The Oroville weekly gazette. [volume] (Oroville, Wash.) 1905-19??, 1918-08-30
MISSING IN ACTION

""J oiteinoOH u ulSpatcn was
received at the local telegraph office
from the war department, at Wash
ington. D. c., and addressed to Mrs.
II. Brooks. which read as follows:
Your son, James Brooks, is report
ed as missing in action August lst.
That was all, but it carried to the
relativ..~ Of the missing soldier the
poignant grief that has entered into
so many homes in the United States
during the last few months, and which
must bring sorrow to thousands of
other homes before the curse of kais-
erism is removed from the earth.
Mrs. Brooks formerly lived in Oro-
Vile and her missing son was one
or the first to go in the draft. A few
weeks ago Mrs. Brooks went to Leav-
enworth to keep house for younger
son, who Is employed as fireman on
the Great Northern road. The tele-
gram was forwarded to her at that
place. A sister of the missing man,
Mrs. Jerome Hankins,s lives here, and
she was almost prostrated by the
news.
The report that yanng Brooks was
among the missing in action spread
rapidly through the community. The
flag was placed at half mast, and
that caused anxious inquiry as for
the reason of this evidence of mourn :
ing.
No further word has been received
by the relatives of the soldier, and
they are kept in doubt as to whether
the boy Is dead or prisoner.
James Brooks is well known in
Oroville, as he lived here for a num-
Der of years before entering the
service. He was among the first draft
contingent that left Okanogan county
for Camp Lewis. When he left Camp
Lewis for over esas duty he was a
member of Co. d, 47th Infantry. Be-
fore going abroad he spent a few
days in Oroville on furlough, visiting
with his relatives, and the brief train
ing had already made a remarkable
improvement in the physical appear
ance Of the young man. He was 25
years of age when called to the
colors.
1t is hardly necessary to say that
the heartfelt sympathy of the entire
loyal element in the community goes
out to the relatives of James Brooks
in this hour of their supreme trial,
for that sympathy was freely express
ed on every hand as the sad news
circulated among the residents of the
town. Let us hope that he is sound in
body, and If a prisoner that he may
be spared the privations and hard
ships that the bloody and brutal Huns
have inflicted upon prisoners in the
past James Brooks was every inch a
soldier, fired with patriotic spirit
Like all boys who have responded
to the call he was happy in the serv-
| ice of his country, and ager to do his
part in the war for civilization. As
| the horrors of war are thus brought
directly home to us by the sacrifice
/ in life and blood of our young man.
hood it is the bounden duty of every
| patriotic citizen to pledge his life
| his means and his sacred honor in
backing those boys at the front who
are doing the real suffering that theil
sacrifice may not be in vain, and tt
use every means in their power, ever
to force if necessary, to suppress any
Iinsiduous element of disloyalty tha
may crop out. With the names O
the boys of Okanogan county appear
ing in the lists of killed, wounded
and missing 1t is no time to be meal,
mouthed or remain supinely passive
The boys in France are Offering thei
lives to crush dangerous enem!
abroad, and those at home should b,
equally as active in crushing even
more dangerous enemy at home, tn
Idisloyal citizen who has and Is enjoy
ing the privileges of the best govern
Iment on earth and at the same tim
insidiously working to undermine tha
government