Free trader-journal. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1916-1920, 1918-09-25

rum MS ROOu name, fFlNdle SluHey
Katz whom his colonel alleged aban-
doned his company as it was about to
embark for overseas, has written his
father stating what he purports 20 be
the facts in the case. In the letters
! both of which were written after he
was informed of the charges placed
against him, Katz says:
Sept 20, 1915
Dear Father
have not received letter from
YOU as ye1 and don't know whether
or not you wrote. This transferring
and moving makes it complicated, and
the mail is sent back and forth.
am company clerk and acting cor.
poral of our new company and we
are getting ready to leave New York
tonight or tomorrow morning tor
France. | am getting anxious to
leave already as ! am with dandy
bunch OF fellows
Have you received all of my mail?
wrote you about six different dimes.
This is Thursday, and have not re.
ceived any mail from you.
| think ] will go second cabin, as
! have to be company commander all
the time ami | think it will make a
nice trip over TO London first and
then somewhere in France.
I ! suppose you got all of my letters
and all the information | gave you
! am going to give you my permanent
address now, SO write to me from now
on. Your son. SIDNEY.
40I Overseas Casual Company,
American Expeditionary Forces,
Camp Merritt, n j.
Good-by and good luck, and only take
care of yourself. ana it won't be long
until We come sailing home.
Sept. q.
Dear Father:
received your letter, and also the
package under separate cover. which
came in very handy as my hnancial
circumstances for the past ten days
have been so low | could not buy a
cigarette paper to roll a cigarette
OF course, that is all due to my own
negligence, because | used up all my
money while in New York, | certainly
, had one grand time. II you coul /
| rdalize how we fellows feel, after
! being in camp, confined to drilling and
, military discipline, and then to walk
, into city like New York. what one
wouldn't do in order TO seek pleas
, ure, ana | am sure you are all well
aware of the fact When there is
anything doing along having a gooc
g time, you will generally find me a.
one of the first on the list Well,
, certainly put the limited amount o
: time had in having a good time.
Wei, was certainly SURPRISED
a when | opened the Ottawa paper ant
- saw my name in heavy type. O
} course, it did not surprise me to tn,
extent of making me faint or anything
. like that. But know there are sev
: eral people in Ottawa who crave fo
!, that scandal ana like to make a mill
4 out of an inch, when 1t comes to gi,
c. ing some people detrimental publicity
! Or course, these few people do no
, bother me, and | am sure have
q number Of friends in Ottawa and ais
:, in other cities who place more cont
dence In ME than even entertainin
such thoughts of me- But, of course
q as | say, this does not worry me i
the least
:. This war will be over very soon an
- hope | see the day when can tai
., freely to some few people | have /
80 mind in order to tell them what
:, think of item Wei, it is no use ,
:, me discussing such matters as state
=. aeainst-what these few marrow
a minded are now practlcing and "
80 sure will clear the world of thes
~ = ideals.
=, ! always asked you pa, not 20 worr
70 about me, as you know that | woul
never be msled by anyone to do an
y, thing out of the way, so forget 1t AT
-, relieve your mind Of such thoughts.
~ Well, | hope YOU are relieved
the thoughts that | am dpsprter an
l., also those people who were led to b
lieve likewise until they learned Il
l., truth of the matter
ns We are now at Camp Merritt, Ne
,Ir York, a port of embarkation, about
= forty.minute ride from Hoboken. He
long We will be here don't know, b