Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1916-08-21
PITIFUL TALES
REACH OFFICE
I'LL. ADJUTANT
MOTHERS, WIVES AND GRANDMOTH-
ERS OF SOLDIERS TELL STOR-
les OF WANT AND NEED.
EVEN MOST HUMBLE AND MOST AB-
SURO LETTERS ARE GIVEN
CAREFUL ATTENTION.

SPRINGFIELD, ILL.,. Aug. 2l.- tBv
Maill-An entire stenogra phic force is
kept busy in the adiutant generals Office
answering letters from every section of
the state in reference 10 release Of IL
llnols National Guardsmen on the border.
a veritable flood Of letters comes from
the mothers and wives Of soldiers who
tell pitiful tales of deStitution and ask
that their "boy~" be released None Of
the writers display the slightest know
ledge of the proner method of release for
the men upon whom they are dependent.
Many of the letters. perhaps a majority
ot them, are addressed 10 ''the governor"
and are turned over by the executive de-
partment 10 the adiutant generals Office
An old mother aged 73. invalided and
unable 10 write or read. had some one
write that she i left "alone and on the
mercy of charity"
Three Of my sons are dead and 1.-THE
soldier is left as my only dependence to
comfort and cheer me. to read. write and
wait on me. a he j. my all says the
letter.
A wife, whose husband il on the bor.
der. writes that she has three children. n
baby two weeks old. born since the de-
parture of the husband and that since
the troops left she has buried four
wear old child. She says she i nj the
mercy of the Red Cross and without n
penny.
\ mother, whose son evidently left
home without her consent, asks the gov
ernOr to find him. a. he i her only sup
port. she says. She does not know what
company or regiment he IL in, and believes
he might have enlisted under an assumed
name. Unwilling to tell the mother moth
ing l. known of her son, the adintant
general has put clerks 10 work searching
through 10000 names of men on the bor-
der III an effort To find the name of TN.
woman's son that she may secure his re-
lease.
Another sad plea comes from a wife
who writes that she has been bed ridden
since her husband departed with his com
pany and that she has not soul to aid
her.
'An old grandmother writes that she
Is entirely dependent on ''hcr boy aud
wants him back.
All of these letters are answered fully
and with the greatest dispatch by the adj
Jutani generals office. The humblcst
ulea and the most absurd, all are gwen
attention.
Most of the replies sent by the office
consist Of directions for obtaining the
release Of the soldier These directions
in general are a follows:
The dependent person should obtain
from two reputable citizens of the home
town affidavit~ that real dependency
exists, These affidavits should be mailed
10 the commander Of the company Of
which the soldier IL member The sol
der viii then make written application
for his release. The application with the
afiidavIts attached then will be sent 10
commander Of the southern department Of
the United States army. in the ease Of
enlisted men and in the case Of commits
stoned officers the adiutant general Of
the regular army AT Washington.
Seldom does bona-fid request for re-
lease fail to receive favorable action, the
adlutant generals office states.