The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1918-02-25
THREE THOUSAND
GATHER TO CHEER
SOLDIERS BOUND
FOR CAMP DODGE
141 Clay County Men En-
trained at Moorhead
Sunday Morning
NOT A WEAK
HEART IN LOT
Lieutenant Bert Mcdonald
Of Hawley, in Charge
of Men

The final 141 men of Clay county's
first Increment to the national army
entrained at Moorhead Sunday morn
ing at the Northern Pacific station
and started for Camp Dodge a few
minutes after 9 o'clock. Fully 5000
persons had assembled to witness the
departure Of the Clay county men on
the first stage Of their trip "over
there. When the train pulled out of
the station the men leaned out Of the
car windows and cheered, bringing a
hearty response from the great
crowd.
Lieut.. Bert Mcdonald of Battery F
was in charge of the men and each of
hefollowin@ assistants was in immedi-
ate charge of a squad: Melvin E.
Johnson. Emil M. Fankhanel.
Maurice d. Stevenson, Walter E.
Dugan, Arnold d. Pilot, Cyrus T..
Rufer, Tilman 8. Hanson, Martin H.
Mortenson, George Westvedt Villas
G. Preston, Paul l.. Colliton, Roy e.
Leach, Ralph Strom, Oscar Ormbreck,
Egmund A. KOenemann, Wallace
Preston, and William e. Hill.
Smokes Were Supplied.
On the train the men were sup
piled with a variety of smokes
provided by the Moorhead CONNER
Eldl CAuDs bdLIGIy 4uIlu anu
individual friends of the men. There
were a few leave takings at the sta
ton but most OF the family farewells
had been said before the men were
called together for the last time be-
fore entraining.
Sheriff Dan w. Mcdonald, chair
man of the local board, and County
Auditor Andrew o. Houglum, the
clerk, called the roll at the Comstock
hotel at o'clock and every one of
the 141 men responded. DR.. o. j.
Hagen, the surgeon member Of the
board. was also on hand but there
was no call for his services as there
was not a man in the bunch who had
a weak heart or any other ailment
that required treatment.
The Moorhead Home Guard and
the Moorhead Fire department acted
as guard Of honor for the men who
were leaving for, camps. After roll
cab the guards were lined up on
either side of Eighth street between
Front street and the Northern Pacific
track with the 141 men in squads of
eight between the two lines. AS the
train drifted into the station the
lines were drawn together and all
down the platform to the
two. cars reserved for the Clay coun-
tv men. Here they were checked
aboard with their baggage and form
ally turned over to Lieut.. Bert Nc
Donald by the local board.
An Eleventh Hour Call.
A the eleventh hour Saturday night
Adjutant Gen w. fl. Rhinow asked
Mcdonald Of the local
board TO hold back the a. members
Of Battery +, who were included in
The Clay county increment. The re-
quest was denied after a somewhat
lengthy conversation BY telephone
st. Paul and Moorhead. |
Andrew o. Houglum, clerk of the
board, had Just finished his vouchers
and had supplied the subsistence
orders to Lieutenane Mcdonald when !
the call came. He agreed with |
Mcdonald that there |
should be no delay i'm sending the |
men forward as there was no assur- |
ance that the Second regiment, Of ]
which Battery r Is a unit, would be /
called into service on Monday as was |
promised in the telephone conserva-
ion. Capt. A. C. Rusness Of the bat /
cry also advised against delaying /
he departure of the men who had /
already been indicted into the ma 1
.ional army.
The battery members who knew Of /
he request OF the adjutant general /
III agreed that they did not want To 4
wait any longer to get into the game /
Il the regiment is called into serv- I
ce they win gladly transfer tn Ii. but +
said they would be ahead tn their +
raining III they We're permitted to /
90 straight through 70 Camp Dodge.