As you can see by the head lines, Hitler was beginning to take over all of Europe.

     Late in 1938 word was spread through the middle west that the French Army would be at Memphis Tenn to buy mules for the French army and later they would be in Fort Scott to buy horses. A lot of farmers in the area were buying tractors and had horses to sell. My uncle, Bill Owens, started to buy the better horses, one day in November. Bill had Mart Fields load about twenty horses into his truck and I went with them to see the French Army officers buy the horses. Bill knowing a good horse when he seen one had bought the best in our area. Upon arriving at the sales yard in Fort Scott all the horses had a hole cut into each ear and a number attached. The French men began inspecting the horses and most of Bill’s horses were rejected and we brought them home. The French did not want good riding horses they wanted the old nags which could pull a big gun and when they were killed in battle they had not lost much. The following week he bought all the old nags in the area, took them to Fort Scott and all were accepted. The horse sale did not mean much to me, but seeing those French officers all dressed up in there colorful uniforms up was something I remembered a long time.