Miscellaneous articles from The World (a New York City newspaper established by Joseph Pulitzer) October 29, 1918.
CRIPPLE GETS IN AN ARMY UNIFORM
Benjamin Cook Said He was an Expert Stenographer and Could Take the Place of a Fighting Man
So the Army Doctors Let Him Join the Forces
Two Chinamen Came from San Francisco, but There Were Not Many Indians
(Special to The World)
Fort Worth, Tex., Oct. 19 – Ben COOK is in the Army now. Along with a few million other Americans he has buried his identity, put on a khaki uniform and has been assigned a number, company and tent—his chief objective and ambition for the last two years.
But Ben COOK, now in the detention camp at Camp Bowie, got into the army only after the hardest fight in his life, only after tearful pleadings before a roomful of officers, clerks and other recruits.
For, you see, COOK has only one foot, and Uncle Sam is not especially anxious to put crippled men in the army. But COOK just wouldn’t have it otherwise. He was drafted from Fresno, Cal., along with about five hundred other men from that State and sent here, and when examined by medical officers this week was promptly turned down. He was told that he would get his "S.C.D." as they call it in the army, which is the "Surgeon’s Certificate of Disability." COOK said he couldn’t accept the certificate and the surgeons at first smiled. No one else had ever succeeded in refusing to accept a certificate.
Declared Himself as Expert.
"I am an expert stenographer," COOK declared vehemently. "There are a lot of young able bodied clerks and stenographers in the army right now, men who ought to be fighting in the trenches. Why can’t I take the place of one of them and let him go and fight like he ought to? Here I have been trying to get into the army for two years. I am healthy enough and can stand lots of hard work, even if I can’t carry a gun. You get one of those big strapping boys pegging away on a typewriter to get into the real war and I will take his place. That will give the army one more fighting man. Nope, I am not going back to California. Give that certificate to some one who wants it." And then it was that the crippled rookie broke down.
COOK didn’t get the certificate either. The surgeons, acting on his advice, "gave it to some one else," and Benjamin was so happy over his "victory" that he shook hands all around and wired his folks.
This is but one of the many interesting occurrences at Camp Bowie this week, incident to the arrival and examination of 3,000 recruits, chiefly from Texas, but 500 of whom came from California.
"It is queer to me," declared First Lieut. Francis J. HALSEY, in charge of the personnel work at the camp, "that in one company of 250 of these recruits we found 102 men who were physically fit and perfect. Now, how is it that their boards placed them in the deferred class? And speaking of Benjamin COOK’s case, there were others like him. We had cripples begging to be kept in the army and we know of able-bodied men who fainted by pretense or otherwise, but you can’t fool the army doctor."
The 3,000 rookies came in one long stream, day and night, so HALSEY and his force and the medical officers went almost sleepless for five days. HALSEY winning in this strange contest, as he was up four days and nights without sleep and his crew nearly equaled that record. A man started in with the tests and examinations a civilian and came out a full fledged, fully clad soldier, divested of everything that would betray him as a civilian. The course from civilian to soldier took an average of half an hour, and there were thirty different operations, in the last of which the men were measured for their clothing and shoes and had them handed to them. The civilian clothes were donated to the Red Cross to help war sufferers in Europe.
Two Chinese came from San Francisco and four Indians from Oklahoma, this being the smallest number of Indians ever sent here in a draft. Camp Bowie at one time had over 1,000 Indians. One odd departure from the usual was the arrival of a few men of French descent from the backwoods in Louisiana who couldn’t read or write and whose ideas of the war were extremely vague.
Small Girl Kills Deer
She is Youngest Successful Hunter So Far This Season
Los Angeles, Cal., Oct 19—The youngest successful deer hunter so far this season of either sex is little Eleanor MARTIN, the thirteen-year-old granddaughter of Mrs. Eleanor MARTIN, for the diminutive miss returned from the McCloud River Country with a 100-pound buck as her trophy of the chase.
The girl, who is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Walter MARTIN, was not strong enough to hold her rifle in proper position, so she rested it on the arm of the guide. As soon as they spotted the deer she took aim at a distance of 600 yards and the bullet went straight to the heart. She and the guide could see it jump up in the air and then topple over stone dead.
Little Miss MARTIN is to have the head of the deer mounted as a souvenir of her first deer hunt in California.
