LETTERS FROM PANAMA
Transcribed and submitted by Darrel Dexter
Fourteenth Infantry Station Hospital, Fort Davis, Gatum, Panama Canal
Zone, Oct. 12.
To the Jonesboro Gazette, Jonesboro, Ill.:
Dear Editor and Friends of Union County
Just a few lines to the friends in good old Union County. I
am now getting the Gazette once a week and only two weeks late, but
that does not matter as I always like to read it whenever I get
it. This may not be a very interesting letter, but I will try
my best.
Being many miles from home in the
beautiful land that is called Panama, I will tell you of some of the
things that have happened since I entered the United States army on May
10, 1923. I am a son of Mr. and Mrs. Jacob I. Lyerla, of Alto
Pass, Ill., near Beech Grove. Having left my home on April 6,
1923, I worked a month at Granite City, Ill., and then I decided to try
the army, so going to Jefferson Barracks at St. Louis, Mo., I took my
first steps towards military life. I was sworn in under the
hand of Lieut. Aikens of Jefferson Barracks on May 10, 1923, and on the
13th of the same month departed for New York City to board the
transport steamer Millie. On arriving at New York two days
later I was examined and finding that I had the measles I was pulled
out of the ranks and sent to a hospital somewhere. I
didn’t know where until a week later when I was told that I
was at Fort Hamilton, Brooklyn, N. Y. Two months later, on
July 12, I again started for Panama. The troops went by way
of Porto Rico, a beautiful little island in the Atlantic. We
arrived at San Juan, P.R., on July 16, being delayed one day.
We left there for Panama, only a three days trip, arriving July 20 at
Cristobol, R.P. There we were put under quarantine for
measles for 21 days. We were then assigned to companies, I
being assigned to the 14th Infantry in the medical corps at Fort Davis,
Canal Zone, just one mile east of the Gatum locks.
Having been here only a few months, I
can tell little of the country but from what I see and hear of it I am
not very much in love with the place. As Fort Davis is
situated among the mountains, it is difficult to get any of the ocean
breeze. But it is very cool at night and we soldiers sleep
under blankets. Cristobol is situated on the Atlantic side of
the isthmus and is a very beautiful little city and seaport.
Panama City is on the Pacific side and I have never been
there. The natives are of Spanish descent. The
canal is a wonderful structure. It seems impossible that
human minds could study out such structures. The great Gatum
Lake is the largest and most beautiful artificial lake in the
world. The United States Government protects well its
property in Panama. The jungles are a dense mass of grass and
plants of a tropical nature. There are a few cocoanut palms
in and around Gatum and some bananas are raised by the
natives. The automobile is as numerous as in the States, the
Ford being mostly used in the Canal Zone. France Field, the
only air service station in Panama, is located near Christobal and
Colon, both practically the same town. France Field is
situated in a cool place where the ocean breeze strikes constantly.
Soldiering in a tropical climate is very
unhealthy as you come in contact with malarial fever and many other
tropical diseases. The dry season is just coming on in
Panama. We have rain every day now, but it doesn’t
hurt you to get wet as it is always warm.
I will now bring my few words to a
close, wishing all Union County friends, including the editor, the best
of luck and happiness. And hoping to receive the Gazette
regularly each week. I remain, sincerely,
Pvt. Zach. L. Lyerla
(Jonesboro Gazette, Jonesboro, Illinois, Friday, 29 Feb 1924)
Another Letter from Panama
14th Infantry, Station Hospital, Fort
Davis, Gatun, Canal Zone.—February 15.—To the
Jonesboro Gazette, Jonesboro, Ill.—Dear Editor and Friends of
Union County. I will try to amuse you for a few
minutes. I just received a copy of the Gazette and as usual
glad to get it but always a couple of weeks late. I have now
been in the country of Panama for almost eight months with the U. S.
Army serving in the medical department. I am liking the
country and climate little better than at first. There was
very much rain when I arrived on the Isthmus, but as the dry season is
on now the climate is much better. You can now get away from
camp without getting wet but when the wet season is on you had better
get under cover or you will get wet. Everything appears at
this times of the years in Panama as it does in the States in August
and September, but as soon as it begins to rain again everything will
turn green.
I received a letter from my father, Mr.
Jacob I. Lyerla, of Alto Pass, saying that the weather had been very
cold in the States this winter. I suppose all the fruit in
and around Anna and Jonesboro is about all killed, which will mean a
big loss to the fruit growers of Union County. As for Panama
in the line of fruits there is nothing but a few bananas, cocoanuts and
oranges and they grow wild in the jungles, which are very
dense. There are a few banana plantations around on the wide
of the mountains back from the sea coast about seven or eight miles and
about one and a half miles from Gatum Locks. Gatum is a
little town near the locks, situated in the hills just east of Gatum
Lake, which is the largest artificial lake in the world. It
has an area of about 164 square miles and it feeds the locks on both
sides of the Isthmus, which are the Pedro and the Gatum Locks, Gatum
lock being on the north. The U. S. government is now
repairing the Gatum locks and it sure is some sight to watch those
Negroes work. I go to the locks nearly every afternoon as it
is some higher than Fort Davis and the air is some cooler
too. The army and navy were maneuvering here in January of
this year. I was sent out in the jungles for ten days and the
mosquitoes were very bad too, but I took mosquito netting along which
did some good. All the Regiment of the 14th Inf. were in the
jungles at the same time but not at the same place. And they
were not all together, some were one place and some another place, but
they are about all in garrison now, some few out yet. As I
said before I like this country some better than I did at first, but
still I am not in love with the country by a long shot. There
are some good features and some bad features. One of the bad
ones is that there is nowhere to go to enjoy yourself. And
another is that a soldier has not the privileges of going when he wants
to, and where he wants to, but I have only two years down here
yet. There is not a country as good as the State of Illinois
or I cannot find a better. This letter may not be very
interesting, but it is the best I could do for the time, so please
excuse all mistakes and I will close with the best of regards to the
Editor and Union county friends.
Private Z. Lester Lyerla
(Jonesboro Gazette, Jonesboro, Illinois, Friday, 7 Mar 1924)
NEWS ARTICLES
The
name of every Jonesboro boy in the service, whether as soldier, sailor,
aviator, or marine, is wanted for a honor roll of the Red Cross quilt.
(Jonesboro Gazette, Jonesboro, Illinois, Friday, 1 Mar 1918)
A Red Cross Name Quilt—Jonesboro Unit Has Novel Plan to Raise Money
The Jonesboro Red Cross unit has done lots of work
since its organization and it has at times been desperately hard up for
funds. To secure a considerable amount at once and do away with
the constant embarrassment of a depleted treasury, the ladies have
begun the manufacture of a Red Cross quilt upon which everybody can
have their name embroidered for the small sum of 25 cents.
A quilt will comprise about 250 blocks and there
will be space in each block for four names, or in the case of families
occupying a block, as many as there are members of the family. A
red cross appears in each block on a white background.
In the center of the quilt will be an 18-inch red
cross, and in the white spaces surrounding it will appear the Jonesboro
Honor Roll containing the names of all the Jonesboro boys now with the
colors. Families from which a boy has gone are urged to hand his
name at once to Miss Mary Crawford, chairman of the quilt committee, as
it is earnestly desired that none be omitted. Some of the names
can be procured from the draft rolls, but a number of our boys enlisted
before the draft and the names of all are wanted.
Names of others to go on the quilt with the 25 cents
for each name may be left with Mrs. Thos. Norris, Mrs. Thos. Rixleben,
Mrs. H. L. Walter, Mrs. J. J. Lence, Mrs. D. D. Hacker, Mrs. Ed
Gholson, or Miss Mary Crawford.
It is planned to dispose of the quilt in some manner
which will bring in the most money at the Red Cross entertainment which
will be given Wednesday, March 26. Including the thousand or more
names at 25 cents each not less than $300 should be realized from this
quilt.
Get your name on the Red Cross quilt and help win the war.
(Jonesboro Gazette, Jonesboro, Illinois, Friday, 1 Mar 1918)
Walter B. Black, Fred Williford, and Frank Hess, have been appointed a
committee to dispose of the Red Cross quilt to the best
advantage. The quilt will to the holder of the lucky number on
the night of the Red Cross entertainment, Tuesday, April 2. In
the meantime, a number can be secured from the committee men or their
agents at 10 cents each. Take a number or several numbers and
help with the war and you might also win the quilt.
(Jonesboro Gazette, Jonesboro, Illinois, Friday, 22 Mar 1918)
Red Cross Receipts
Over Four Hundred Dollars from Concert and Quilt
The Red Cross concert at the court house Tuesday night was given to
such a crowded house that the S. R. O. sign would have been hung out if
there had been any S. R. O. signs handy. The program was carried
out about as published and was very much enjoyed.
The receipts from the concert and quilt totaled $410.16. There
were 848 paid names on the quilt, which brought $212. The sale of
the quilt brought $111.50. Refreshments were served at the
concert, and the receipts from this and the gate money got inextricably
mixed but together totaled $86.66,
The quilt contains besides the paid names an Honor Roll of all the
Jonesboro boys now in the service. It was displayed on the wall
of the room and is very beautiful. It fell to the lot of little
Miss Wilda Smiddy who held the number 534.
