Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-03-12
MASTER V|OL|N|ST
WITH CAMP DIX MEN
Artist Reveals Himself After Mod
estly Charming Group
of Comrades.

camp D1X, WrightStoWn, N. D., Narcu
12.-The ''rookies" in G Company, 3llth |
Infantry, were relaxing i'll the barracks
after their evening mess last night when
over in n corner of the room one OF the !
new soldiers pulled fiddle from beneath /
his cot and began tuning the strings: |
Then he played lively bar or two OF
a popular war song to test them out.
II was a new experience to have VIOLIN
list In camp, and the player soon had
quite an audience in the barracks |
dorm" Encouraged by their plaudits, |
the player passed from the newer mclo-
dies to some of the old classical airs.
The notes Hoatcd from the open win
dows out across the quiet parade ground. [
Officers passing To their quarters stop |
ped To listen Men from surrounding |
barracks crowded their windows. There |
was immediate recognition that mas |
ter hand was guiding the bow, for the |
violin seemed To sigh and sob and laugh |
by turns at the whim of the player |
Rcgincntal officers who heard the mel |
ody sought out at once the identity oi
the PLAYER. Their investigation dts
closed that he is Harry Rapps, drafted
from Elizabeth. this State. but with
worldwide reputation aS professional
violInSt under the stage name oi
"NwaNv. In the wear before the War
Raprs toured Europe. PLAYING bctor"
the best audiences IN London. Berlin
and Paris lie recently returned from
an Australian tour. when he learned he
was about to br called TO service with
the colorS He SAYS he Is quite ready
to lay aside the bow for the bayonct ~
long rs Uncle Sam needs hum. Tie
hopes. however. to bc able 10 take his
! fiddle to France hIm with Officers who
| have heard his playing plan to arrange
! H. Strangely enough. drafted INTO the
/ same company Is James Shcarer.
| pianist. who has recently filled several
| cncsgcrncnts IN New York and North
| Jersey cities He was planning another
world tour as accompanIst for Rapps
when the two were summoned IN the
! same draft detail
siIGGER ~ "RI >ktE
/ And the draft makes even stranger
| hcd(cllows than politics for the "hunkic
| of the voinist is Aloysms Mesklcski.
| who as al Met Clo~kcy. was three wears
! ago known ~ ono Of the hardest hitting
| pucilist, in the heavyweight class IN
| America Onc of his last antagonists
! before leaving the ring was JEFF smith,
| AZ present Camp DIX boxing IN
| strtictor. He also went mp against t'ln-
| boat smith Frank AiascaI and
other famous hCavN-WclghtS. ami was
/ ~rarrine partner for Falzer before
/ his la, hlg fight. When he was drafted
| NcC lo~kcv vAS being considered - an
assistant boxing instructor tor one 81
| ,be army training camps ofnpanv =. |
/ IL n, smith Icr~cy regiment, discovered |
/ TODAY that il. TOO. had prominent |
! boxer among its new recruits N the per |
/ son AZ \ircd Rcntz % mon county 2 /
! former New Jersey bantam-wcight cham /
| pion
rT-NI~HNE>T FoR LEANF-RhfA kl.R@
Two court -lnartIal sentences announc- |
c,i. one from division headquarters, the |
other from rcClmcntal headquarters of the |
}lIth Infantry. indicate that military au-
tborItlcS here have adopted resolutions
almost As stringent - those IN effect at
Inc front for the punishment OF men who |
make 4 habit II remaining absent from
caInD without leave. 4 sentence o! three
wears Al hard labor al Fort Jay forfeIts OF
nav and :, dIshonorable discharge from
thr service at the end OF his term has
been IMPOSED upon Private Frederick |
" IlliaIlS. Of kcnylllc Morris county, by
the division hoard The penalty. which /
has been approved hy MAJOR icncral /
Scott. Is sand - hc one 81 he most Sc I
we're ever imposed ii a case where dc |
scrti ion Was not proven
The board decided there we're agra |
/ waiting circumstances in the Williams /
| case Drafted into the 30~th Field AZ
tillerv in the hrSt New Jersey quota
Williams disappeared from camp and
Was absent nearly month before nliil-
tary police found him. He vas sen
| fenced to four months imprisonment
{ On December Is he Was ordered trans
/ ferred to the Fourth Infantry. bat. en
/ route to their camp lett the tram at VII
| nlngtoH. Delaware. and was not appre
/ hended until January u. when he was
| captured IN New York \ charge Of de
/ ,ortion was made against him, but the F.!
| division board gave he accused he b. ne |
| fit of the douht and brought in a verdict
| Of guilty oi absent without leave with !
! the heavy penalty recommended
! Despite he fact hat ne WAS 3 veteran +
/ Of the regular army. Private William !. +
/ Pcxcr. OF New Brunswick, no sooner got /.
/ OUT of the guard house where he had .
/ been confined for ten days for over I
/ staving III. leave thar he left camp |
and was absent FOR nearly week. For |
! his second offcnsc he was sentenced 10 a |
month IN the guard house and a $50
! deduction Of pay Commenting on the
sentence, regimental officers expressed
| the hope that ii might prove an example
to recruits who think they can trllic
with military regulations in war time.