The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1917-10-11
LETTER FR .a
CAMP DODGE
INTERESTING DESCRIPTION OF
HOME OF LOCAL SOL
DER BOYS.

DER BOYS.
Camp Dodge, Iowa, Oct. 9. 1917
There is surely veritab1e "confus-
ion of tongues" at the 18th Army
Cantonment. In single barrack
saw five Mexicans, four Greeks, six
Italians, ons Turk, an Armenian and
two who claimed to have been born
in Egypt. l am told that some Of
the cities in Illinois are furnishing q
great variety Of international blood
Each of the states furnish men of
German, Irish, English and Scandi-
navian extraction. At Pierz, Minn.,
the whole community is German and
the farewell address to the six men
from that town was delivered in the
German language by Father Lastrup.
The entire village and many persons
from the surrounding country turned
out to bid the boys God-speed and
cheered patriotic speeches. The
Three Hundred and Fifty-frst regi-
ment, made up Of southern Mime
sofa men, reported a list of twenty
seven men in that organization not
able to understand English sufficient
ly to receive instruction or take COM
,nands. The list includes four Ital-
ians, one Hungarian, four who speak
nothing but Russian and five Rus
slams and Polish, three Syrians, one
Bohemian, one Greek, one Jew, three
Swedes and four Poles. By an or
der of Brigadier. General Beach, of
the One Hundred Seventy sixth in
fantry brigade, these men will be
given group or individual instruction
as the case may require, by trained
interpreters. In the Three Hundred
Thirty-seventh regiment of field ar
tillery, all Minneapolis troops are
eight Hungarians who speak no Eng
lish. The difficulty experienced in
drilling these men in a battery of
English-speaking soldiers was great
ly overcome by night schools. Lieu
tenant Hanzlic, former lawyer, as
signed to this regiment was found to
speak practically all of the Slavic dia-
lects. He is Pole. Lieutenant
Hanzlic, by direction of Colonel
Greene, the commander of the regi-
ment, now takes the eight Hungar-
ians each night and prepares them
for the next days drill. The officer
first explains movement to be exc
cuted. Then he gives the command
for it's execution in English. By this
method the men associate the move
ment with it's English order in such
manner and with such success that
the following day, in various battery
groups, they 60 through the drill as
we'll as their English comrades. Tht
lieutenant has found the foreign SOL
diers eager to learn and especially
apt and willing.
Several full blood Indians have
been assigned to proper regiments.
Mesuuakies from the Tama reserva-
ton, and red-men from Minnesota
and North Dakota. From the latter
state came a Chippewa whose In
dian name is Rain-in-the-eye, but
whose every day cognomen is Fred
Bender. He was out with thresh-
ing crew and did not know that he
had been drafted until too late to
join the other boys from that state,
80 he came alone. He is brother Of
Charles Albert Bender, the famous
base ball pitcher with the Philadel-
phia National Leag1e.> Dewitt
Rhodes of Redwood, Mimi, was mis-
taken for a negro in the rush of en-
rollment and was ordered to stand
back until called. II am an Indian,
not a Negro" declared Rhodes. II
know my skin is dark, but look at
my hair, my eyes and face" Rhodes
is a full blooded Indian and is a grad
uate of Minnesota college. He ex-
planned afterwards that he was will
ing to come to Camp Dodge, and that
he had not claimed exemption. He
was assigned to the Three Hundred
Fnty-first regiment ...
The war department does not in
tend that there should be any gloomy
days at camp. The large chautauqua
promoters Of the United States are
commissioned to send variety OF
talent to all Of the Cantenments.
Every Friday there will be an enter
tainment from this source. The
Greater Des Hoines committee and
the Chamber Of Commerce are work
ing in unity in providing entertain
ments Of various kinds. There Will
be community singing, special cours-
es in the schools, state days tor spec
iaf occasions, downtown elubroom,
and entertainment in private homes,
libraries ct the camp and reading
rooms In the. city, . trouble commit
tee for those who want friends sF aid,
open baths at the Y. II. G. A. Sum
day q well AZ week days and open
baths at the public school swimming
pools, organized and united religious
work, protection from overcharges,
q program Of athletic contests p1o-
baby at the Coliseum. John Il G1h-
fith, athletic director of DRAKE un1vss-