Mrs. W. S. Anderson made a donation of $15 to the Red Cross fund, and
we must tell you the story. On a recent election day at
Reynoldsville, where she lives, she prepared and served a dinner to the
hungry voters at so much a dinner, and the result was $15 for the Red
Cross.
There are other ways to raise money for the Red Cross, for
instance: The ‘teen age girl neighbors of Mrs. Ellen
Modglin, in the bottoms, held an apron sale at her home, had a good
time and turned in $2.40.
Other cash contributions to the treasury are: Sam Bauer, $1; John Roach, $5; Unknown, $6.75; Royal Neighbors, $5.
(Jonesboro Gazette, Jonesboro, Illinois, Friday, 5 Apr 1918)
Corp. J. Grear, of the 130th Infantry stationed at Camp Logan, Houston,
Texas, is visiting his parents, Dr. and Mrs. D. W. Grear. He came
Thursday of last week.
(Jonesboro Gazette, Jonesboro, Illinois, Friday, 8 Mar 1918)
Miss Jean Grear returned Monday from Houston, Texas, where she had been
sometime visiting friends and her brother, Jay Grear, who is in
training at Camp Logan.
(Jonesboro Gazette, Jonesboro, Illinois, Friday, 22 Mar 1918)
Sgt. Roy H. Smith and Jay Grear have landed at Hoboken, N.J., from overseas. They will be discharged at St. Louis.
(Jonesboro Gazette, Jonesboro, Illinois, Friday, 23 May 1919)
Attorney George H. Grear is visiting his mother and sister at Denver,
Colo. He will join the U. S. Marines about the first of April.
(Jonesboro Gazette, Jonesboro, Illinois, Friday, 8 Mar 1918)
George H. Grear left Monday for Chicago where he has entered the U. S.
naval training school. The training in this school is very
intensive, a year or so of instruction being crowded into four
months. Only candidates with a university degree are
accepted. There are several hundred enlisted men in school while
thousands are rejected, failing to pass the rigid examinations.
(Jonesboro Gazette, Jonesboro, Illinois, Friday, 26 Apr 1918)
George H. Grear could not be reached by telegraph and it is conjectured
that he is aboard a naval school ship cruising on the Great
Lakes. Dot was detained at Denver so neither of the boys were
present at the funeral of their mother.
(Jonesboro Gazette, Jonesboro, Illinois, Friday, 26 Jul 1918)
George H. Grear arrived here last Friday night remaining only a
day. As surmised, he was out on the lake when he was telegraphed
to come here. He expects to go across the water in about two
months, but in the meantime will have a ten days furlough which he will
spend with home folks. George looked to the manner born in his sailor
uniform.
(Jonesboro Gazette, Jonesboro, Illinois, Friday, 2 Aug 1918)
George H. Grear is again located in Chicago where his address is USNAR
of Municipal Pier. He has been made quartermaster of 2nd class.
(Jonesboro Gazette, Jonesboro, Illinois, Friday, 16 Aug 1918)
George H. Grear has been transferred from the Municipal Pier Naval
Training Station at Chicago to a naval auxiliary school in New
York. He writes, “This is a wonderfully fine place for a
camp in a forest of the oak trees on a hill overlooking Long Island
Sound, just out of New York City.” Miss Constance Grear
went to Chicago to see her brother before his departure but missed him
by about ten minutes.
(Jonesboro Gazette, Jonesboro, Illinois, Friday, 20 Sep 1918)
George H. Grear arrived here yesterday from New York and will remain
several days. He is in the merchant marine branch of the navy.
(Jonesboro Gazette, Jonesboro, Illinois, Friday, 8 Nov 1918)
George H. Grear left Monday night for his point of duty near New York
City. He is an ensign in the U. S. merchant marines and hopes to
be assigned to duty in foreign waters.
(Jonesboro Gazette, Jonesboro, Illinois, Friday, 15 Nov 1918)
George H. Grear has resigned his commission as ensign in the U. S. Navy
and returned home this week. He will immediately resume the
practice of law as junior member of the firm Crawford & Grear.
(Jonesboro Gazette, Jonesboro, Illinois, Friday, 3 Jan 1919)
George H. Grear has shook the dust of the navy off his feet so to speak
and will return to the practice of law here (Anna). He arrived
home Tuesday. Mr. Grear abandoned a large and growing practice to
answer his country’s call, but will doubtless speedily regain
it. He resigned an ensign’s commission in the navy.
(Jonesboro Gazette, Jonesboro, Illinois, Friday, 3 Jan 1919)
Capt. A. T. Ayers, of Camp Pike, Little Rock, Ark., was the guest in the home of Dr. S. C. Martin a few days this week.
(Jonesboro Gazette, Jonesboro, Illinois, Friday, 8 Mar 1918)
Miss Esther Martin, the accomplished daughter of Dr. and Mrs. S. C.
Martin, was married at her parents’ home on Thursday afternoon of
last week to Capt. A. T. Ayers, of the U. S. Army. The
groom’s father, Rev. A. M. Ayers, of Shaw, Miss., performed the
ceremony while his mother and sister were present besides a number of
other relatives and close friends. The bridal couple left for the
south at 5 o’clock the same afternoon. Capt. Ayers is
stationed at Camp Pike, Little Rock, Ark.
(Jonesboro Gazette, Jonesboro, Illinois, Friday, 15 Mar 1918)
Fred Wood, of St. Louis, visited his parents, Mr. and Mrs. J. N. Wood,
here before leaving for the training camp at Louisville, Ky.
(Jonesboro Gazette, Jonesboro, Illinois, Friday, 8 Mar 1918)
Fred Wood, son of Mr. and Mrs. J. N. Wood of this city, has arrived
safely overseas, Mr. Wood receiving a card to this effect Monday.
(Jonesboro Gazette, Jonesboro, Illinois, Friday, 4 Oct 1918)
Harry Davis left last Friday for Columbus, Ohio, where he will attend a
joint aviation school. He enlisted for the service last fall and
has been subject to call.
(Jonesboro Gazette, Jonesboro, Illinois, Friday, 8 Mar 1918)
George W. Davis left Wednesday for Camp Dix, N.J., to visit his son, Harry.
(Jonesboro Gazette, Jonesboro, Illinois, Friday, 24 May 1918)
George W. Davis returned Monday from Camp Dix, N.J., where he had gone
to see his son Harry R. Davis before his departure for France. He
reports that all of the 32 boys who left April 26 for Camp Dix are now
gone except two, James C. Hill and Francis McLafferty. Harry was
assigned to an artillery company that left last Saturday.
(Jonesboro Gazette, Jonesboro, Illinois, Friday, 31 May 1918)
George W. Davis has been appointed chairman and J. W. Roy member of the
non war construction bureau for Union County. These men, with
another yet to be appointed by the Council of Defense, will have charge
of issuing all permits for new buildings in the county. Any one
contemplating building should call upon these men for
instructions. The government is aiming at conservation of
materials, transportation, and labor during the war.
(Jonesboro Gazette, Jonesboro, Illinois, Friday, 25 Oct 1918)
W. H. Roy, of Danville, arrived in Anna Tuesday for a few days visit
with the family of his uncle, J. W. Roy. He was with the famous
Rainbow Division and was just recently discharged from the army.
(Jonesboro Gazette, Jonesboro, Illinois, Friday, 20 Jun 1919)
Harry A. Davis has returned from France, having been discharged from the army.
(Jonesboro Gazette, Jonesboro, Illinois, Friday, 21 Feb 1919)
James Hill was home this week on a visit. He is in the service and is stationed at Camp Dix, N.J.
(Jonesboro Gazette, Jonesboro, Illinois, Friday, 23 Aug 1918)
Lieut. William Brady, who is now a reserve military aviator, is home on
10 days furlough. He will return to Waco or San Antonio, Texas.
(Jonesboro Gazette, Jonesboro, Illinois, Friday, 15 Mar 1918)
Corlis West, of Camp Taylor, Ky., arrived here the
latter part of last week on a furlough of a few days to visit his
parents.
(Jonesboro Gazette, Jonesboro, Illinois, Friday, 22 Mar 1918)
Dr. R. E. Brown and family and Mr. and Mrs. A. J.
West drove to Louisville, Ky., last week to visit Corlis West who is in
training at Camp Taylor. They got back Tuesday.
(Jonesboro Gazette, Jonesboro, Illinois, Friday, 9 Aug 1918)
Among the solder boys returned during the past week are Roy Smith,
Oscar Lippard, Roy Brown, Manley Casper, Conrad Casper, Corlis West,
Jay Grear, Morris Rendleman, and Guy Bowen.
(Jonesboro Gazette, Jonesboro, Illinois, Friday, 6 Jun 1919)
W. L. Wiggins has received a card from Ernest R. Hamilton, one of the
American soldiers in France, thanking him for tobacco and cigarettes
sent through the St. Louis Republic. He stated that he received a
package containing Mr. Wiggins’ address. He also stated
that he had met Mr. Wiggins’ son Kelley over there.
(Jonesboro Gazette, Jonesboro, Illinois, Friday, 29 Mar 1918)
Lieut. C. T. Baker, of St. Louis, is the guest of the family of W. L. Wiggins this week.
