Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1916-10-10
End REGIMENT
SOLDIER HOME
Lieutenant Frederickson Of Fort
Dodge Comes Back and Talks
Of Situation on the
Border.
EXPECTS IOWANs HOME SOON
Will Take a Month to get Back AT.
ter Start is Made to Prepare
| for the Journey.
EXPECTS 1oWANs HOME SOON

Fort Dodge, Oct. 1O.-Lieutenant
H. Frederickson, Company G., Second
infantry Of the Iowa National Guard,
returned home Saturday on thirty
day furlough, and brought news that
the Iowa guards expect to be return
ed to Iowa within little more than 4
month. Even if they should start
today to move the troops from
Brownsville, Lieutenant Frederick
son stated that it would be month
before they could reach home.
General Pershing has nothing on
the Iowa troops for having his ex-
peditionary force in the south. The
Iowa troops are located further south
now than the expeditionary forces,
although they have never crossed the
Mexican boundary line. The guards
are located in the Rio Grande valley,
called the Magic valley, and there
are about 10000 men in camp there.
The Iowa troops are just twenty
miles from the gulf. It looked good
Ito Lieutenant Frederickson to be
home, but it's cold up here compared
with Texas, he says. The tempera-
ture now is running 80 degrees and
better.
Lieutenant Frederickson brings
the good news back home that the
guardsmen there are in splendid
health and that there is very little
sickness. The sanitary conditions
are of the best, the camp is clean
and the food is good. The govern
ment runs regular grocery store
and the guardsmen are each put on
a cash basis with the privilege of or
dering whatever they want to eat.
They must be careful, however, not
to run over the cash allowance.
Life on the border is peaceful. The
guards are not allowed to go over
into Mexico, so have to content
themselves with Brownsville, which
is considered mo place to go" by
many Of the guardsmen.
Iowa boys are taking prizes in
more ways than one. Major Funs-
ton pronounced them the best drill
ed he had inspected for long time
and Brownsville business man is
said to have declared that if 81 ever
get money enough to buy a ticket
out of here l am going to Iowa,
where they produce those good look
ing and clean looking young men,"
Lieutenant Frederickson says "this
man knows what he is talking about
for the Iowa troops are the best look
ing in camp and Furthermore they
are the cleanest bunch of fellows"
There are many kinds Of work to
be done down there.
eve thought when we went that
we were going to fight Mexicans, but
we found out all we were going to
do was fight the cactus. We have
conquered that and with the remov-
al of the bush went all bugs, snakes
and other animals. The only kind
of snakes we see now are dead ones.
Friday the fellows brought in a rat
tier five feet, seven inches long and
IL years old. You wouldn't think I
could do it, but just before l left
there helped brand 172 mules and
horses.
"The government has a big job
ahead Of it in policing the border
and believe that is what will have
to be done. The Mexicans have lost
confidence in everyone. They fight
among themselves and in Browns
vile alone there are about 10000
Villa sympathizers, even though
they are friendly to the United
States. 1t would be a Godsend to
those Mexicans If instead Of military
Intervention the United States would
send a party with food
When asked if Fort Dodge would
lose any men because of enlisting in
the regular army, he replied that he
did not know of single Iowa man
who has enlisted in the regulars.