The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1918-03-11
This Is the Office Which Falls to Lot
of Henry p. Mccain,
Adjutant General,
to Hold.
SENDS DEATH MESSAGES
When soldiers Are Killed He Is the
Man Who Signs the Kilograms
to Next Of
Kin.

WASHINGTON. d. c.. Mar. IL
Before the war has gone very Hull
farther along the nation WIZ Aiom ~,
Major General Henry P. Mccain as
she foremost bearer of grief IN tne
country. ,.r NJ
woe to mother, wife. sweetheart.
All official messages which go OUT
notifying next of kin" of the deatu,
woa,nding or capture of our SaIninl1 g.
in hattie will be signed Henry r.
Mccain, adjutant general OF Tue
army" mara
sent out by Adjutant McCaln recent
ly when the Tuscania was suhk'
They will be going out by inc
thousands when the Germans ana Inc
sanmies clash in the bigger battles
to come. 70
Right now more than a score OIL
messages go daily from his desk 70
strike gloom into the housenolos
where the boys of Pershing's FORCES
were wont to bring joy.
What sort of a man Is this man
whose lot it is to impart grief anu
sorrow wholesale? BY one Oh tne
freaks OF war he is one OF the NOS
Kindly feeling, humane, tender-heaFt-
ed officers in the service.
This story is told by his conlraaes
of Mccain:
Shows Ills Feelings.
"a group Of newspaper colrespoiia
ents were in Secretary Baker o.
flee recently when General Mce am;
agile, erect and with phe MAJ 80 heA
Rearing of a soldier In fine Tln'
walked in. as
aHe bowed as usual and stood
waiting to have a word with the sec
rotary ill.,, e-a-
nuently in the secretary's ONCE, puI
his presence on this occasion some
how attracted particular NOTICE.
What's the matter with NC
Cain?' somebody whispered.
1T was manifest that he was Ia,
boring under stress. 1t was noted
that his eyes ghstened when he LOOK
ed around after word Win one u
Bakers assistants.
"As the secretary was engaged, tne
general did not wait to see him
,sIe had hardly left the room wnef
tbe news spread about that Lieuten-
ant March son of Major General
March. the new chief of starr, hati
died of injuries following an airplane
accident in Texas.
"That was the uncontrollable hui
man element in General Mccain
makeup that gave the first intlmatlon
that something serious had happened
when the Tuscania went down:
.'He brought the message to Secre-
tary Baker late in the afternoon.
Baker Is Unmoved.
s.There was no change In Secretary
Baker's demeanor when he read that
~ more than 1000 American soldiers
were missing from the Tuscanla, and
aater Secretary Daniels read the news
with the same imperturbability which
1t was necessary at the time to as
sumo.
But General Mccain did not sue
coed in Disgusting his feelings at all
sTt was obvious that something haC
happened and that it's effect had been
in the nature of a shock TO sensitive
heartstrings."
In his office the adjutant maintains
an s'open door, policy. No visitor Is
ever turned away, cards are almos!
unknown. and there is no outer OF
flee in which visitors cool their heels
No matter how busy he may be
the negro usher outside his office VII
always take visitors in and the ad
i11tant will sit and listen. 1t may bt
an aged man whose son in Franco
has not written to him for months
He Is worried about his boy John.
He tells Mccain what a fine boy
John was, how he worked his way
through school and always wanted tt
be soldier. Johns grandfathe Ell
fought in the civil war.
Naturally this leads UP to questions
of family history, which the Vislto
tells General Mccain just as he has
told others hundreds of times.
He Is Never Bored.
The adjutant listens attentively
He, knows all the time that he is 80
ing to refer the visitor to the office
in charge Of the mail and personne
of the American troops in France ant
take steps to relieve the father
anxiety.
But there is not sign of impa
tience or boredom in the adJutant
manner. And the point of 1t is tina
he has not been bored.
The next visitor Is a congressman
with a telegram from a constituent
who is worried about mysteriou
message he has had from his boy.
The family has another box of jan
all ready to go to the training cam
when a letter comes, saying that tn
boy is well and happy. but is not a
the training camp now, and will writ
later.
It's fixed up.
There seems 10 he an idea tina
General McCain's work is so woun
about with red tape and routine tina
all matters are decided by prescribe
forms and that there is little oppOl
tunity for him TO exercise indiyit
uality Such, however, is not tn
case None is better at cutting re
tape than General Mccain.
Major General Mccain is a nativ
of Mississippi and is fifty-seven year
old.