(Jonesboro Gazette, Jonesboro, Illinois, Friday, 29 Mar 1918)
W. L. Wiggins has received a letter from his son Kelley, who is with
the 12th engineering corps in France, stating that he was wounded and
in a hospital. No further particulars were given.
(Jonesboro Gazette, Jonesboro, Illinois, Friday, 12 Apr 1918)
Mr. and Mrs. W. L. Wiggins and Thomas Plemon, with daughter Mary went
to St. Louis Monday to meet Kelley Wiggins and Thomas Plemon, who
arrived from France with the 12th Engineers. They boys will be here
soon.
(Jonesboro Gazette, Jonesboro, Illinois, Friday, 16 May 1919)
Kelly Wiggins, who has been employed in the C.I.P.S. office at Paris
has been made local manager of the company’s plant at
Taylorsville, a city of 9,000. He is the oldest son of the late W. L.
Wiggins and has been with this company since his return from France
last spring. He was in France nearly two years with the 12th
Engineers.
(Jonesboro Gazette, Jonesboro, Illinois, Friday, 3 Oct 1919)
Eye of Nation on Union
This County’s Quota for Third Liberty Loan $181,900
All is now set for the great Third Liberty Loan drive for $3,000,000,000 with its over subscriptions.
Every county in every state in the Union, and every town and city in
every county is listed at headquarters of the Liberty Loan Organization
at St. Louis, and at the Treasury Department at Washington.
Each town, city and county has had the quota of bonds, it should take
allotted to it, and each will be expected to take the bonds assigned.
The financiers everywhere expected the issue to be much larger than the
$3,000,000,000 required. Plans were perfected for a sale largely
in excess of this. Now with the organizations that have been
effected the quota should be subscribed in a very brief campaign.
Many counties and towns have advised headquarters that their quotas are
already pledged and with a little work the over subscriptions will
reach sums that will show the world that the patriotism of the people
has been aroused to a high pitch; will should our allies across the
water that the United States may be depended on to do its part, and
will demonstrate to the Kaiser and all Germany that every man in this
nation and every dollar of America’s wealth will be enlisted in
the war that is to sweep Prussianism from the face of the earth.
For the Third Liberty Loan Union County’s quota has been fixed at
$181,900. The county in the Second Liberty Loan had $171,000 for
its minimum; the target was $284,500; the actual subscription totaled
$329,750 and was taken by 608 subscribers.
(Jonesboro Gazette, Jonesboro, Illinois, Friday, 5 Apr 1918)
Hugo Bernhard has a splendid photograph of the boys of Co. F, 345th U.
S. Infantry now at Camp Pike, Ark. His brother-in-law, Claude
Dillow, belongs to that company and there are a few other Union County
boys in the picture.
(Jonesboro Gazette, Jonesboro, Illinois, Friday, 12 Apr 1918)
Claude Dillow recently arrived from overseas and at his home south of
Jonesboro Tuesday night, being honorably discharged from the U. S.
service.
(Jonesboro Gazette, Jonesboro, Illinois, Friday, 7 Feb 1919)
Ed L. Smith is here (Anna) from Camp Fremont, Calif., visiting his
parents. He joined the U. S. service at St. Louis three years ago
and later was sent to the Philippine Islands where he remained until a
few months ago.
(Jonesboro Gazette, Jonesboro, Illinois, Friday, 12 Apr 1918)
Ed Smith, who has been in the regular army for the past three years,
stationed in the Philippine Islands, has returned home, having been
discharged on account of physical disability.
(Jonesboro Gazette, Jonesboro, Illinois, Friday, 19 Apr 1918)
Ora Davis, of Camp Logan, Houston, Texas, was at home this week visiting his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Will Davis.
(Jonesboro Gazette, Jonesboro, Illinois, Friday, 12 Apr 1918)
Ora Davis has been discharged from the army and is home. He was in France.
(Jonesboro Gazette, Jonesboro, Illinois, Friday, 15 Aug 1919)
Another army of men will begin reporting for duty April 26. Of
these, Illinois is called upon to supply 8,047 and Union County 32.
(Jonesboro Gazette, Jonesboro, Illinois, Friday, 19 Apr 1918)
The Next Contingent
Of the following list of 40 names, 32 will be called to the colors April 26 to fill Union County’s quota:
Allen Baggett, Reynoldsville; Frank Tom Caviness, Reynoldsville; Ray
Verble, Dongola; John Brading, Anna; Frank Monroe Casper, Dongola;
Albert F. Hunsaker, Cobden; William Wildy, Reynoldsville; Ernest M.
Johns, Alto Pass; George H. Creecy, Jonesboro; Marion Edwyn Sisk,
Jonesboro; George Huffman, Mill Creek; Harry Roscoe Davis, Anna.
Charles Van Powell, Jonesboro; Tullie Casper, Jonesboro; Trunnie J.
Brown, Jonesboro; Francis R. McLaffery, Anna; Bernard J. Baumhueter,
Anna; William Edward King, Frank Mosely, Alto Pass; George R. Cavness,
Reynoldsville; Norpha Watson Young, Balcom; Lloyd B. Harris, Alto Pass;
Lewis A. Terpinitz, Jonesboro; Charles Emmery, Anna; James C. Hill,
Anna; William Reichert, Cobden.
Samuel M. Cavaness, Cobden; Edward H. Hubbs, Anna; Curtis Smith,
Makanda; Herbert Norman, Cobden; George Franklin Jones, Cobden; John
Foster, Wolf Lake; Claude Johnson, Cobden; Everett Moore, Cobden;
Claude Lindsey, Jonesboro; Alonzo Kendall, Jonesboro; James Everett
Musgrave, Anna; Harry Homer Lott, Anna; Russell Lee, Dongola; Elmer Le
Deming, Goreville.
(Jonesboro Gazette, Jonesboro, Illinois, Friday, 19 Apr 1918)
Camp De Meueon, France, July 21.—Mr. A. V. Cook, Jonesboro, Ill.:
Hello Squire—I will endeavor to drop you a few lines this
evening. This leaves me all O.K. and hope it will find you the
same. It has been quite a while since I heard from you and vice
versa. How are you standing the times and weather? It
isn’t quite as warm over here as it is in Illinois, but
nevertheless when we have to work with our gas masks on we cuss the
fellow who invented gas and it would make the Kaiser feel bad to hear
what we say about him. In fact, if he was near enough to hear
what we say I think you would soon be reading of things Kaiser
Wilhelm II, late of Germany, did.
How is Mr. Frost and the rest of our bunch getting along? I have
been out to town twice on pass since I have been here. About
every other door is a saloon, but most of them don’t sell very
strong drinks—light wines and beer.
I will have to brag on their country roads here. They are nearly
all hard roads. As a rule they are pretty crooked but there are
few steep grades. The fields are small and are fenced with stone
fences, with enough soil on the stones to nourish grass and small
bushes, which make them look very pretty. The railroads remind me
of the stories I have heard of the M. & O. while it was a narrow
gauge; I was too small to remember things then. The cars are
small, most of them built for ten tons. The wheels have spokes
and there are no brakes, except on the engine and tender. They
are coupled by chains. There are few four wheeled wagons in this
part of the country; they use a large cart, and when the load is very
heavy, they use two horses but hitched in single file. One of
their traveling or Sunday carts would stop people from their work if it
was driven through the square of Jonesboro, not because it isn’t
a good cart, but because of the freight and size of the wheels.
How are you and Charles Grieb’s fishing trips, regular or
irregular? And are you having any luck? Is the ditch
completed yet?
The boys are having a game of horse shoes now. They have an
indoor game at the Y. M. C. A. I used to hear talk of the game of
cricket; that is the game the Englishmen like. It is played with
a base ball and the bat resembles a boat oar but of course isn’t
as long.
Well, I guess this is about all the censor will want to read if he can
read it at all, so will close for this time. Hoping for an early
reply, I am the same old boy. Address
Pvt. Claude Lindsey
Battery B, 308th Field Artillery, A. E. F; via New York
(Jonesboro Gazette, Jonesboro, Illinois, Friday, 23 Aug 1918)
Soldier Letters
Oct. 28, 1918. Mr. A. V. Cook, Jonesboro, Ill.: Dear
Friend—Will answer your welcome letter I received some time
ago. Would have answered sooner, but have been so busy and
working so many hours every day that when I get some time off have used
it resting and sleeping. One so far away, as you folks are back
in the States, can’t realize what an enormous job this war is, or
at least I could not. When traffic is so heavy on a road that you
can only travel one way means some traffic. I was in one jam on
about a 60 foot road that it took five hours to get out of, and the
worst part of it was I only had about half a mile to go. A road
as good as our Cape road would only last a short time. If it had
been day light we could have avoided that road jam, but it was a dark
night. You probably know that we are not allowed to use a light
and in fact it would almost be suicide to do it. This is a sort
of a game of hide and seek. Camouflage plays a big part in the
game.
Oct. 29—Did not get to finish yesterday so will try again
today. Got some news that sounded pretty good this morning.
Austria willing to accept all our peace terms and Ludendorff
resigns. Also received a letter from Fighter. He gave me a
couple of your jokes. He also states they are treating joy riders
pretty rough in the old county. He said a mob chopped an auto to
pieces in Ullin. That was rough on the auto.
