Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1917-09-13
German-American Mother Sends Worlds
Largest Fighting Family to Whip Kaiser
Ten Of Her Twelve Sons in q. S. Service-Baby Sons want
to go-Enough Sons-inslaw, Brothers and Neplews
to Form Whole company-They VIII Fight Against
~ Kinsraerl in German Army.
BY q. A. CLAY.

FGHI%GTL. -St) aN5n2sEfHEEAeE
Easton. Wash. Sept. ia real
title richly deserved by Mrs. Sarah
Bower, q pioneer woman Of German
parentage living here.
She has nearly enough SONS, nep-
news, brothers ana son-in-laws lined
up for Uncle Sam to recruit half a
company to war strength.
And over in Germany "a Of her
men kinfolk are warning for the
kaiser. >sS
Members Of her family in this
country are f1ocking to the colors to
offset this quota In the Prussian
armies.
It will be kin ighting against kin
on the battlefield when her som and
relatives "go over the top" for the
United States On the firing line in
Europe.
Twelve boys call her mother. Seven
OF them are now on their way to
Somewhere with u. 81. troops. Three
are registered for the draft and will
be ready when their call me Two
are too young for war, but keen to
go. I
Besides these are the many other
men relatives scattered from Wash
.ington state to Tennessee.
That IL all Mrs. Bower had to give,
but she gave her all with q smile,
hiding whatever she may have
thought. She is doing her bit
willingly to help make the world safe
for democracy.
"It makes you think twice to see
your boys march away" Mrs. Bower
told me. ''But they've got to 90. All
Of us mothers mus be brave about
our sons.
II went down % Seattle the
other week to see even of my
boys leave camp. Soldiers "
moi supposed to talk much and
my boys are good soldiers. They
just said: ma, we're billed for
somewhere in the east" I knew
what that meant, SO kissed
them goodbye and came on back
home"
Mrs. Bower is 4s years old. She
has been married three times. the
first at 10 years. She was born in
the United States and lived during
Allegheny County. Pennsylvania. She
emphasizes the fact that She is an
Am erican citizen and glad Of it.
She and her husband, II. j. Bower,
run the hotel" here. This mountain
frontier town has been home for her
and her healthy brood for II years
Easton. dropped down in q rugged
setting Of pine-clad hills under the
mighty Cascades, is a pleasant place
ed, have been MY companions
through hard years. T am not asham-
ed Of one of them and not n OF
them is ashamed of me. I have
brought them up to fear God and re.
spect the country of their birth. They
have 9 done anything to bring ms
sorrow. 1 am proud Of that record.
1--WE are a healthy family and are
all fighters.
my grandmother is 1o4 years old
and IL living in Germany near Ham:
burg. She has gained her second eye
sight. The last time I heard from
there she was busy making socks fol
the boys at war.
There are enough, Of my mer
relatives on both sides of the war tt
hold a big family reunion, and II they
ever meet T hope that Is what they
do. I don't believe the Germans will
I have always thought. that they
would just lay down their guns and
/ quit when they found out the Ameri.
can army was over there aga1ns
them. They haven't any grudge
against us Americans.
sThis isn't the common peo-
ple's> war in Germany. 1t is the
Crowns war. The common peo-
pie like peace better than killing.
/ know that the Germans who
left the United States in recent
years and went back to he old
country havn't made q cent.
The whole bunch OF them would
come back here III a minute II
they had the chance.
"But now that the war is on, we've
got to see 1t through. 1t will be HARD
for the mothers to give up theil
boys, but when the country calls fol
them they should give them up with.
out complaining.
Its the only way to keep old free
America a good place to live In"