The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1918-04-11

- O0rS mic cases from lamp ITanC
at r> rll., from Camp Dodge
and from jgulars stationed at
Omaha. It Is expected that chronic
cases from Ft. Smelling will also be
brought here. Colonel Cooper is in
charge.
Carrier Pigeons Attract Attention.
One Of the most interesting places
at the camp is the nifty habitation
made by the carrier pigeons. Visitors
always make it point to visit this di-
vision. Behind the fine green pigeon
house (which is kept as clean and light
and sanitary as any army barracks, is
rustic arch over which are the let
ters "313th Field Signal Battalion, D..
S." Nobody knows what the ID. s."
stands for-not even Sergt. Christoph-
er Schmerfeld, who will have charge
of the pigeons. Sergt. Schmerfeld
has handled carriers for years. He
was for twelve years with the Brit
ish army and his pigeons carried many
important messages in the Boar war.
Seven hundred miles is deemed no dis
tance at all for a carrier to 60. In fact
Sergt. Schmerfeld tells Of one car
rier pigeon which he gave to man
in Mandalay, India. The bird was
taken to a point in England, some g.
800 miles distant. Some time later
the sergeant received letter from the
man saying that he had arrived in
England safely with the pigeon. But
before the letter arrived, the carrier
was roosting contentedly back in his
perch in Mandalay. Trial flights will
be begun with the pigeons at once.
They are sleek, beautiful birds Of dove
color and tan and have very intelli-
gent eyes. There is little pigeon
hospital few feet from their "apart-
ments" where the sick and wounded
birds are kept. Kaffir corn is the
main article of diet Of the pigeons.
They are fed twice daily and bathed
every day. Sergeant Schmerfeld
claims to be half blooded Indian.
He has been in the army since 1895.
He sent out pigeons at the seige OF
Ladysmith during the Boer war.
Stiff Sentence for Guard Who Went
To Sleep.
Private Benjamin Walker Of Conn
pany A, 166th Infantry, will serve 5
years at Ft. Leavenworth because he
deserted his post while on guard, and
went to his barracks to sleep for an
hour. Court martial orders published
by the Judge advocate specified, that
that man shall serve a prison sentence
and afterwards be dishonorably dis
charged from the national army. Brig.
Gen. E. H. Plummer, who received
the case while still in command Of the
88th division, suspended the dishonor-
ably feature Of the discharge.
Getting Ready for Athletic Sports.
Raising money with which to buy
equipment for ball games and other
sports has enlisted some of the best
talent at the camp. Recently an en-
tertainment was given at a down town
theatre by '*home talent" from Camp
Dodge. It was called a minstrel
show and the proceeds were to go for
the athletic fund. It was by no
means an amateur entertainment. Ac-
robats were on the program who had
been headliners with Barnum & Bail
ey's and Ringling Brothers shows;
vaudeville stars who had appeared in
all Of the great theatres in Europe;
hypnotists of world wide renown;
slight of hand performers and ventril-
oquists who had appeared before the
crowned heads across the sea; vocal
lists who had toured the country with
AL. G. Fields or O'Brien; clowns
whose stunts with Barnum and Ring
ling had made millions laugh; music
ians who can extract melody from al
most any object and initiate mock
ing bird or a calliope- these and 9TH
ers were on the program. All kinds
Of talent may be found at the. canton
ment. The show netted $500. The
recent convention Of threshermen in
Des Moines raised $500 for the division
atheletic fund and Thomas Ryan, box
ing promoter, has sent $40 to the ath-
letic fund, this being the divisions
share of recent boxing exhibitions in
which Camp Dodge boxers participat-
ed. The Des Moines Elks lodge has
contributed box Of athletic goods.
With this and other donations, seven
ty companies Of the division are now
supplied with athletic equipment. In
organizing ball teams some Of the best
ball players in the country are avail
able. Among the new arrivals "Rube"
Ellis, an outfelder Of big league ex-
perience. Ellis received his contract
for the Washington club shortly after
he had been summoned to the colors.
Last season he was farmed out to
Birmingham in the southern league.
Ellis was looked upon as one Of the
most promising young gardeners in
the game and should be big factor
in helping the soldier team to win
games.
Hospital Extension Completed.
The enlargement at the base hospi-
tai is about completed. Two hundred
officers and enlisted men Of base hos
nita1 detachment No. III are exepcted