How is all the old crowd by this time? I suppose they drop down
to about 16 below Jonesboro occasionally. We have been having
pretty nice weather the last three or four days, but on an average
there is more rain than I like. We have had five or six pretty
good frosts so far. They remind me that it is time for pumpkin
pie, new sweet potatoes, apples and pears, new can sorghum and all
those good things to eat. I’ve decided that little old
Southern Illinois will be good enough for me. You can grow almost
anything you want to there. This is a very rich soil, but it
seems to me the climate don’t agree with so many things.
I suppose some of the boys from home are near me. Charles Powell,
George Huffman and Terpinitz are in the same division but I
haven’t met either of them yet. Would like to meet them and
have a little chat. It has been six months today since we left
the home town. Fritz dropped us some propaganda inviting us over
to be a free boarder for the duration of the war. We appreciated
his kind invitation, but declined to accept.
Well, I have a little work to do, so guess I will close. Hope to hear from you again soon. As ever, your friend,
Claude Lindsey, Battery B, 308th Field Artillery
(Jonesboro Gazette, Jonesboro, Illinois, Friday, 29 Nov 1918)
From France
December 29, 1918. Mrs. M. J. Lindsey, Jonesboro, Ill.:
Dear Mother—Will try and write you a few lines today. This
leaves me all O.K. and hope it will find you the same. We moved
from Haudianville about three weeks ago. We are now about 160
miles southeast of Paris. Have seen the sun about three times
since we moved. It has rained nearly all the time, but for a
change we got about an inch of snow Christmas night. We are
living indoors and I am thankful the fighting is over. It would
be pretty tough this kind of weather.
You ask me what battles we were in. We are officially credited
with four, namely: St. Mihiel Sept. 12 to 16; Suippe to Moselle,
Sept. 16 to 26; Argonne at Grand Pre, Oct. 12 to Nov 2; Meuse Nov. 3 to
11. We used French 75 millimeter guns and will say they were
great for accuracy and fast shooting. A and B battery each had
one of their guns burst Oct. 23 but were lucky, no one was
killed. Don’t know what caused them to burst. I
imagine they were too hot. My job was loading the gun.
Another big day was Oct. 30; we shot gas ten hours. One of the
boys couldn’t hear unless we shouted until next morning, and we
always stuffed cotton in our ears. So you can imagine what kind
of noise the guns make. It is also hard on the nerves when the
firing continues several hours. When we started on our advance
towards Sedan I saw some pretty badly mangled Germans and horses.
There were piles of ammunition left behind. We had a laugh on a
couple of our boys one night about two o’clock. We halted
and fell out for a nap by the roadside. It was very dark, so the
boys seeing some fellows lying in a row thought they were their own
men, so they lay down by them, slept until daylight and woke up to find
that they were sleeping by four dead Germans.
Well, I suppose you wonder how we are spending the time, and especially
the holidays. Ach day a few are picked to do what work there is
to day, the rest go for a hike. We don’t do much field
drill. This is a hilly place and not suitable for filed
work. We had a pretty good dinner Christmas, candy and smokes
galore. Are going to build a place to celebrate New Year’s
eve. The band is coming here and we are going to have a
dance—everybody invited. I will let you know in my next
letter what kind of a success it was. We get along with the
civilians pretty well and I think there will be quite a number
attend. We decorated the church and held services there
Christmas. This is a small village, but they have a fine little
church with life size statues of Christ, the saints and Mary. The
window planes have pictures stained in them. The statues were
made of some gray material or of metal and painted, and looked very
much like the persons they were made to represent would in life.
There was another masterpiece, a small stone barn, roof covered with
moss, a baby in the manger and a little donkey on one wide and a cow on
the other. There were a lot of golden looking ornaments for
candles, and others I suppose they use for certain kinds of
services. Evergreens and flags in the places best suited for them
made it very pretty.
I suppose you are wondering when we are coming home. I am
too. But if you see in a paper where the 78th Division landed you
have a pretty safe bet that I am in it.
Well, I think I had better close. Hoping to hear from you soon, as ever,
Pvt. Claude Lindsey
Battery B, 308th Field Artillery, American E. F.
(Jonesboro Gazette, Jonesboro, Illinois, Friday, 21 Feb 1919)
About five thousand people assembled on the Anna fair grounds Monday
afternoon to hear Sousa’s Jackie Band play and a Liberty Loan
speech by ex-Governor Richard Yates. The music was all that was
anticipated and was really enjoyed. Twenty or more pieces were in
the band. About $35,000 worth of Liberty Bonds were subscribed
for after the speaking. The Jonesboro schools and business
generally was suspended during the meeting.
(Jonesboro Gazette, Jonesboro, Illinois, Friday, 26 Apr 1918)
Up at Collinsville a few weeks ago a German was accused of making
disloyal utterances and hanged by a mob. An investigation after
the hanging disclosed that the man had made no disloyal utterances and
it will not be surprising if his hanging is not followed by a few legal
executions for the government both state and national is getting tired
of mob violence in Southern Illinois. Down at Mounds a man was
accused of disloyalty, assaulted and his life threatened. He was
arrested and tried in the federal court at Cairo, where no shred of
evidence could be brought against him by his accusers and on the
contrary his alleged disloyal utterances were patriotic sentiments that
had been distorted and twisted. The mob spirit sometimes develops
out of something started in pleasantry. There are always
malicious and weak-brained people to fan the flames. We
don’t want any of the mob tendencies in Jonesboro or Union
County. The government can and will handle alien enemies and
traitors in our midst—if there are any.
(Jonesboro Gazette, Jonesboro, Illinois, Friday, 26 Apr 1918)
Carl Wiley, son of Mr. and Mrs. C. H. Wiley, went to St. Louis
yesterday to make arrangements to enter the service. If he passes
he will try to get an assignment to the radio signal service at the
navy yard at Philadelphia.
(Jonesboro Gazette, Jonesboro, Illinois, Friday, 26 Apr 1918)
Carl Wiley, who has been in training at a naval school at Philadelphia,
arrived home last Wednesday having been discharged. Faris Wiley,
who is in school at St. Paul, Minn., is also home having returned the
previous week.
(Jonesboro Gazette, Jonesboro, Illinois, Friday, 31 Jan 1919)
O. W. Bruce, who has been here (Anna) visiting his parents, Mr. and
Mrs. A. L. Bruce, for a few days, returned to Detroit Tuesday. He
has been called to report for service and will go to Camp Butler near
Battle Creek for training.
(Jonesboro Gazette, Jonesboro, Illinois, Friday, 26 Apr 1918)
James C. Hill, who has been attending Shurtleff College at Alton, came
home Tuesday. He is one of those who will make up the Union
County contingent that will report today to go into the service at Camp
Dix.
(Jonesboro Gazette, Jonesboro, Illinois, Friday, 26 Apr 1918)
Union County in the War
The Stinson Memorial Library is keeping a history of Union County in
the war and would like to secure the name and address and a photograph,
if possible, of every Union County man in the service. The names
will be placed in the library. Letters from the men in camps and
at the front are also solicited, and will be preserved among the other
records of the war.
Will the relatives of these men please see that this information is
supplied? Such records will be of much local interest to the
coming generations, and it is to such material that the historian must
turn when the time comes to write the final history of Illinois’
part in the great war.
(Jonesboro Gazette, Jonesboro, Illinois, Friday, 3 May 1918)
T. M. McNelly’s son, John, who enlisted in the regular army 16
years ago and served two years in the Philippines and Cuba, is now a
1st lieutenant stationed at Fort Riley, Kan. The winning of a
captain’s commission is his next objective. John is married
and had children.
(Jonesboro Gazette, Jonesboro, Illinois, Friday, 3 May 1918)
Lieut. John McNeely, son of Mr. and Mrs. T. M.
McNeely, writes his parents that he expects to be ordered overseas
shortly and in the meantime will be kept too busy to come home to say
good by. He is now at a camp in Michigan.
(Jonesboro Gazette, Jonesboro, Illinois, Friday, 6 Sep 1918)
T. M. McNeely’s soldier son has been promoted to a
captaincy. He was as a cantonment in Michigan last week, but
expected to be sent across at any time. Gen. March stated the
other day that practically all of the Southern Illinois troops are now
across the water.
(Jonesboro Gazette, Jonesboro, Illinois, Friday, 4 Oct 1918)
Earl Matthes, of Camp Logan, Houston, Texas, spent several days the latter part of last week here with his parents.
(Jonesboro Gazette, Jonesboro, Illinois, Friday, 3 May 1918)
Ray Rooney, of Fulton, Ky., was here Saturday to
visit his mother before entering the military training camp at
Louisville, Ky.
(Jonesboro Gazette, Jonesboro, Illinois, Friday, 3 May 1918)
Miss Margaret I. Davis and Pvt. Paul V. Mace were quietly married at
the parsonage of the Baptist church in Washington, D.C., 8 Apr
1918. The bride is the eldest daughter of Mrs. Margaret Davis, of
Anna, and is employed as a clerk for the government. Pvt. Mace is
in the medical corps of the army and is stationed at Walter Reed
Hospital in Washington.
