The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1917-07-23


ncle Sam and His Allies. An In
!, Interesting, Personal Narrative,
the Spirit and Atmosphere of the
es.
impatient If nothing very important
seems to come off at first. l felt a lit
tie ennui myself at the getaway. But
that was certainly one thing that didn' t
annoy me later.
In the latter part of October, 1915,
decided that the United States ought
to be fighting along with England and
France on account of the way Belgium
had been treated, if for no other reason.
division of opinion ON this point among
the people at home, / came TO the con-
clusion that any man who was free.
white and twenty-one and felt as did
ought to go over and get into it single
handed on the side where his convic-
lions led him, if there wasn't some par
ticular reason why he couldn't. There
lOIc L SdAu SOOuDg W lily pdItnLS anu
friends in Lexington and started for
New York with the idea of sailing for
France and joining the Foreign legion
of the French army.
Decides to Go to Canada.
A couple of nights after got to New
York | fell into conversation in the
TIL who oh xxvhn
was i'll the reinforcement company of
Princess Pats regiment of the Cana
dian forces. After my talk with him
I decided to go up to Canada and look
things over. l arrived at the Windsor
hotel, in Montreal, at s o'clock in the
morning a couple Of days later, and at
10 o'clock that morning l was sworn
i'll as private in the Canadian Grena-
der guards, Eighty-seventh overseas
battalion. Lieutenant Colonel f. S.
Meighen commanding. They were just
getting under way, making soldiers out
of the troops l enlisted with. and dis
cipline was quite lax.
They at once gave me weeks leave
to come down to New York and settle
up some personal affairs, and | over
stayed it five days. All that my COM
pany commander said to me when l
got back was that | seemed to have
picked up Canadian habits very quick
IT, At review one day in our train
ing camp | heard major say:
Boys, for Gods sake don't call me
Harry or spit in the ranks. Here comes
the general!'
We found out eventually that there
was a reason for the slackness of dis
cipline. The trouble was that men
would enlist to get S1.10 day with
out working for it and would desert
as soon as any one made it unpleasant
for them. Our officers knew what they
were about. Conditions changed in
stantly we went on shipboard. Disci-
pline frightened up on US like tie rope
on a colt.
We trained in a sort of casual, easy
way in Canada from Nov. 4 to the fol-
lowing April. We had good deal OF
trouble keeping our battalion up to
times with other 'noncoms" on a re-
cruiting detail While we were in the
training camp at ST. Johns l made the
of young Canadian who
became my 'pal." He was Campbell
Mcfarland, nephew Of George McFar-
land, the actor who is so we'll known
on the American musical stage. He
was a sergeant. When first knew
him he was one of the most delightful
and amusing young fellows you could
imagine.
The war changed him entirely. He
became extremely quiet and seemed to
be borne down with the sense of the
terrible things which he saw. He new
er lost the good fellowship which was
inherent in him and was always ready
to do anything to oblige me, but he
formed the habit Of sitting, alone and
silent, for hours at time, just think
ing. 1t seemed as If he had Fremont
ton about himself, though he never
showed fear and never spoke of the
dangers we were going into, as the
other fellows did He was killed In
I also had been made a sergeant on
account of the fact that l had been
at school in the Virginia Military In
is, | was an acting ser
geant 1t was explained to me that
my appointment would have to be
confirmed in England and then recon-
6rmed after three months service in
France. Under the regulations Of the
Canadian forces nOncommisslOned
officer, after final confirmation in his
grade, can be reduced to the ranks
only by general court martial, though
le can escape a court martial, when
confronted with charges. by reverting
% the ranks at his own request
Forty-two hundred of us sailed for
England on the Empress of Britain,
sister ship to the Empress of Ireland.
which was sunk in the ST. Lawrence
liver. The steamer was, of course.
-ery crowded and uncomfortable. and |
he Aight day trip across was most un-
pleasant We had tripe to eat until |
We were sick of the sight of it. A
,orraant ranortnd one morning "FiUht !