The vidette. (Iuka, Tishomingo County, Miss.) 1912-1967, 1918-05-16
WIVES, MOTHERS
AND SWEETHEARTS
TAKE NOTICE
If You Love Him Show it by
Cheerful Letters.
HEADQUARTERS THIR-
YT-NINTH DIVISION
CAMP BEAUREGARD
ALEXANDRIA, LA
May 2, 1918.

jackson, Mississippi.
My dear Governor Bilbo:
As the Chief Executive of your
state and as a patriotic citizen of
this nation, ! know you are inter
ested lii the welfare of the soldiers
in this Camp thousands of whom
are from Mississippi.
1t is impressed upon my mind
every day that many mothers, wives
and sweethearts Of our soldiers are,
unwittingly, bringing upon themsel-
yes and upon their soldier relatives
the greatest misery and disgrace.
! want to see you. Please come
home"
These eight words of affection
compose hundreds of messages that
are received by men in this camp
each day. Despite the fact they APP
pear as tender tokens from home,
they are the cause of more misery
and anguish on the part of the
soldiers OF Camp Beauregard than
any other cause. They engender
inconsistencies and discomfort in the
hearts of the boys who go, with or
without leave, to their loved ones.
In these strenuous times of war the
crime Of being absent without leave
is a serious one and its punishment
is well known, especially to the men
in the army.
Because the folks at home are the
innocent cause of so many of these
crimes, ! want to make a direct APP
peal to relatives and friends of the
men to refrain from addressing to
them messages that make them be-
lieve that things are not right at
home-that they should return to
their firesides even without leave OF
permission.
1t is natural, | know, for a sick
wife or mother to want to see her
soldier boy. In every one except in
the most extreme cases, the desire
should be suppressed, for the soldier,
not being a physician, could ac-
complish no real good by visit but
could, on the other hand, by such a
visit without permission get himself
into predicament from which he
cannot extricate himself in months
and some cases years. A soldier
should not be written discouraging
letters, but instead, he should be
sent words of cheer. He has impor.
tant duties to perform for his coun.
try and he can do them better witt
a light heart.
The sight of a prisoner wearing a
ball and chain is a pitiful one il
private life. That of soldier boy
being driven to unpleasant duties O.
a prisoner under guard is Just a.
shocking, but it is not an unfre
quent sight in this Camp. Tn,
greatest number of the reasons fo
this predicament are letters writer
by folks at home imploring him t.
1ohAN HpAilN W bilCius
In many cases of desertion tn
cause is traced to these seemingl,
innocent letters from home. Tn
soldier receives such a letter, h.
gets homesick or blue" and de
cides to leave, with or without per
mission. After he arrives at home
ne begins to realize what his actor
means and he decides to stay. De
sertion in time of War is punishable
by the death penalty. Deserter
from this Division are sentenced t.
confinement in the Federal Peni
Tertiary for long terms, ranging iron
, ten to twenty-five years.
If mothers, wives and sweetheart
could be made to understand wha
misery and disgrace they may brinl
: upon their loved ones by writin,
such letters, | am sure they woulo
send messages of good cheer insteac
: of those which will make the son
! husband or sweetheart downcast an,
! homesick.
! If the people of Arkansas, Louis
! lana and Mississippi would realiz,
! that every letter written a soldie
making him feel that things wer,
! not all right at home was the wors
! thing for his welfare, | believe the,
would stop sending such messages
: | know this section of the countr,
and feel that in no other part is pa
: triotism greater and pride in tn,
army more pronounced. Histor,
shows that the enlisted men of thi,
Division come from fighting stock
for they are the descendants q
those efficient and daring soldier:
who followed Beauregard, Dick Tav,
Tor, Barksdale, Pat Cleburne. Pike
Marmaduke, Van Dorm, Chas. CLARK
and other famous leaders during the
sixties. These facts show me there
IS no intention on the part of the
folks at home to deter the progress.
of the army. On the other hand !
realize that the fondness had for the
men cause their relatives and friends
at home to desire to see them. To
comply with this desire the men
take chances and as a result get into
serious trouble. / believe that when
these conditions are realized these
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