(Jonesboro Gazette, Jonesboro, Illinois, Friday, 3 May 1918)
Raymond Bittle, who is in training at Camp Taylor, was here (Anna) for
several days during the past week visiting his wife, who is employed at
the hospital. He returned Tuesday.
(Jonesboro Gazette, Jonesboro, Illinois, Friday, 10 May 1918)
Catch a Deserter
And Unearth What Looks Like a Counterfeiting Outfit
George Walker, a soldier at Camp Taylor, Kentucky, who was in the Union
County draft, deserted about a month ago, returned to his home near
Wolf Lake and gave it out cold and flat that he never again would wear
the livery of Uncle Sam. At least that was the report concerning
George from time to time. He was hiding out and declared that he
would not be taken alive, according to reports.
On Thursday of last week, Sheriff Kimbro and deputy Sheriff Tygett
organized a posse of about 30 men and went to the Walker home two miles
northeast of Wolf Lake where they demanded that George be
produced. They got only evasive replies, whereupon the sheriff
summarily placed the whole family under arrest and intended to beat the
woods with his posse until the deserter was found. However George
surrendered himself at midnight to his brother Jodie and Al
Tygett. He was armed with a Winchester rifle. He was taken
back to Camp Taylor Friday by Sheriff Kimbro, and at last reports, was
in the guard house awaiting his fate.
The Walker family consists of old Joe Walker, 61 years old; his wife,
about the same age, and four sons, Dewey, John, George, and Jodie,
ranging in age from 21 to 33 years. They have lived in that
country for 35 years.
In rummaging the house the sheriff’s men found a photographing
outfit, tools, and instruments of various kinds, a 38-calibre revolver
and box of cartridges and a Springfield rifle. John Walker had in
his possession $180 in rather new $10 and $20 bills, issued by banks at
Grand Tower, Cobden, and Anna. A U.S. secret service man came
down from St. Louis Tuesday and in company with Deputy Sheriff Tygett
visited the Walker home and made further search, the family in the
meantime having been brought to Jonesboro and placed in jail. The
U. S. man found further evidence of counterfeiting such as inks, acids,
camera plates, and a bunch of postal cards upon which $10 and $20 bills
had been photographed. He returned to St. Louis leaving
directions that the Walker family be held in custody until his
return. The family all protest that they are innocent of any
wrong doing.
(Jonesboro Gazette, Jonesboro, Illinois, Friday, 17 May 1918)
A Soldier of the Line
Camp Sherman, Ohio, August 4—To the People of Union County and Surroundings, Presents:
Please be informed that the old Noted Out Law who has recently been
considered one of the United States Deserters is at this time
considered one of the Soldiers in the Line who will soon go forward to
defend the people’s rights and declares that if he is feared by
the Kaiser and his troops as he was by the forces of Union County, he
will soon have them on the run at as full speed as though the Samson of
old had returned to earth again. So if anybody wishes any further
information write to Capt. R. R. Cook, 333rd Infantry, Camp Sherman,
Ohio.
So hoping to meet you all in civilian life again, I am as ever, the same old enemy of the Kaiser.
George Walker, Co. E 333rd Inf., Camp Sherman, O.
(Jonesboro Gazette, Jonesboro, Illinois, Friday, 9 Aug 1918)
Sheriff W. F. Kimbro, Deputy Sheriff J. J. Tygett, J. Al Tygett, and
Joe Wilson went to Cairo yesterday to appear as witnesses in the U. S.
District court in the case of Joe Walker, who is indicted for harboring
a deserter from the army, the deserter being his son, who hid out quite
a while in the vicinity of his father’s home near Wolf
Lake. He was finally captured and retuned to the army and is now
at the front in France.
(Jonesboro Gazette, Jonesboro, Illinois, Friday, 11 Oct 1918)
Alonzo Kendall, of Jonesboro, Rollie Hurley, of Anna, Willis M.
Holloway, of Cobden, George Preston Mathis, of Reynoldsville, Roy
White, of Dongola, and Francis M. Williams, of Anna, transferred from
Jacksonville, left Jonesboro last Friday afternoon over the M. & O.
for Fort Thomas, Newport, Ky. There are still 284 men in Class I
in this county. The biggest draft yet is expected before the end
of May.
(Jonesboro Gazette, Jonesboro, Illinois, Friday, 17 May 1918)
W. W. Rinehart was here Monday and Tuesday. Since he was relieved
of his duties as agent for the M. & O. here, he has been in
Chicago, St. Louis, Mobile, New Orleans, Houston, San Antonio, and
other points in the south. He also had a short visit with Ed B.
McCallum at Meridian, Miss., and said that Ed was still as reckless as
ever with the truth. Will left for St. Louis Wednesday morning to
report to the government for service. He enlisted in the Signal
Corps and will go to Paris Island, S.C., to enter training.
(Jonesboro Gazette, Jonesboro, Illinois, Friday, 17 May 1918)
Will Rinehart arrived here last Friday from Detroit, Mich. He was
in the government radio service a little over a year, being stationed
at Atlantic seaports most of the time. Mr. Rinehart was station
agent here before the government demanded his services. He is
undecided as to his future movements.
(Jonesboro Gazette, Jonesboro, Illinois, Friday, 20 Jun 1919)
Grover Brown went to St. Louis to report for service in the U. S. Marines Corps in which he enlisted some time ago.
(Jonesboro Gazette, Jonesboro, Illinois, Friday, 17 May 1918)
Mrs. Ella Misenheimer left Tuesday for Camp Shelby, Miss., to visit her son, Sam.
(Jonesboro Gazette, Jonesboro, Illinois, Friday, 17 May 1918)
Everett W. Dotson, who has been employed at the Jacksonville hospital
returned home last week and departed Saturday for Washington, D.C., to
enter the U. S. service at St. Elizabeth’s hospital.
(Jonesboro Gazette, Jonesboro, Illinois, Friday, 17 May 1918)
Mr. and Mrs. Troy Mitchell left Tuesday for Paducah, Ky., to visit his
mother. He will go soon to Fort Benjamin Harrison, Ind., to enter
the government service. William Foehr succeeds him as local agent
for the Prudential Insurance Company.
(Jonesboro Gazette, Jonesboro, Illinois, Friday, 17 May 1918)
Somewhere in Scotland. April 21.—Mr. Walter Clark:
Dear Friend. I have just received your most welcome letter and
must say it was a great treat. I most certainly appreciated it
and every line of it. I often in fact every minute of the
day think of Jonesboro. But for all the longing for home I
don’t want to _______________ for having some
experience.
I am located in one of the most beautiful parts of Scotland, surrounded
by the Highlands and several historic old castles. One of the
___________ that is near is Tantallon which Scott speaks about in his
____________. It is located on a very high cliff facing the sea.
___________________________________________________________________ far
projecting ______ment. The ____________ burst in senseless
flow. How ____________ on the ________ below:
and sleepy _________ and frantic tide approach of human foot __________
from this cliff you get wonderful view of the sea. Straight
across the sea is another famous cliff—Bass _____. There
still remains a part of this old fortress. It first came into
history about 1316 in the reign of Robert the Bruce. It was from
this old fortress that Prince James set sail for France to complete his
education.
_____ the most picturesque ruin is ____leton.
Its walls ivy covered, standing on a hill, it puts you in mind of a
skeleton with its haunting towers. When I was going through, , I
just wished I could talk and tell of the deeds of valor and of the
tragedies that were committed within its walls. It has about one
hundred rooms. The entrance is perfectly beautiful. The
foundation of the drawbridge is still standing, also a _____ of the
moat. The gardens are very fine indeed.
I certainly am seeing some very fine places. I ride a great deal to the different places of interest.
(Jonesboro Gazette, Jonesboro, Illinois, Friday, 17 May 1918)
_________________________________________________________________________________
Mrs. Troy Mitchell returned Monday from Philadelphia, Pa., where she
had gone to see her husband, who left Camp Benjamin Franklin for
another camp Monday.
(Jonesboro Gazette, Jonesboro, Illinois, Friday, 28 Jun 1918)
Soldier Boys Entrain
And the Biggest Bunch Yet to Follow Monday
This has been a busy week for the local examination board. A call
for 25 men was received the middle of last week, in addition to the
call for 70 received the previous week; and two special calls were also
received for 6 men to be sent to various points for service. On
top of these an additional order was received for 30 men to be sent
within five days after May 29th, a total of 131 men. Twenty-five
men were entrained at Jonesboro, Wednesday, at 3:04 p.m. They
were sent to Jefferson Barracks, St. Louis, Mo. Following is the
list of names, with address at the time of their induction into service:
Dallas Clendenin, Alto Pass; Will Camden, Jonesboro; Arthur Hunsaker,
Cairo; Ralph Atkins, Anna; Iven F. Miller, Mill Creek; Bennie Arthur
Browning, Raleigh; Lawrence Dowie McMahan, Wolf Lake; Jay F. Hoover,
Cape Girardeau, Mo.; Claude Herbert Rendleman, Cobden; Charley Wilson
Leggans, Alto Pass; Alvin T. J. Worstman, Fayville; Robert Holenbeck,
Cairo.