Young War Veteran
Lad Only Fifteen Years Old Invalided Back Home
Lynchburg, Va., Oct. 19 – Wounded and invalided back to America before he was 16 years old, is the record of John Walker BURLEY, a son of Mr. and Mrs. C. B. BURLEY of this city. Enlisting in June, 1917, one month before he was fifteen years old, young BURLEY went in September of that year to Camp McClellan with Company E, 1st Virginia Infantry. Later he was with the company when it was merged into Company L, 116th Infantry.
Last March he was one of twelve men picked from that company to go to France. Arriving there, he was assigned to the 60th Engineers and later to the 6th Infantry. In July he was wounded and Sept. 10 he arrived at Camp Stuart, Newport News. From there he was transferred to the post hospital at Plattsburg Barracks, N.Y. His mother will go to Plattsburg to see him as soon as it is permitted to do so by the authorities there.
WOMEN WORK ON TRACKS OF RAILWAY
Female Cousin of the Senator from Wisconsin
Heads a Section, but Gets No Greater Wages.
Not a Bit Proud of her Relationship to Him.
All Swing Picks and Shovels Like Men,
And Some Wear Bloomers.
(Special to The World)
Bloomington, Ill., Oct. 19 – Miss Grace LA FOLLETTE, a cousin of Senator Robert LA FOLLETTE of Wisconsin, is a section woman in the employ of the Rock Island Railroad, residing at Minooka. She swings a pick and handles a shovel with almost the expertness of a man, and tamps ties with the ease of the old-time maintenance laborer. She does not have to do this work. Her folks are in comfortable circumstances and she does not need the money. The railroad, however, needs her services, and the appeal to the women, when men could no longer be obtained, determined her to volunteer. She was joined by two other ladies of Minooka, both married, Mrs. Robert JOHNSON and Mrs. Adelbert GREEN, who are animated by the same sense of patriotism. The trio later were joined by a Mexican girl, Rose FEBEROSKA, who works for the money that is allowed, and whose father is also a section hand upon the same road. She followed naturally into the section work, but the others found the job somewhat wearing upon the muscles at the outset. They have been steadily at work for the past month, however, and promise to keep at it as long as the weather will permit.
Miss LA FOLLETTE has been appointed forelady, if it may be so called, of the gang, using a masculine appellation, although she is paid the same wages as the other members of the quartet, $3 per day. The roadmaster gives her certain duties to perform each day and she is responsible for the faithful service of the others. They cut weeds, clear up rubbish, carry ties, distribute ballast and have a hand car upon which they ride back and forth through the yards. They are given a certain territory to look after and see that the track is daily inspected and the roadbed kept in first class condition so as to insure the safety of the trains.
Thousands of passengers who ride through Minnoka each day are amazed to see the (illegible) women working upon the railroad (illegible) their eyes believing that they are deceiving them. The quartet (illegible) the scrutiny good naturedly and wave a cheery greeting to all who pass by while they are on duty. Miss LA FOLLETTE wears heavy blue denim bloomers and calfskin shoes. The Mexican girl also wears a bloomer outfit. The two married women, however, cling to skirts, claiming that their husbands, who frown upon the idea of their working upon the section, will not permit them to don the bifurcated garments that they prefer.
"Yes," replied Miss LA FOLLETTE upon being interviewed in relation to her unique occupation, "it is true that my family is related to Senator LA FOLLETTE, but we do not care to advertise this fact. I am actually a cousin, but am not proud of the relationship."
The Rock Island Railroad is employing more women for the section work than any of the other Western roads and the various roadmasters find them faithful and efficient. At Bureau, three girls, Anna KLAPPER and Hazel and Lorne KNUDSON, have been working steadily for more than a month and do not regret their experience. They gave up positions as waitresses in a local hotel that paid them $25 per month and board, to take the $3 per day job offered by the railroad. They find the outdoor work healthful and invigorating, and, while somewhat difficult at first, is not handled without difficulty. They have made good, according to Roadmaster J. L. JENSEN, and he says they can have a job as long as they care to work.
We were somewhat of a novelty the first few days after we started to work upon the section," related Miss KLAPPER as she enthusiastically told of her new occupation. "Of course, everybody thought that it was a joke and that we would not stick more than a few days. We like the work, however, and we will remain on the job as long as the company lets us. People stare at us a great deal and think it funny to see girls in overalls and straw hats pounding ballast on the section, but this does not bother us.
"We are not ashamed to work in this manner. If we can take the place of a man and let that man go to war, we feel that we are doing more for our country than others who might criticize us. At the same time we are earning a decent living, something that we could not do when employed at the hotel. We like the work and do have to work any harder than in the dining room."