Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-04-20
MCCLELLAN BOYS
GET CERTIFICATES
Successful Officers Act as
Hosts at Dance at the
Inn
,.mn Mcc,elIan. Annl.lon. Ma. Anrl.

camp Mcclellan. Anni,tou. Ma, April
2O-The third officers training camp
has graduated the successful students
who have been studying to become Off
GERS since last December. Major Cen
eral Morton yesterday addressed the
graduates. The division commander also
presented the graduation certificates.
Last night the training camp men were
the hosts at u dance at the Admission
Inn.
In order to check the practice Of SOL
diers writing to newspapers asking them
to publish letters in which they set
forth that they are without friends and
never get mail, Major John 7. Hill divi-
sion judge advocate, has determined to
prosecute all offenders under the postal
laws. Major Hnl. VINO was formerly
the United States District Attorney at
Baltimore declares that the men who
secure vast quantities Of mail in this
way are using the mails to detraud,
Recently a letter appeared in a Chi
cago paper signed "a COmrade Of
Charles Coogan.' setting forth that Coo
gan never received a letter and was
forlorn soldier. As q result Coogan has
received dozens Of mail pouches tll'd
with letters and packages. Money has
come in abundance, photographs OF
women have flooded the mails. Two
! wealthy families want to adopt him. one
woman proposed marriage TO him. And
as It just happens Coogan is married
man from Paterson, n. j., and is serv-
/ ing a sentence in the prison stockade
| for violations of the army regulations,
| he having been convicted of being absent
| without leave,
Seeing the success with which Coo
gaus ruse worked, others have tried
similar schemes, with the result that
! New Jersey and Virginia papers espe-
| clally have been flooded with such let
ters The latest reaching the attention
! of the authorities is one from an Atdu-
tic City paper Each case will be IN
vestigated and if the men are not lonely
and forlorn, as they assert, they are to
be prosecuted.
The successf Il manner in which the
motor section Of the 104th ammunition
train established an ammunition dump
at Piedmont in conjunction with the
field work of the Fifty-eighth Infantry
Brigade re-enforced Is the matter Of
considerable discussion in official cir
cles here Lieutenant Colonel William
b. Martin, commanding the ammunition
train, was directed to establish by >
o'clock at night an ammunition dump
where would be available for distribution
TO the various units in the field the fol-
lowing ordnance; 100000 rounds small
arms ammunition, 1000 three-inch shells
10000 hand grenadcs, 5000 one-pound
gun shells and a complete set of pyro-
technic equipment
Under cover of darkness, without q
single light burning, the long train OF
sixty-four trucks set out from here toi
Piedmont. No man smoked a cigarette
No man spoke except in subdued voice
Hanging upon the tenders on either side
OF each truck men observed the darkeneC
roadway and guided the drivers. There
was not a single accident and in plenty
of time the dump had been arranged anc
: ;he supplies were in hand.
Under the direction of Colonel E. Z
Goodwin, commander of trains, the va
rious combat trains proceeded to th'
dump and procured their necessary sup
; plies. ,o,.,- r.,
The first battalion of the lO4th Engi
neers, consisting of the Newark, Tren
ton and Camden companies, will return
today or tomorrow from their hike t
Chatchee. During ehelr trip the engi
neers repaired weak bridges and die
other field work