The Twin Falls times. [volume] (Twin Falls, Idaho) 1905-1916, 1916-08-17
GUARD FARES WELL
ON MEXICAN BORDER
Tale Of Universal Illness and
Bad Treatment False
CONDITIONS IN MEXICO SAID TO
BE IMPROVING VERY MUCH
Captain Claude V. Biggs of Company
X in Private Letter Describes Things
As lie Found Them.

As lie Found Them.
That the conditions on the border
ere getting better that the national
guard is being we'll treated and that
stories of hardships and improper
management are false is indicated by
the following excerpts from a letter to
a friend written by Captain Claude V
Biggs Of Company K. published in the
}uhl Herald.
Quiet, very quiet, with the accent on
The adjective, is the dope on the Dor
der situation as far as Nogales is con-
cerned Just heard that the wire COM
munications south of here had been
cut but even though it be true no sig
nificance could be attached to it as
any one Mexican, or American, could
DO that trick for the pleasure of caus-
ing a diversion in anotherwise mOnot-
CnOus situation.
Senator Earl Waylan Bowman, who
is down here for d syndicate of daily
and weekly papers, made trip down
into Mexico last week as far as Her
mosilla, about 200 miles, and l see by
/ his published articles that he had
variety of experiences. However, he
/ has several experiences Of which he
did not write Judging from his APP
pearance when he was in my tent
/ little while after he returned. He got
/ his passport the day before he went
iu but forgot to get it registered. This
worried him all the time he was under
the protection of Carranza or Villa or
whoever the defacto money is who is
in control of that part of disrupted
Mexico And added to this his train
Travelled mostly by night and with
light out for of attact by the NaN
Indians
Patriotism along the border is not
properly represented in the halls Of
congress These Americans down here
don't want to clean up Mexico. They
don't want to fight They are not pa
triotic or as much SO as their repre-
sentatives would have the world be-
lieve But they do want Mexico clean
ed up. They do want someone to
fight They do believe someone should
he patriotic But none Of it for them
They have had an opportunity and 1T
took them longer to mobilize than IL
cid the other states and now they all
want to 90 home
They have been tried and found de
cidedly wanting.
While it is true that local and per
sonal pride enters largely into the
makeup of human nature to the eX-
tent Of ones belief that his town or
his home or his individual belongings
are Just a trifle above par, this is not
entirely true with respect to the deep
and well-founded belief Of every mem
Der of the Second Idaho infantry, from
colonel to the rawest recruit, that we
have the best regiment of national
guard in this district And this it not
only local for we hear it from regular
army officers who inspect the camp
and regiment, which inspections are
rather numerous, too much so to suit
most of us
We have established q reputation
that nut us on a plane that keeps US
on the jump to live up to. And we
have a little officer here who sees to
it that we do just that very thing
Captain Dannemiller Of the 18TH U. S.
infantry who is assigned to us as in
spector lie was with the Second Ida
no as instructor-inspector two years
ago He has been down here with his
regiment since that time When the
Connecticut troops arrived in Nogales
he was assigned to one of their regi-
ments, but when he heard we were
coming he asked to be transferred to
us and his wishes were granted. He
started i'm before we arrived by Sc
leCting a high, dry camp for us on 9
long gravelly ridge His foresight in
this is blessed by every member of the
regiment every time it rains, which is
practically every day
Capt Dannemiller started us drilling
Immediately after we arrived and there
has been no let-up nor any prospects
of it, The whole regiment was started
I'M as recruits, the officers included
Enlisted men have been getting foul
hours drill daily with an additional
hour drill for on-commissiOned Of
offers and half hours school. Officers
we're given the same periods as non
commissioned officers with an addi-
ton of an hours drill in the school Of
soldiers with arms, much to the dis
gust of several who, having eight OF
ten years in the guard imagined they
had little to learn Another addition t
the duties of the officers is a school il
the evening which lasts from one t
two hours During intervals between
drills the officers, especially Captains
have all sorts Of minor grieis to con
tend with, such as company admins
trations, etc.
All this appears to be a little hard t.
us at this time but it is just whats
putting us at the head of the class o
several regiments.
l would like to be able to say tina
what is true Of the Second Idaho il
true of K company but that would b.
stretching things a little too far. How
ever, I will say that the company of
ficers have no kick coming on tn
progress our men are making Their
is no better team work in any of tn
companies. The on-commissioned of
ficers are doing exceptionally goo
work, and they are really the making
Of a good company
Outside Of the prevailing diarhea W
have practically no sickness. On
Y ~ at IOuyocf