The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1916-06-27
Artillery.

ington Artillery.
Camp Swep Taylor, Jackson, Miss.
June 27.-Thirty-two young men of
Jackson. the flower of the capitals
social set, the names of the majority
of which appear almost daily in the
society columns of the local newspa-
rers, and without representation of
which no tea dansante would be worth
even mentioning in polite society, to-
day are being measured and weighed
and thumped and questioned prepare
tory to their enlistment with the
Washington Artillery. New Orleans
crack militia organization.
Why these 80 representatives of as
many exclusive old families and mon
eyed ones of the capital. left Jackson
to enlist with neighboring state.
which also is rival one in many
respects, forms one of the most in
teresting bits of gossip that will break
during the present mobilization.
Here is about what happened
Some days ago when war clouds be.
gen appearing in the sky Ia the df..,
ton of Mexico. Mrs. So-and- So was
giving tea at her palatial bone on
North State street, when some one
mentioned that the regular army and
the militamen of the various states
would have to do the fighting. if any
lighting is to be done during this war
And then some of the young men be-
gan talking of the part they ought to
play in this little game of threatened
war.
Some one suggested joining the mi
lltia. A shock of horror went through
the whole drawing room. and it was
: several moments before the hostess
could catch her breath Imagine those
young men shouldering a nlebian eun
and wearing heavy tan shoes on SEN
try duty when they should be getting
much-needed sleep along about s or .
a. m.
Then one of the young men had a
brilliant idea. Why not organize a
machine gun company, as separate
organization, amenabIe to none of the
rules of the regular militia? A fellow
can't walk post with a machine gun
across his shoulder. they reasoned. and
ii some heartless brigadier general
wanted a nice. shiny $500 machine
gun hauled along through the early
morning dew. then let an orderly from
the doughboy organization do the
pulling.
So 30 of Jackson's favorite sons
formed a company. They received as
surances that if they went to war they
would be allowed to remain together,
and would constitute a company of
machine gun men. and nothing else.
For two or three days the young
men have been following the war pic
lures in the moving picture shows,
and reading the illustrated weeklies.
and asking questions here and there.
with view of learning this machine
gun art of warfare. They had it down
to perfection. they said and yester
day afternoon these 80 Jacksonians
hurried through their o'clock maps,
which were cut short by an hour, or
dered their liveried chauffeurs to
drive them, Jymes. to Camp Swep Tay-
lor Immediately.
Jymes did as he was told Thirty
two recently bathed, highly powdered
and freshly dressed young men land
ed from their motor cars at the en-
trance of the camp, marched CALAMITY
in a body to the adiutant generals
office and sent word by the orderly
to General Scales that they were
waiting.
Greatly TO their surprise. the gen.
eral, who at that time was talking
over the long-distance telephone over
some unimportant matter aboat send
ing special trains to Jackson to carry