Nelce Griffith, Anna; Cecil C. Hicks, Alto Pass; Clarence Airon Coyle,
Piggott, Ark.; Floyd Menees, Buncombe; Harry Ruben Wall, Buncombe;
William O. Downs, Carbondale; Fred Elmer Clemens, Anna; Fount Lee
Davis, Cobden; Andrew Jackson Brazel, Anna; Almas L. Adams, Buncombe;
James Clarence Kerley, Cobden; Seben O. Pickett, Buncombe; Rollie King,
Alto Pass.
The men asked for in the special calls were sent to their destinations
Monday and Tuesday. The following were sent Monday: Howard
L. Paulson, Alto Pass, a carpenter, to Camp Sheridan, Montgomery, Ala.;
Robert Johns, Alto Pass, locomotive engineer, to Camp Meade, Maryland;
Fred Ray, Anna; Francis Coats, Anna; Louis Ville Lee, Dongola, linemen
to Camp Samuel B. Morse in Leon Springs, Texas.
Lawrence August Cline, of Anna, was sent to Fort McPherson, Ga., where
he will to on duty in the psychiatric ward in General Hospital No. 6.
The contingent of 70 men will go next Monday over the M. & O. from
Jonesboro on a special train at 6:06 p.m. to Camp Shelby, Hattiesburg,
Miss. Following are the names of this contingent:
Owen V. Knupp, Mill Creek; Lester Miles, Buncombe; Coy Pickett,
Jonesboro; David Crotzer, Anna; Melvin M. Lingle, Anna; Arthur Francis
Hancock, Anna; Elda Guy Brown, Mill Creek; Louie Edward Lingle, Cobden;
Jack Tripp, Anna; Thomas Elsworth Hughes, Anna; Ralph Harmon Sitter,
Anna; Charles Marquardt, Anna; Eugene Atkinson, Anna; Irving Earl
Milton, Cobden.
William R. Knight, Anna; Andrew C. Lingle, Jonesboro; Roscoe Sifford
Treece, Anna; Winstead L. Mathes, Jonesboro; Elmer Fisher, Dongola;
Lewis H. Halladay, Alto Pass; Reuben Earl Davis, Cobden; Ennis R.
Mangum, Wayside; Harry Grover Miller, Cobden; James A. Ashley, Alto
Pass; Horace Loid Noel, Makanda; Delbert Hall, Cobden; Bliss
Bullington, Anna; Amos Sitter, Anna.
Calvin Taylor, Cobden; Lon Robert Davis, Cairo; Oscar Watson, Dongola;
Elbert E. Watkins, Jonesboro; James Emery, Anna; Dennis Lee Kirby,
Anna; John Elsworth Trees, Anna; Robert Raymond Lence, Anna; Chalon
Orr, Anna; Fountain E. Winn, Anna; Homer Nichols, Alto Pass; Ben
Harrison Brown, Dongola; Herbert E. Freeman, Reynoldsville; A. Paul
Rich, Cobden.
Earl Duncan Carr, Anna; Hillis Parmley, Mill Creek; Fred House, Cobden;
Willis Freeman Houseman, Anna; Ernest P. Grabow, Cobden; Don C. Corgan,
Alto Pass; Emmett Frank Williford, Jonesboro; Francis Evert Davis,
Anna; Raymond Adam Lingle, Dongola; Joseph Bennett Green, Cobden;
Robert Smith, Jonesboro; William Coleman, Dongola; Elvus Lionel
Corzine, Dongola.
Willie Harrison Fisher, Dongola; William H. Fitch, Cobden; Euness
America Barker, Reynoldsville; Augustus Lee Carter, Buncombe; Clifford
O. Poole, Balcom; Ora Albert Brinkley, Wolf Lake; Barney Crain, Cobden;
Ford Atchison, Anna; Earl Davis, Anna; Owen Hood, Buncombe; Harry L.
Manus, Jonesboro; Frank Eaves, Anna; Henry Emery, Anna; Edwin Burke
Lingle, Jonesboro.
The list of 30 to be sent to Fort Thomas, Ky., after May 29 has not
been selected. Including those exempted for cause, these 131 men,
together with those previously sent takes the bulk of the men listed in
Class 1. The number of the last man selected for this list was
1,011.
Mrs. Samuel Hults, county chairman of the Red Cross to furnish comfort
kits for the departing men, has been very busily engaged this week
arranging to supply them all before they leave.
This makes a total of nearly 300 drafted men who have left or will
leave this county before June 2, besides a large number who have
enlisted, and the drain is being felt.
The board has received notice to register on June 5 all young men who
became 21 years of age between June 5, 1917, and June 5, 1918. It
is estimated that there will be from 150 to 200 in the county.
(Jonesboro Gazette, Jonesboro, Illinois, Friday, 24 May 1918)
W. F. Hunsaker has returned from Washington, D.C., where he was employed in the government service.
(Jonesboro Gazette, Jonesboro, Illinois, Friday, 24 May 1918)
W. F. Hunsaker has been recommended by the state Y. M. C. A.
authorities for a position as a Y. M. C. A. worker at the front in
France. He expects to go to New York in a few days and if his
application is approved by the national organization, he will soon be
with the boys at the front. His son, Lieut. Curtis A. Hunsaker,
who is at Camp Taylor in the medical corps will leave in a few days for
the east to embark for France.
(Jonesboro Gazette, Jonesboro, Illinois, Friday, 2 Aug 1918)
W. F. Hunsaker left yesterday for New York where he expects to sail in
a few days for France. He received an appointment in the YMCA
service and has received his passports.
(Jonesboro Gazette, Jonesboro, Illinois, Friday, 30 Aug 1918)
Mrs. W. F. Hunsaker received a letter from her son, Dr. C. A. Hunsaker,
who is in France stating that he had been made a captain.
(Jonesboro Gazette, Jonesboro, Illinois, Friday, 28 Mar 1919)
W. F. Hunsaker, who has been engaged in Y. M. C. A. work at Camp
Sevier, S. C., returned home Monday of last week. He left Monday
of this week for New York where he will enter the transport service
making trips between New York and Brest, France.
(Jonesboro Gazette, Jonesboro, Illinois, Friday, 11 Apr 1919)
Lewis Terpinitz and John Kirkpatrick have landed at New York from France and are expected home soon.
(Jonesboro Gazette, Jonesboro, Illinois, Friday, 16 May 1919)
Lewis Terpinitz and Charles V. Powel write home that they are on their
way to France. Dr. Earl Kimbro also writes home from Canada that
he will soon be on the way.
(Jonesboro Gazette, Jonesboro, Illinois, Friday, 24 May 1918)
Louis Terpinitz got home last Friday morning from overseas and like
most of the returned soldier boys looks in splendid physical
condition. He and his young wife, who was Miss Oma Lence, will
probably live in the B. H. Anderson house on Heacock Street.
(Jonesboro Gazette, Jonesboro, Illinois, Friday, 23 May 1919)
Capt. Earl Kimbro arrived at Anna Tuesday for a visit with his parents
Mr. and Mrs. W. E. Kimbro. The captain arrived recently from
overseas and is home on furlough from Camp Grant.
(Jonesboro Gazette, Jonesboro, Illinois, Friday, 13 Jun 1919)
Capt. Earl Kimbro, Earl Matthes, and Ray Williams are among the number arriving in Anna from overseas this week.
(Jonesboro Gazette, Jonesboro, Illinois, Friday, 13 Jun 1919)
Capt. Earl Kimbro who recently was discharged from the service has resumed his position as dentist at the Anna state hospital.
(Jonesboro Gazette, Jonesboro, Illinois, Friday, 4 Jul 1919)
Bessie Bryant and Mr. William R. Wilson were married at the Methodist
parsonage last Monday evening by Rev. Thomas J. Haney. The young
people are well known here and have good wishes of their many
friends. Mr. Wilson left Wednesday afternoon with the draft
contingent for Fort Thomas, Ky.
(Jonesboro Gazette, Jonesboro, Illinois, Friday, 24 May 1918)
Go to Fort Thomas
Thirty Entrain Wednesday for Dixie Training Camp
Wednesday thirty more young men from this county entrained for one of
the national cantonments to be drilled into condition to go after the
scalp of the Kaiser. This contingent was sent to Fort Thomas,
Ky. Following is a list of the boys departing Wednesday:
William Reichert, Cobden; Loran J. Smith, Alto Pass; Daniel Thomas,
Reynoldsville; Arthur Harlan, Buncombe; Frank J. Mayers, Mill Creek;
Herbert Lee Stroud, Cobden; Rolla Harold Gallimore, Cobden; John
Baldwin, Jr., Jonesboro; William Warren Black, Reynoldsville; John A.
Navin, Jonesboro; Zebedee Davault, Mill Creek; Arthur Smoot, Dongola;
James William Glasco, Anna; Albert E. Phillips, Jonesboro; Frank
Zellers, Balcom, Buren Stanley Boswell, Anna.
Raymond J. Worley, Dongola; Edmond C. Menees, Anna; Otto Bigler,
Cobden; Otis Dillow, Anna; George W. Meisenheimer, Dongola; Oscar S.
