The weekly times-record. (Valley City, N.D.) 1912-1922, 1917-02-01
Cities Are Interested
in North Dakota Boys

was being Watcned today by members
of the First North Dakota regiment,
which early Sunday arrived at Fort
Smelling, for the majority of the men
were anxious to know what commit
tees in their home towns have been
doing to get positions for them.
The guardsmen said that earlier
communications from the committees
reported jobs were being found for
the men, and that some business firms
that employed guardsmen have sig
nified their willingness to take them
back.
The Dakota militia men claim that
their organization was one of the best
equipped and trained on the border.
When they arrived at Mercedes, where
they were stationed, they had every.
thing necessary for long stay except
a place to build their camp. Except
on one occasion, when they ate hard
tack" and canned beef for IL days,
the food, they said, was good.
A meeting of the officers of the reg
iment was held today to plan the mus
tering out, which will be in week or
ten days.
Company D boasts the only wildcat
wrestler in the country. He is Smith
Taylor, student at the University Of
North Dakota, who defeated all hui
man aspirants at Mercedes. Then he
captured a wild cat which attacked
him while he was doing guard duty at
night The animal is now the COM
pany's mascot.
The men, like Minnesota troops, are
almost unanimous in the belief that
the border service has sounded the
death knell of the present national
guard system. They declare them
selves in favor of compulsory train
ing, and denounce system that took
men away from their jobs while 9TH
ers remained at home"
The North Dakota legislature Sat-
urday appropriated $4,000 for the re-
lief Of returning guardsmen who will
find themselves without jobs. A COM
terview the soldiers.
Marshalltown Uowa) Daily Repub-
lican. Several hundred khaki-clad
troopers, swarming up and down the
streets Of the city this morning. at
tracted much attention, and created
a temporary boom in trade for many
merchants. The men constituted the
entire First regiment Of North Dakota
troops, divided into three battalions,
and running in two special trains Of
about 81 cars each.
The first battalion, in charge Of
Capt. B. C. Boyd, arrived over the NJ.
& St. l.. from Moberly about $780, and
remained here for over an hour, while
the horses We're watered, and the men
uptown.
The men descended upon the main
portion of the city in a body, many of
them marching up town, and then
having generally hilarious time. a
snow ball fight was staged at the cor
ner of Main street and First avenue
and a number of bod sleds were "cOm,
mandeered" by the soldiers, who rode
up and down Main street, whOoping
and yelling. Tobacco dealers had a
rush of business, and souvenir post
card stores were swamped.
The men rode in tourist cars, while
behind them came the horses, and
then long string of fiat cars, loaded
with army wagons, which looked as
if they had seen hard usage. The
troops have been stationed at Mer-
cedes and Llano, Tex, towns about
three miles apart, and are now on
their way to Fl. Smelling where they
will be mustered out and then return
to their homes. There were LOO
men in the two trains, which follow.
each other closely into this city.
1pvh1 M
train were guests of the Marshalltown
club for lunch, after which they spoke
briefly of troop life on the border
The officers with the second train
were Major Dana Wright, of James
town; Capt. N. Mclean, of Kenmare,
and Lieut.. Deane Wiley, of Dickin-
son. The regiment was under the
command of Colonel John Frame, for
merly lieutenant governor of North
Dakota.