The Washington herald., 1917-11-02
NEGROES SHIRK
| CALL FOR DUTY
/ AT CAMP MEADE
|Seventy-Six Men Fail to Put
in Appearance; Search
Is Started.
BY ANDREW r. KELLEY.


Camp Meade, Admiral. Nd. Nov. l.
There are seventy-six negroes in the
District of Columbia's quota for the
national army who are flirting with a
eourt-martial sentence, life imprison-
nent or prolonged confinement in a
military jail.
They were due at the cantonment
Sunday and have yet failed to present
an appearance. Their delinquency
means that they are listed in the War
Department records as deserters. and
the penalty for desertion in time OF
war is severe.
Just to emphasize how serious Uncle
Sam regards the failure of one of his
enlisted men to appear on time. one
will fini posted as a warning note on
the bulletin board OF most os the bar
racks, the court-martial findings on
one regular soldier from Fort Sam
| Houston, Okla He was absent for six
weeks End was captured in Florida.
| Life Imprisonment was the sentence
Of the court-martial board. but later
a reviewing board reduced it to ten
| years at hard labor.
Word was received today that the
next bunch Of District men will ar
rive November 3, completing the first
quota from Washington.
Between 100 and 800 yards of bitches
have been slashed across the soil in
the Somme," which is the nickname
for that sector of the cantonment bor-
dering on Portland. These long ruts
iu the road are the same in construc-
tion as the burrows where the SOL
diers somewhere in France" have
been fighting for more than three
years. The new streaks in the ground
will be used for the intensive train
ing which has started here.
Soldiers Make Progress.
Gas attacks. night assaults. bomb
throwing. infantry wave storming, ar
tillery barrage advancement and all
the realities OF modern warfare Will
have their counterparts in mock at
tempts at Meade in which ell of the
WashinStonians will figure. The SOL
diers in the trenches show the prog
ress which has been made here.
While the soldier is getting this
training in warfare the food division
Of the surgeon generals department
has tackled the kitchen. A nutri-
tional survey has been made of the
camp and Gen. Gorgas has assigned
a number OF his assistants here to
instruct the company cooks and the
mess sergeants. These experts will
remain here for a period OF ten days
or two weeks and will emphasize the
policy of conservation and the ne
cessity of making every scrap of food
count.
Food slogan Adopted.
Lick the platter clean" Such will
be the slogan that the men will all
be asked to follow when the food
conservation program is at full tilt
There is nothing dainty about the
army Chow" 1t is substantial and
palatable and a man can have as
many helpings as he desires. The
idea Of food conservation is for men
not to make their eyes bigger than
their belly and put on to their mess
kits food which will have to be even
tually consigned to the garbage barrrI.
They are feeding the 'Sammies"
pretty good. Not only down in Camp
Meade, but "oyer there" This lit
tie extract from n letter from Sergt
W. ]. Greevy. of 312 L street north
east to one of his friends in the camp
says: Il feel sorry for the boys who
have to eat what you say in some
~ NA-toC N1AlASSs Dul 70 give you SOME
idea Of what we eat l will tell you
what we usually have for breakfast
each morning: CFried mush with
plenty Of syrup. meat balls and good
ones, and plenty of good coffee). Sum
day We had stewed chicken. mashed
potatoes, Creamed peas, pumpkin pie
and good coffee. We don't fare SO
bad, do you think sO"''
Receive Gun shipment.
Modern Enfield rifles. old model
krags, machine guns and Lewis guns
have been received here and are being
issued to the men. Each infantry
regiment is to receive 2lO of the new
Enhelds and the same number Of
krags and each machine gun battalion
is to have twelve machine guns. while
the machine gun companies in In
fantry regiments get the Lewis guns.
That latter unit includes all OF the
men from Washington.
Many OF the companies drilled TO-
day for the first time with their new
rifles. and they looked much more
like real soldiers than they did while
going through the foot movements
without the rifles.
Charles Stewart. OF Company {,
312th Machine Gun battalion. was dis
charged today from military service
because OF physical disqualification