Brickey, Alto Pass; Roy E. Roach, Cobden; William R. Wilson, Jonesboro;
Arthur Brown, Wolf Lake; Clifton A. Kimbro, Anna; Richard Ollis, Wolf
Lake; Eddie Davis, Dongola; John W. Uselton, Anna; William Himp Stacey,
Jonesboro.
Seventy men left Monday evening over the M. & O. for Camp Shelby,
Miss. They were a fine bunch of lads and a large crowd gathered
at the depot to witness their departure and wish them good luck.
They were in charge of Evert Davis.
The two units of 70 and 30 sent this week makes a total of 285 men sent
by the local board to the various cantonments who are now in the
service, besides 89 voluntary enlisted men, a total of 374 from this
county.
All young men, who since June 3, 1917, have reached the age of 21 years
of age, must register for military service on Wednesday, June 5, 1918.
The new registration law requires that all such men must present themselves on that day for registration.
The place of registration is the office of the local board in the Anna
National Bank building. The hours from 7 a.m. until 9 p.m.
There is a heavy penalty for any young man of the eligible age who fails to register.
(Jonesboro Gazette, Jonesboro, Illinois, Friday, 31 May 1918)
A. J. Pickrell, J. W. Roy, and G. C. Oxford have been named as a
Citizens Navy Recruiting Committee to promote enlistment in the U. S.
naval reserve force. Men between the ages of 18 and 30 are
eligible, provided they pass the physical examination. There are
at least 15 divisions in this service, most of them very attractive
with good pay. This should appeal to every patriotic young man in
Union County. Those desiring to take advantage of this
opportunity can find all the information bearing on the enlistment by
calling at J. W. Roy’s office within the next 15 days.
(Jonesboro Gazette, Jonesboro, Illinois, Friday, 31 May 1918)
Elbert E. Watkins who was in the contingent of 70 drafted men who left
here for Camp Shelby, Mississippi, was discharged at the camp and
returned home Thursday of last week. Ten other Union County men
of the same contingent were also discharged and returned at the same
time.
(Jonesboro Gazette, Jonesboro, Illinois, Friday, 7 Jun 1918)
Will Meyers, who is in the aviation service of the army at Dayton, Ohio, was a visitor here Saturday.
(Jonesboro Gazette, Jonesboro, Illinois, Friday, 14 Jun 1918)
With the Marines
Fred Frick has joined the marines out on the Pacific
Coast. He writes to his mother, Mrs. E. A. Frick, under date of
June 13 as follows:
Dear Mother—I am now a marine and a happy boy
to think I am one of the marines, for they have all the rest outclassed.
I like this place fine, and would like it better if
I was not in quarantine. I have to stay in 21 days. Say,
but that sure is a long time.
This sure is some climate. It does not get
very hot here, and the nights are cool and some mornings are very cool.
Mamma, I want a long letter from home, for it is two
weeks now since I heard from you. I am going to write Mr. Burton,
my former boss, tonight. I have been waiting so I could tell you
my new address.
Don’t worry. I am feeling fine, getting
plenty to ear, and I think I will soon be getting plenty to do. I
will have to close. Good night. Your son, Private F. W.
Frick, Co. A, Sec. 3, Marine Barracks, Mare Island, California.
(Jonesboro Gazette, Jonesboro, Illinois, Friday, 28 Jun 1918)
Fred Frick arrived here last Friday from Galveston,
Texas, where he is in the U. S. Marines. He has ten days furlough
with five days additional for traveling. He was called home by
illness in the family of his father, E. A. Frick, but his sister Helen,
who was the most seriously sick, is recovering nicely. Fred
entered the service out west somewhere and was stationed on the
California coast for a while. He is much disappointed that he did
not get to go overseas before the big shindig was declared off.
(Jonesboro Gazette, Jonesboro, Illinois, Friday, 29 Nov 1918)
Fred Frick returned to Galveston, Texas,
Tuesday. He is in the marine service and was home ten days for a
visit.
(Jonesboro Gazette, Jonesboro, Illinois, Friday, 6 Dec 1918)
Fred Frick, son of Mr. and Mrs. E. A. Frick, expects to receive his
discharge and be home about August 15. Fred is in the
marines.
(Jonesboro Gazette, Jonesboro, Illinois, Friday, 8 Aug 1919)
Fred Frick got home last Saturday evening looking well and feeling
fine. He was discharged at Philadelphia where he landed recently
from Cuba. He was in the marines branch of the service but was
never sent across the big water, most of his time being spent on the
Mexican border. Fourteen months ago Fred wrote home to his
parents Mr. and Mrs. E. A. Frick, that he was a happy boy to get into
the marines. He confesses now that he was just as happy to get
out.
(Jonesboro Gazette, Jonesboro, Illinois, Friday, 22 Aug 1919)
Off to Camp Wheeler
National Army Gets 115 from Union County
One hundred and fifteen young men from Union County
departed Tuesday evening to join the national army. Their
destination was Camp Wheeler, Ga. They went on a special train
over the Illinois Central due at Anna at 7:15. It consisted of 12
coaches which were nearly filled with boys from counties up state as
far north as Champaign. They were a jolly bunch and acted like
they were going to a picnic instead of entering into the grim business
of war. A crowd of possibly three thousand gathered at the depot
to see the boys depart. Following is the list:
Hollie Raymond Sitter, Cobden; William Howard King,
Wolf Lake; Frank Mosley, Alto Pass; John Foster, Wolf Lake; Hoyt
Eddleman, Anna; Elmer Lee Deming, Goreville; Joseph West, Vienna; John
Elmer Graham, Dongola; Herbert Monroe Sumner, Alto Pass; Leo Andrew
Stadelbacher, Cobden; Lome Cerney, Anna; Cody Redcloud, Dongola; Leora
Watson, Dongola.
Fred Alberta Freeman, Wolf Lake; James Emery, Anna; Edding Young
Johnson, Cobden; Hollie S. Miller, Alto Pass; Coney Frick, Jonesboro;
Ellis Dillow, Dongola; Louis Melvin Garner, Cobden; John D. Stroehlein,
Cobden; John A. Schlenker, Jonesboro; Carl Lafayette Musgraves, Cobden;
Robert Roy Powlas, Jonesboro; Herman Joseph Yates, Anna; Edward Baker,
Dongola.
Van Ransler Miller, Cobden; Andrew Young, Anna; Harrison John Smith,
Cobden; Lawrence E. Stone, Wolf Lake; Lewis Everett Lentz, Dongola; Roy
Hollie Russell, Anna; Edward Wall, Anna; Clyde Sutherland, Anna; Esery
Edward Russell, Anna; Herbert L. Smith, Alto Pass; John F. Fox, Anna;
Joseph C. Turner, Jonesboro; Adolph Dixon, Cobden; Earl T. Young, Anna.
Everett E. Wilson, Jonesboro; John B. Lackey, Anna; James H. Roberts,
Alto Pass; Marion Elmer Adams, Cypress; Emery Lawrence Newton,
Jonesboro; William Brookman, Anna; Larry Preston Anderson, Anna;
Harrison Randles, Wolf Lake; Elmer Otis Doughty, Alto Pass; Ola Edward
Frazier, Alto Pass; Sidney Homer Thomas, Buncombe; Everett House,
Cobden; Olin J. Miller, Mill Creek.
Thomas Gordon Peeler, Anna; Grover B. Lyerly, Jonesboro; Guy C. Fowley,
Alto Pass; William Luther Baker, Dongola; Lester Ellsworth Bishop,
Anna; Frank Lingle, Cobden; Harry L. Hess, Anna; Clifford Tripp,
Jonesboro; Ira Clyde Long, Wolf Lake; James Henry Rooney, Anna; John T.
Johnson, Jonesboro; Olin S. Lyerle, Anna; Clyde R. Dotson, Anna; Wiley
Wilkerson, Anna.
Roy Clifford Dillow, Anna; Rolla Franklin Freeman, Anna; John B.
Kirkpatrick, Anna; Samuel S. Cast, Cobden; Claude D. Johnson, Anna;
Columbus M. Clutts, Alto Pass; Wirt Copass, Makanda; Jay Choate, Anna;
Barney Barker, Jonesboro; Ben Henard, Buncombe; Robert Floyd Hudgens,
Goreville; McKinley Groner, Jonesboro; George H. Smiddy, Dongola; Harry
O. Davis, Anna.
Dallas M. Stearns, Alto Pass; William Carol Morgan, Jonesboro; Willis
Roberts, Cobden; James B. Brim, Anna; James R. Malaer, Cobden; George
W. Hamilton, Alto Pass; John Walker, Wolf Lake; William J. Bush, Wolf
Lake; Albert Monroe Carter, Alto Pass; Albert Kinder, Reynoldsville;
Dennis Helton, Mill Creek; Arthur J. Bigler, Cobden; Dennis Sylvester
Peery, Cobden.
Louis Elmer Petty, Anna; Clarence Lafayette Knupp, Dongola; Samuel
Weiss, Jonesboro; William Thomas Mullinax, Wolf Lake; Kellar A.
Hancock, Alto Pass; William F. Morris, Anna; Montie R. Charles,
Makanda; Fred William Dillow, Jonesboro; Mark Dillow, Anna; Miles
Arthur Fox, Makanda; Bert E. Moody, Wolf Lake; Benjamin Vaughn, Anna.
