The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1916-06-27
These Men Proved Exceedingly Popu-
lar Saturday Night and Boys
Are Enjoying Their
RationS.
TRIP WAS UNEvENrFUL
keokuk Guardsmen Were Delayed In
Getting to Camp and After
Much Trouble, Got Bag
gage Together.

An intimate story OF Company LIS
trip to Des Moines on Saturday; how
the boys feel towards Keokuk for that
splendid reception, and how popular
| the camp cooks are. is told by Private
Ralph B. Joy in letter to The Gate
City, written Sunday. Here is the
private's letter:
Camp Dodge. Des Moines, Iowa.
June %. 1916.-Today is Sunday and
| as I write this. visitors are passing
!continually back and forth. Flags
are flying and no one in Company L
1 can complain of their treatment SO
| far for it has been nothin but a holt
day since we left Keokuk.
! In order to make this letter inter-
esting, perhaps it is better that
| take the company from the time we
| left you all at the depot, up to the
! present time. Being nothing but a
rookie myself. will very likely
bungle the military terms, but that
will only make it sound better to
those who do know and can be better
understood by those who do not I'M
derstand military terms.
Company l. is credit to Keokuk,
to Iowa and to the stars and stripes.
There is apparently not man in the
=
what his duty is and Is cheerfully
ready to follow our commander, Cap
tain Powell wherever the cali may be.
Sincerely l believe there is less re-
gret over the necessary hardships and
prospects Of an extremely hard cam
paign in dry country than there was
at leaving our thousands of well wish
ers at the depot yesterday morning.
1t was a grand and inspiring sight to
see the way Keokuk arose an hour or
two earlier and the business houses
closed in order to see us off. When
I mentioned to several of the boys
that / might write The Gate City,
thew all said please thank them all for
what they gave and what they did in
cheering us on. I'll let it go at that.
You who would like to go with the
flag or you who for many reasons,
cannot go, but who cheerfully bid US
good luck should know 1t has helped
to make Company l. try to be eff
cient.
Trip Was uneventful.
The trip on the train was unevent-
full. Nobody fell off the train nor
did a man leave the train before ask
ing permission which discipline de-
handed 1t certainly made l. Com
pany, First Iowa infantry feel good go
ing through Oskaloosa and Ottumwa,
leaving them behind. They are in the
Second Iowa. If any Iowa troops leave
for the border 1t will be the First tour
regiment) which will leave first Ru-
NOR has it today that we leave Tues
day or Wednesday for the border. but
l hardly think 1t possible for we need
drill-lot of it-and the typhoid pro-
phylaxis which is the vaccination TO
prevent typhoid fever.
The First regiment consists of Co.
A, Dubuque: Co. B, Waterloo: Co. c,
Cedar Rapids: Co. d, Cedar Rapids:
Co. E, Charles City: Co. F. Cedar
Falls, Co. G. Waterloo; Co. II, Man
chester; Co. l, Burlington; Co. K,
Washington; Co. l., Keokuk; Co. II,
Fairfield.
A machine gun company and a hos
pital detachment, NJ Co., from Fair
field is our twin company in bat
talon under Major Reidy of Fairfield.
K Co, from Washin gton was switched
onto our train at Oskaloosa.
Job putting up Tents.
There were a good many delays
just outside or DeS MONIES. we ulo
not detrain until six o'clock and what
job we had putting up our tents,
filing our ticks with straw, drawing
rations, etc. Poor old Dad Sunley,
our quartermaster. nearly went crazy.
The baggage detail consisting OF Cor
poral Evans and Privates Whitley
Mayer Harris and Gaylord finally got
the squads kits and the officers
chests all planted where they be-
longed. but it was hard work after
dark, for our stuff wasn't all up until
$3.50. Mess was called then and you
! believe it we were among the first. K
! Co. did not get there until nearly
| 1913 Ours was ready when we were
which certainly speaks well for our
cooks These men have done their
| best and l. Company does not have
enough left after mess is over to
decently feed one tramp so well do We
enjoy what they prepare.
One more thing before l close the
letter. Ex-Captain Frank LeBron
joined us today and what a pleasure
it was to see him. He expects to be
around for some little time If we are