The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1918-03-28

ports concerning the alleged sale OF
sweaters were contained in letters
written to relatives by Private Emmett
Murphy, of the 149th Field Artillery,
and Private Douglas A. Ferguson, of
the 18th railway engineers.
Private Ferguson's charges were
contained in letter to his sister In
which he said:
Says Prices High
"What are you doing with all the
sweaters YOU are knitting? We have
to nav quite dearly for all things we
get from the Red Cross. In fact, some
of the boys have refused to buy any
thing more from them, as their prices
were rather high"
This letter, which was published in
a newspaper in Jonesville, Michigan,
was called to the attention of the War
Council, which Immediately cabled the
Paris Bureau of the American Red
Cross to make a searching investiga-
ton of the charges. THE investigation
revealed that Ferguson's accusations
were based entirely upon rumor and
passed along by the young soldier to
his sister as gentle hint to send him
q sweater.
Private Ferguson felt badly when in
formed that his letter had been re-
sponsible for considerable unfair criti-
cism of the American Red Cross and
voluntarily supplied the Red Cross
Representative who visited him with a
. signed statement in which he said:
i "What l told my sister was based
entirely upon what some of the boys
were saying about the prices charged
in a lunchroom operated at one OF the
base hospitals. l thought at the time
I wrote my sister that this lunchroon
was run by the Red Cross, but have
since learned that it was managed anc
. rim by another organization.
!, Houed Would Take Hint
], "In speaking of sweaters, 1 had M
Knowledge of any sweaters being sole
there. but as she wrote me that sh'
was knitting one / hoped the abov'
would be taken as q hint to send ont
, direct to me, which she did. / receiv
cd the sweater little while ago, blu
:. am very sorry my hint to her ma
made people think that the Red Gross
: sweaters are being sold. ! nope OF
the other side everything Will be dom
: that can be to correct my error
! making q statement based upon III
tmors only"
Private Murphy, who had written t.
Ibis mother that the Red Cross repre-
e1 sentatives in France were selling
sweaters to the soldiers, gave the fol
allowing signed statement to Fathe
= Hommick:
l. 81 hereby testify that this was onl
i a rumor and have no absolutely proof
: Regret exceedingly to have caused an
d trouble on the part of Red Cross"
+ (Signed) EMMETT ]. MURPHY.
Is Supplementing Murphy's statcmer
lis one from his commanding officer,
). M. Patterson, of Battery B, 149th !
> A. In it he says:
?. Sorry it Happened
10 81 have had talk with Priva,
re Murphy and his explanation is that
r. writing to his mother he mentioned tt
)3 fact. that it was rumor and gener,
-ltopic among the men that the Re
7 Cross was selling sweaters that wei
re- donated to them for distribution. T
"a mentioned it as a rumor only, as l
did not know whether the Statement
% were true. He did not realize that
7, would cause any trouble and he is il
It deed very sorry that it happened. 4
my suggestion, he has alreadv writt1
'oe to his mother correcting this misu
m derstanding."
% AT the same time that the "sweat
ce rumors" were being Investigated cor
b. plsint reached the War Council tn
t., the tobacco furnished by the contrib
so tions Of individuals to hundreds