Grover J. Parrott, Anna; Carroll Rich Rendleman, Cobden; Ernest N.
Blackwood, Wolf Lake; John Henry Treece, Anna; Earl Crawford Verble,
Dongola; Robert L. Meece, Makanda; Rex Bain, Anna; Roma Walter
Childers, Buncombe; Paul M. Dillow, Anna; John W. Randall, Anna.
There now remains only 30 in class 1, 15 farmers, 14 who are held over on account of physical defects and one negro.
The local board is mailing questionnaires to the 130 new registrants
this week. Illinois will not be called upon for any of the
220,000 recruits to be sent to training camps in July.
(Jonesboro Gazette, Jonesboro, Illinois, Friday, 28 Jun 1918)
Will Meyers, of Murphysboro, was visiting here Wednesday. He had
eight months training as an aerial photographer in the aviation service
and was recently discharged on account of not being able to stand the
high altitudes. He is a flour miller at Murphysboro.
(Jonesboro Gazette, Jonesboro, Illinois, Friday, 30 Aug 1918)
Warren H. Corzine, who is in the aviation service at Arcadia, Fla., is
home on a three months furlough to help on his father’s farm.
(Jonesboro Gazette, Jonesboro, Illinois, Friday, 21 Jun 1918)
Warren Corzine, who was in the aviation service at Arcadia, Fla., arrived home Saturday with an honorable discharge.
(Jonesboro Gazette, Jonesboro, Illinois, Friday, 30 May 1919)
Don Stewart and wife have come from Chicago to spend the summer with
his parents. He enlisted in the medical reserve corps and may be
called any time.
(Jonesboro Gazette, Jonesboro, Illinois, Friday, 21 Jun 1918)
Mr. and Mrs. Don Stewart left yesterday for Chicago
where he will enter Northwestern University. This is his last
year. He will don a uniform and be inducted into the service as
soon as he reenters school. All medical schools are now under
government control.
(Jonesboro Gazette, Jonesboro, Illinois, Friday, 27 Sep 1918)
Mr. and Mrs. Don Stewart have returned to Evanston,
Ill., where he will resume his duties in the medical department of
Northwestern University.
(Jonesboro Gazette, Jonesboro, Illinois, Friday, 3 Jan 1919)
Otis Hall, of Camp Taylor, Ky., was here the first of the week. He had a five days furlough and returned Tuesday.
(Jonesboro Gazette, Jonesboro, Illinois, Friday, 28 Jun 1918)
Paul Barringer enlisted as an automobile driver last
week and left Sunday for Kansas City, Mo., where he will get special
training.
(Jonesboro Gazette, Jonesboro, Illinois, Friday, 28 Jun 1918)
A troop train loaded with soldiers from Kansas City enroute to Georgia
and Mississippi passed through Anna Wednesday afternoon. The
train stopped there a few minutes and Corp. Paul Barringer shook hands
with a crowd of friends assembled at the station. His is the son
of Mr. and Mrs. George Barringer.
(Jonesboro Gazette, Jonesboro, Illinois, Friday, 16 Aug 1918)
Paul Barringer, Claude Bishop, and Carl Rendleman, from this county,
who have been at Camp Wheeler, Ga., have been transferred to Camp
Shelby, Miss. Ralph Sitter, who has been at Camp Shelby, has
taken life examinations, passed, and transferred to the officer
training camp at Waco, Texas.
(Jonesboro Gazette, Jonesboro, Illinois, Friday, 27 Sep 1918)
Corp. Paul Barringer was honorably discharged from the U. S. service
and arrived home last Friday morning. He was stationed at Fort
Oglethorpe, Ga.
(Jonesboro Gazette, Jonesboro, Illinois, Friday, 17 Jan 1919)
Ralph Sitter left Tuesday for Paris Island, S.C., where he will enter the marine service.
(Jonesboro Gazette, Jonesboro, Illinois, Friday, 15 Nov 1918)
Ralph Sitter has returned from Camp Grant. Robert R. Lence is also home from an officers’ training camp in Texas.
(Jonesboro Gazette, Jonesboro, Illinois, Friday, 6 Dec 1918)
W. J. Ledbetter and wife arrived home Saturday from Harrisburg, Pa.,
and he departed Sunday for Chicago to report for military duty.
His wife who was Miss Florence Davis before her marriage to Mr.
Ledbetter about a month ago, will return to work at the telephone
office as chief operator.
(Jonesboro Gazette, Jonesboro, Illinois, Friday, 28 Jun 1918)
Randall A. Mattingly, of Cape Girardeau, Mo., reported as killed in
action in France last week, was the son of George A. Mattingly,
formerly of Anna.
(Jonesboro Gazette, Jonesboro, Illinois, Friday, 28 Jun 1918)
John Randall, who had been employed in the state hospital at Cherokee,
Iowa, returned home to visit his mother a few days before going with
the contingent to Camp Wheeler.
(Jonesboro Gazette, Jonesboro, Illinois, Friday, 28 Jun 1918)
John W. Randall, who has been in the field hospital service in France,
arrived home last week having been mustered out of the service.
(Jonesboro Gazette, Jonesboro, Illinois, Friday, 25 Jul 1919)
Sgt. Thomas Davis, of Camp Taylor, was here last week visiting relatives.
(Jonesboro Gazette, Jonesboro, Illinois, Friday, 28 Jun 1918)
Grover Lyerly and Everett Wilson returned from Camp Wheeler, Ga.,
Monday. Nineteen of the men who were in Union County’s
contingent were rejected after they arrived at the training camp.
(Jonesboro Gazette, Jonesboro, Illinois, Friday, 5 Jul 1918)
Mrs. W. H. Bankston, of Fremont, Mo., came Thursday last week for a
visit a few days with her daughter, Mrs. Clarence Turner, who returned
home with her and has employment in a restaurant. She will make
her home there while her husband is in training at Camp Wheeler, Ga.
(Jonesboro Gazette, Jonesboro, Illinois, Friday, 5 Jul 1918)
Roy Hileman received a card last week from his brother, E. S. Hileman, saying he had arrived safely in France.
(Jonesboro Gazette, Jonesboro, Illinois, Friday, 5 Jul 1918)
Mrs. Frank G. Brown has received her allotment from the government of
$280. Her husband has been in the service since last fall.
(Jonesboro Gazette, Jonesboro, Illinois, Friday, 5 Jul 1918)
William Leonard, who is in the cavalry at Camp Grant, is visiting relatives and friends here.
(Jonesboro Gazette, Jonesboro, Illinois, Friday, 12 Jul 1918)
Lieut. Will Leonard, of Camp Grant, came home last Friday for a visit with home folks. He has a 14 days leave.
(Jonesboro Gazette, Jonesboro, Illinois, Friday, 14 Mar 1919)
William Thompson is home from Paris Island on a ten days furlough. He is an instructor on the rifle range at Paris Island.
(Jonesboro Gazette, Jonesboro, Illinois, Friday, 12 Jul 1918)
Clark W. Hoar left Monday for St. Louis from where he will be sent with
a contingent from that city to Camp Pike, Ark. He was registered
in St. Louis where he was employed and had been visiting his parents,
Rev. and Mrs. B. A. Hoar, here for several weeks.
(Jonesboro Gazette, Jonesboro, Illinois, Friday, 12 Jul 1918)
Clark W. Hoar, son of Rev. B. A. Hoar, arrived from overseas Jan. 1 and
was mustered out at Camp Grant Jan. 11. He was in the heavy
fighting in France and was gassed in the desperate struggle for
Argonne, France. He belonged to the celebrated “lost”
battalion which was surrounded and cut off for four days but finally
made its escape. When its surrender was demanded the commander
replied “go to hell.”
(Jonesboro Gazette, Jonesboro, Illinois, Friday, 24 Jan 1919)
A large audience was in attendance last Sunday night at the M. E.
Church to hear Clark Hoar relate his thrilling experiences on the
western front. Mr. Hoar talked for an hour and fifteen minutes to
the delight of all present.
(Jonesboro Gazette, Jonesboro, Illinois, Friday, 14 Mar 1919)
James Lingle left Wednesday for Hattiesburg, Miss., for a visit of a
few days with his son Edwin, who is in training at Camp Shelby.
(Jonesboro Gazette, Jonesboro, Illinois, Friday, 19 Jul 1918)
Mr. and Mrs. James Lingle left Tuesday for Hattiesburg, Miss.
Their son Edwin, who has been in training at Camp Shelby near that
town, wrote that he was transferred to another camp Thursday, which
probably means that he will soon be sent overseas.
(Jonesboro Gazette, Jonesboro, Illinois, Friday, 6 Sep 1918)
James Lingle has received a letter from his son Edwin stating that he
was somewhere on the broad seas enroute for France. Doubtless the
customary card will soon follow stating that the vessel on which he
sailed has arrived safely.
(Jonesboro Gazette, Jonesboro, Illinois, Friday, 25 Oct 1918)
Edwin Lingle returned from France to the United States recently and reached home Tuesday night. He is looking fine.
(Jonesboro Gazette, Jonesboro, Illinois, Friday, 29 Aug 1919)
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