The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1916-07-10
Capt. Gibson Expects They
Will Leave State for
Mexican Border
TWENTY-SIX FROM
THIS TOWN QUALIFY
cavalry Strength 100, or 70 Less Than
Minimum War Strength - Enlist
ment Process Slow - Benefit Fund
Reaches 1885.

capt. Ernest w. Gibson of COMPANY
|, '. y. IT,, who has been one of the
three commissioned company officers
IN charge of the recruit camp near
Fort Ethan Allen, came to town Sat
urday afternoon to close up some per
sonal matters and do what recruitinr
was possible. He returned this aftr~
noon. Capt. Gibson expects TO leave
Tor the Mexican border this week with
the recruits now in camp.
Two arms of the service are NOW
represented at the camp The cavalry
has strength of 190 which is 70 less
than the minimum war strength re-
CURED before the war department Will
recognize 1t as an organization. and
the infantry with a strength of 10.
Of the Infantry recruits there are 26
who have qualified from Brattleboro.
Orders have been received TO move
the recruits to the border as soon as
equipped and after sufficient drill 10
permit the officers to handle the men.
The men have been drilling seven
hours day and are well enough pre-
pared III this respect to be moved to
the front. They have been equipped
also with the very latest word in fed
eral government equipment and were
1t not for the lack of strength in the
cavalry both organizations would move
within IS hours.
Under the uew federal law there is
required with each regiment of in
fantry in addition to the regulation
number of battalions, one hcadguar-
ters company, one supply company and
one machine gun company The Yer
moAt regiment has not had these added
as yet.
1t has been suggested that were tn,
cavalry strength to be transferred to
the infantry of Nermont's quota these
additional companies could he pro
vided, and as soon as the cavalrvmcu
could be equipped with the regulation
infantry outfit, all of which is on haad
at the state camp, the entire body
could move for the front.
Press dispatches Yesterday an
nounced that Maj. Frank Tompkins.
who was wounded ut Columbus. \. NJ.
and later twice wounded at Parral,
was Oh his way to the Vermont state
camp to take charge Of the cavalry
branch. Were it possible to recruit the
cavalry to the necessary number Mai.
Tompkins would be welcomed as the
man to have charge of the cavalry Of
Vermont, but if il is decided to con-
tinue the recruiting of the cavalry,
unless there comes a serious break in
the negotiations TO be undertaken be-
tween the Carranza government and
the United States, which will make
active service more probable than it
seems today, the recruiting will be
slow.
The process of cnlisting men under
the form required by the federal gov
| crnment is very slow. Besides the fill
| ing out of three sets of blank forms
| for each recruit there is the examina.
ton by surgeon, who works at the
| rate of 90 examinations a dav. the
| incubation for typhoid, vaccination
/ for smallpox, taking of finger prints
! the mastering in ceremony, the issuing
| of the clothing at the rate of about Is
| men in day of 10 hours, and the is
| suing of rifles and other equipment
which takes nearly as much time.
| Capt. Gibson SAYS that the drilling
of the recruits for Company | has beer
much facilitated by the able assistaae,
| of John Marshall, ir., former ser
| Geant in the regular army, who enlist
| ed III the company here, and Thor l.
| Anderson, a former sergeant of tn,
COMPANY, who rc-enlistcd at the cal
| for recruits.
The present personnel of the com
pany recruits at the state camp is a>
follows:
First Sergeant. John Marshall, ir.