Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-09-04
HERD SLACKERS
BY THOUSANDS
IN NY. CORRALS
j25,000 Federal Agents Halt
10000 Men; Seize
10000

New York, Sept. A. More than
10000 suspected draft evaders had
been herded last night into the ar
mories of New York and nearby cities
after the most vigorous Stacker hunt
since the United States entered the
war. 1t was estimated officially that
from % to 80 per cent. of this num-
her were ''willful slackers."
The drive. which started early in
the day in this city and nearby New
Jersey communities, will continue
until it is believed all draft evaders
have been caught, according to
Charles =. DeWoody, chief of the
New York bureau of investigation
of the Department of Justice. 1t is
expected the $4,000 government
agents enrolled for the work, includ-
ing several thousand soldiers and
sailors, will round up almost as many
slackers to-day as yesterday.
Last night hundreds of mothers.
wives and sisters besieged the cor
rails" In many instances where
prisoners had simply left their reg
istration and classification cards at
home the women obtained the pieces
of pasteboard which meant liberty
for the suspects. In other cases,
where prisoners had willfully evad-
ed the call of duty, all the women
could do was weep and plead in vain
for their relatives release.
Trial Board Busy All Night
Meanwhile, with suspects arriving
by the vanload every minute, the spo-
cial examining boards toiled far into
the night. disposing of the cases az
rapidly as possible. More than 200
prisoners. IN whose cases attempts
to evade the draft were proved, were
summarily taken to Fort Jay and
Camp Upton, there to don the uni
form or, in some instances, 10 be
court-martialed as deserters.
Last night indications were that
men caught to-day would have 10
remain in the "corrals" for two or
three days, even if they were inno-
cent, before their examinations could
be completed.
AS the task of housing, feeding
and guarding the suspects became
hourly more serious, Mr.. DeWooly
conferred here with Governor Whit
man regarding the problem.
1t was saio at the conference the
question OF mobilizing the state guard
was discussed, for it had been found
the number of armed guards had tc
he Increased during the day, not only
to patrol streets near the armorieS
but to accompany patches of prison.
ers to restaurants nearby. Many
prisoners, it was said, preferred to
purchase their own food rather thar
to partake of government fare, AUG
this served to relieve the food prob
lem.
U. S. Agents Halt Nearly 10000
1t was estimated that from $1,000
to 10000 men between the ages oi
twenty one and thirty-one were
stopped and questioned. Hundred:
| of them were rounded up at the en-.
| frances to theaters and motion pic
ture houses and it was found many
of the 10000 arrested were from ou
| of town.
This feature was explained by Cap.
| tain David Asch, assistant to the di'
! rector of the draft in this district
| who declared that New York is the
greatest siackers' retreat in Amer
ica," and that men who want tc
evade their duty have come here ir
droves from all parts of the coun.
| try"
Women aided in the raids by driv.
| ing many of the hundreds of autonlo o.
biles used in transporting prisoner;
| from police stations to armories.
In Paterson, managers of shell
plant protested when an attempt was
made to round up a number of work
ers during their noon hour. After
| it was explained the plant would be
crippled at least for the day, arrange
ments were made for examining the
workers later.