The Tupelo journal., 1917-09-21
SOLDIERS DEPART FOR
TRAINING CAMP

On Wednesday forty per cent of
the selective draft army was moved
to the environments that had been
prepared for them where they go
into training as soldiers of the ma
tional army. This draft moved 300,-
Z 600 men and from one end of the
country to fhe other the young men
were given tremendous ovations by
the citizens of the localities from
which they went and all along the
route of their trains. At all the
stations crowds gathered to salute
them and wish them God speed on
their journeys.
While this great movement was
in progress all over the country Tu-
pelo was doing her bit in the way
of expressing her appreciation of the
brave young fellows who will soon
become members of the greatest
army this country has ever organ
lied. The committees of ladies and
gentlemen appointed to make prepa-
rations for the entertainment of the
boys planned to serve noon day
dinner to those who were to go from
this and Itawamba counties, but
when it was ascertained that their
train would not reach Tupelo until
nine-thirty in the evening the hour
was changed to six o'clock. AS the
boys came in for their certificates of
transportation which was issued by
the sheriff, a badge was pinned on
the lapels of their coats which desig
mated them as one of the selective
draft from Lee county or Itawamba
county. Tables We're erected on the
west yard of court square and roped
off so that the boys could be served
separately and when the hour arriv-
ed they were invited into this enclo-
sure and partook of the bountiful re-
past which. the good people of Tupelo
had prepared for them. When the
soldiers had been served announce
ment was made that all members of
the families of the boys who were
5 present., fathers aaa mothers, broth
ers and sisters, would then be served
at supper and quite a number enter
ed also and partook of the bountiful
feast. The train over the Frisco on
which the Lee and Itawamba con-
tingent left came in about ten-thirty
Following is list of the boys from
Lee county:
Claude Addison Nichols, Newt
Hadden, Samuel A. Bilhngsley, En-
rie Miller, Robert Lee Carnes,
Claude A. Putt, Quillin 0. Johnson,
VIM. Johnsey Simms, VIM. Murphy
Brooks, E. c. Poole, James R. Lynch,
Raymond B. Mccormick, James r.
Burney, Sam F. Riley, Jap Benson,
Dave Smith, Almon Burgess, Jack
Bassett, Chas. Labe Williams, Rich
ard P. Agnew, Charlie L. McCulley,
Perry Burlison, Hubert Bob Riley,
Joe E. Patterson, Roy H. Owen, D.
Blassingame, Wisdom Schultz, Clar-
eence Riley, William R. Cunningham,
Conney Lee O'Neal, Orlando Sulli-
van, Edward W. Wade, Clyde H.
May, Richard A. Kitchens, J. X.
Priddy, Frank West, William M.
Hall.
The train of soldiers from the
counties south of US came in about
s o'clock and were fed by Mr.. Hos
ford at the Southern Hotel, instruc-
tions having been given him to pre-
pare the meal for them. The train
remained here an hour, the boys re-
ceiving an enthusiastic reception
from the immense crowd that went
to the Union Station to bid the boys
goodbye This crowd ran up into
the thousands and each and every
one present had good wish for the
hoys leaving. The country around
.c.s represented by many who came
in their cars. The entire space
around the station was taken by au-
tomobiles that were banked as close
as they could stand a block north on
Spring street.
The boys were in good spirits and
left with the determination to being
good soldiers and reflect credit on
the county and state they represent.