Evening journal., 1918-02-13
IS Years PENALTY
FOR ARMY DESERTON
Jersey Guardsman Who Left
His Company in South is
Tried and Sentenced
SOLDIERS KNIT
THEIR OWN SOCKS
Special to THE EVENING JOURNAL.

Special to THE EVENING JOURNAL.
CAMP DIX, n. J.. Feb. i3-Claude C.
Thomas. Of Florence, a member OF
Company II, Hath Infantry. at Camp
Mcclellan. Ala, viii spend 10 years at
hard labor In the Federal peniientiary
at Atlanta under the penalty imposed
by q court martial that tried him here
on the charge Of desertion. The YER
dict and its approval by Major General
Scott were announced yesterday
Thomas was a member OF the New
Jersey National Guard and disappeared
from his company October %. lie was
captured at Bridgeton November A..
and was brought to Camp Dix, where
military authorities later ordered that
he be tried He admitted being absent
from his company without the neces-
sary permit, but claimed he was not
n deserter. The verdict Of the court
martial included forfeiting ell pay and
a dishonorsble discharge at the end Of
his prison term.
Knitting socks for soldiers became an
actual occupation OF soldiers them
selves today when cenvalescent patients
NJ the fracture ward Of the base hos
pital were introduced to the newest
called 10 Occupaiional therapeutics and
say 1t has been found Of great value
IN Fastening cures In French war hos
pitals. They predicted the plan will be
widely adopted in army hospitals in
this country, If the experiment here
meets with the anticipated success
The value Of the new treatment, sur
geons explain, lies in the fact that IL
Lac. ..H ..r.Na HnN
ual creative work 10 do. Many cures
are hampercd by The fact that time
drags slowly upon the patients IN the
convalescent wards especially among
the surgical cases.
Plans had been made TO introduce
the sysiem here cXperiment3lly. but
The hospital was without equipment
until the army s. NJ. Q a. procured a
score of small table looms They work
with a crank. make no noise and a pa
tient can turn out "a knitted sock an
hour. Tho boys In The ward had heard
Of the proposed innovation and were as
delighted as children with new tops
when the machines were produced.
Barnett VI. Trow. OF skates. Tenn. was
the FIRST soldier Go turn out q sock.
An economic value Is attached TO the
has arranQcl TO turn over 90 the Red
Cross all. socks they knit Many more
Of the small looms can be used and the
association yesterday made an appeal
for individuals and organizations TO aid
by donating machine or two, the cost
being small one OF The most inter
ested observers of the knitting Of the
0rst sock was Private Donaldson. OF
Hra arHhn a
tank "Brittsnia' capsized here last
week. one Les was broken and he Is
looking forward to being well enough
next week 60 knit a sock for the leg
The company drummer once more be-
comes an institution In the American
army under orders issued by Major
General scott yesterday. Each com
pany officer I'M the division IS instructed
10 procure a snare drum and a drum
mer. The latter VIII not De called upon
10 perform the romantic duty OF beat
ing the "chargc' when his company
soes into action but viii accompany
lhe company on It's hikes and practice
marches. aiding the buglers. Drums
also will be used In sounding some OF
The camp calls 10 duty
Great snow banks, melting away rap
idly under a springlikc temperature, to-
lay flooded the parade grounds IN many
parts Of the camp and in some in
stances left the barracks standing in
the centre Of small lakes. The frozen
ground prevented the water sweeping
away naturally and ordinary drains un-
der now roads failed TO carry OF the
overflow. Drainage canals are being
constructed 40 several points to handle
The unexpected freshet. one some of
ihe lower levels OF "Marne Hi" the
water stonds six feet deep in the
trenches
Success OF the drive for war risk in
-urance again has brought O commen-
.atory message 10 Camp Dix from the
FEDERAL Insurance Onlce at Washing
ION The message cOmplimented Cen
eral scott and the division upon hav-
ing the first brigade IN the American
army with every member insured The
i53h Infantry Brigade, composed Of
the 309lh and 3iOlh New York Infan-
fry Regiments and the 3osth Machine
Gun Battalion, is designated. The dvi-
sion also leads in per capita insurance
issued in The drive, which ended yester-
day. Total figures have not yet been
announced
The camp still holds the record as
me heallhie,l cantonment in America.
only five deaths. less than The average
u civil life for men Of like age, oc-
CURED in January. One death was at
iribuied 20 pneumonia. one to meningi-
lis. one 10 strangulated hernia, one 10
scarlet fever. one TO pleurisy, fol-
lowing measles.
To weed out inefficient officers is the
duty assigned 10 a Division Board ap-
pointed by Major General Scott yes
ierday to pass upon the fitness Of any
officers whose merits are questioned
The board is composed Of Colonel
Bunker. OF the 308th Field Artillery;
Lieutenant Colonel Watson. Of the 3i2th
Infantry, and Major J. L. Wilson, Of the
309th Field Artillery.
TO SING 'HEAR MY PRAYER"
Mendclssohn'g Hear Nv pravnrm