Hot Springs weekly star. (Hot Springs, S.D.) 1892-1917, 1917-10-05
A LETTER
. FROM DfM|NC
)
LIEUT.. L. o. SHIRLEY TELLS OF
TRIP THERE u
BOYS NICELY LOCATED

HOT SPRINGS SOLDIER BOYS ARE
NOW TRAINING AT DEMING
N. NJ. AND ARE FINE
The publisher Of the Star is in re-
ceipt of the following letter from
Lieutenant L. o. Shirley which we
take the liberty of publishing:
Il ,Deming, N. NJ. Sept 27. 1917
Friend Warren: Will now, as 1
have little time, write you slight
description of our movements since
leaving Hot Springs, as no doubt
several of your readers will be in
iterested, having relatives here.
| Our trip to Watertown was one of
several stops as we stayed in Rapid
City all day. Saw Major Bentley
and the boys visited their Sanitary
Ditch camp. We left there at 500
lp. m. and arrived at Huron for
breakfast and was there two hours
so had the boys exercised about town
for an hour. Our routing was
changed there, so we went via Red
field instead of Brookings. There
we had z hours layover. I called on
friend Leslie Jensen and Capt. Bel
not whom I knew in the 4th. Also
met General w. A. Norris who invi-
ted me up to his Office, however I
declined as had other business. We
left there at $3.50 and arrived at
Watertown at 900 p. m. and as l
had wired Major Kinney they had
supper ready for us at the building
occupied by the troops there. We
were all in good shape, the boys had
a good deal of snap and they march
ed up the street and Major Kenney
said be had several compliments on
the snappy bunch of boys which
made him very proud as (snap) is
what the army likes. The next day
was promptly relieved from duty
with the sanitary detachment, and
\ Nssfgned to duty with the machine
gun company and was very busy,
/ While in Watertown in that capa
city, however few days before camp
1 was pulled for here l was transfer
, red from the machine gun troop to
troop at Mitchell, which is a live
II oop and like it much better as the
NJ. G.. troop is some work and prob
ably with mules which I dislike very
! much.
The boys all seem satisfied and
were all left in the Sanitary Ditch"
What wished to stay, and by now a
great many of them wish to get into
Y the hive as is affords more outdoor
drill work Since we arrived here
we see great deal of each other
We left Mitchell on my section,
/ Saturday at 900 p. M, ran to Sioux
City for the first stop and received
the greatest ovation there of any
place enroute, as it was about
supper time great crowds were there
and they gave us rousing welcome.
We were on the fourth section of
our train, our section consisting OF
Is cars and baggage car which was
the largest section. I was assigned
to assist the train commander look
ing after the details of the train.
The women at Sioux City met us in
punches, gave us lunches, tobacco
and cigarettes by the basketfulls.
and the girls gave the boys greetings
including handshakes, hugs and
kisses. As my duties called me in
all quarters of the train I was in
specting the train from the opposite
side from the depot and encountered
young ladies climbing upon the rods
by the side of the car and hugging
and kissing the boys as they were
not permitted to get of the car (of
course was too busy to get in on
that) but / met some nice ladies
there who knew DR.. NaftZger and
told me he had a wonderful practice.
We went from there to Omaha where
all trains were stopped, and q pay
master was at the depot and all en-
listed men were gotten up-our train
at 8 a. m.-and the men were paid
their August pay. From there we
went to Kansas City, Mo-, about I p.
nj. Stayed there three hours, took
the men OF for exercise and viewed
the big depot. Thence through
Kansas and the Texas panhandle.
At Amorilla, Texas, we began to see
our first real southern sights. count
structures at depots, and the best
eating service ever encountered
at the Harvey eating houses. From
there we found New Mexico was very
desolate, but not as bad as al
pated. The country is desolate
not much crops. some grass and sage
brush. inhabited almost wholly
by Mexicans, where they live in do
by or mud houses.
Deming is a very delapidated look
ing place, a few good white mer-
chant places but China restaurants
small hotels occupied by Mexicans
and ALI classes, and accommodations
were at q premium. slept in town
the first night for I had no bed here
and paid s. 90 and slept in room
| With four Mexicans, three white la
herers, one young white man and
myself. and it was the only bed we
could find in more than thirty places
We tried. The town is swarmtnG
with soldiers from several states
The camp is an ideal place. We are