Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1916-07-22
IOWA TOWN THAT
REFUSED TO FIGHT
West Branch Writhes in What IT As
serts in UndeserVed Obliquy Be-
fore the Public.
NOW AN ALIBI IS FURNISHED
Captain McGregOr Loses Most Of His
Cavalry Command as Result OF
Balk on Federal Oath.

West Branch. Iowa, a superior town
in many respects, has found itself sud
denly held up to public scorn as
Benedict Arnold or a Judas Iscarlot
among municipalities Reproaches in
suits and threats are flung upon the
little City's unhappy head. The
wrath of a nation seems focused with
pitiless accuracy on a hamlet attlred,
according to the ancient custom, IN
sack cloth and ashes. Well may the
hapless residents weep and moan and
throw dust in their hair The Onus,
distinctly, is on West Branch.
There is a reason-and, inevitably,
an alibi Captain J. C. McGregor,
commander of a troop of cavalry re-
cruited in West Branch and vicinity,
received two letters from home while
he and his men were in the militia
camp after Iowa had modified. Both
letters said in substance:
You tried TO take our boys to war;
you need not return to this town"
One letter was anonymous, the other
was signed:
Citizens of West Branch"
Following that, when the soldiers
were asked to take the federal oath
which would empower the president to
send them into Mexico, if necessary
the whole company revolted. An Iowa
City physician-a veteran of the Span
ish-AmeriCan war-whO was in charge
of the hospital squad attached to the
troop, wired the war department to
transfer him re-anywhere-I
away from such a yellow bunch"
Thirty Out of Forty Quit,
The newspapers and the press asso-,
Citations carried the story all over the
fai
prevailed finally on ten of his men,
including his first lieutenant, to stick
with him, but thirty out of his party
chucked the whole business and went
home.
The case. at first blush, looked
nasty against West Branch among the
average, reasonably patriotic Ameri-
cans. OF course, those who looked up
on the flag as a passe symbol found it
a hopeful sign" But the nation is
not made up of many such. The mayor
of West Branch, l.. d. Bell, tells
brokenly of the letters he has received
from all sections of the country, in
Guiding the Iong-forgotten state of
Louisiana and when it is stirred it is
not difficult to imagine the unrest in
the other fOrty-seven-or is it forty
eight?
Eastern editors who, for one reason
or another. are not at the border in
person, laid violent hands to their
typewriters and produced vitrol. The
Outburst was so widespread that West
Branch, even yet, doesn't know all
that has been said. Clippings from all
directions continue to pour in. But
the newspaper writer's were hampered
and restricted by certain postoffice
regulations in the matter of self-ex-
preston Private persons writing pri-
vate letters felt no such qualms, ap-
paTently, and some Of the things they
wrote scared the stationery.
They were bitter" Mayor Bell says
ooh, l tell yOu-they were bitter"
Really, you pity the man who has to
read them-sturdy, honest citizen that
he is.
Each letter left its separate sting,
ikened by the mayor unto salt and
vinegar in a raw wound.
But what Of the captain?
The captain straightway became a
hero. Not so much of a hero at home. |
perhaps, for they feel that he shouldn't
have made those letters public, but
nationally he is somewhat of an idol. !
Before he was a captain he was d ply
sician-and still is. for that matter. |
The boys persuaded him to join the |
troop which was organized about a /
year ago. Twice week they used to |
drill in full regalia on Main street be- /
fore an admiring populace All, those |
were days! Intervention was a vague, !
shady cloud afar off; cloud no larger /
if it must be said-than a mans hand. |
The boys elected the doctor as their /
leader. AS far as West Branch was /
concerned he was the rose of Sharon |
and the lily Of the valley.
Some men play in unexpected luck /
He is one of them FOrsaken by his !
men and repudiated by letters from /
home he tumbled into a heroship. Sew |
era1 cities wrote him and said they |
wanted him to settle with them after |
his work on the border was finished |
West Branch might fout patriotism ifl
it would, but they-the other cities
priced it. They desired men like Can
tain McGregor incorporated into their /
citizenship. An outcast, he was sought
after
For a time he considered accepting
one of the invitations, but he decided |
that, after all, he would forgive West
Branch and return
Now for the AIiDi.
Now comes the alibi, which is di-
vided intotwo parts:
(a) The letters and Cbl the mercur.
ial militiamen
(a) The city of West Branch dis
avows the notes. An investigation
failed to disclose the writer Tor writ
ers) No responsible person will adj