M.S. knew one of the men by sight. He is a judge here. Both men were middle aged and are usually very dignified and formal. They said Now Girls lets sing you a we little song. Knowing who they were
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and being in the spirit of the day M.D. said
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[page 3] down town to celebrate. The streets were simply awful. It had rained all day and the paper in the streets had formed an awful slush. Someone estimated that there was a $1,000,000 worth of paper on the streets by night. The saloons had been well patronized all day and the result was beginning to show. Margory saw one man so drunk he could hardly stand and the paper was falling all about him. He was telling the general public in a merry loud tone to
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Influenza has drawn lighter than ever. All stores and saloons are closed for an indefinite period The schools and churches may not open until January if the Influenza continues to grow worse. November 8, 1918. Florence Virginia Drud 5589 Cabanne Ave Saint Louis, Missouri
Details
| Title | Letter from Florence Virginia Drud to Harris Heard - November 8, 1918 |
| Creator | Drud, Florence Virginia |
| Source | Drud, Florence Virginia. Letter to Harris Heard. 08 November 1918. World War I Collection. A1771. Missouri History Museum, St. Louis, Missouri. |
| Description | Letter from Florence Virginia Drud to Private Harris Heard of the Field Remount Squadron. She described the excitement in St. Louis on the day they heard the news of the German Kaiser's surrender. |
| Subject LCSH | World War, 1914-1918--Armistices; Armistice Day |
| Subject Local | World War I; WWI |
| Site Accession Number | A1771 |
| Contributing Institution | Missouri History Museum |
| Copy Request | Transmission or reproduction of items on these pages beyond those allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the Missouri History Museum: 314-746-4510 |
| Rights | The text and images contained in this collection are intended for research and educational use only. Duplication of any of these images for commercial use without express written consent is expressly prohibited. Contact the Missouri History Museum's Permissions Office at 314-746-4511 to obtain written consent. |
| Date Original | November 8, 1918 |
| Language | English |