Americus times-recorder., 1919-04-23
SOLDIERS TELL
OFEXPERIENCES
AT LOAN RALLY

"The people of Americus and Sum
ter county are not towards and not
slackers; / know them. But the peo-
ple who are here tonight must bring
if forcibIy to their attention that if
they do not become interested in this
campaign they will be put down as
towards and slackers.'
That was the challenge to the peo-
pie of this community thrown down by
Geo. R. Ellis, chairman of the Sumter
county Victory loan committee, at the
opening rally of the drive at the First
Methodist church last night, in his in
troductory talk to not many more than
100 persons who had accepted by their
presence the invitation TO hear Mrs.
Samuel Lumpkin, of ATLANTA, one OF
Georgia's most noble and eloquent
women. But what the meeting lacked
in numbers it made up in earnesness,
and every person was more than re-
paid for the time spent. What a
pity" Mr.. Ellis remarked at the close.
that more were not present TO hear
Mrs. Lumpkin."
A feature of the evening was the
presence of Eve returned soldiers, two
of whom, Sergeant Bruce Clark and
Sergeant Sam Dedman, recounted
something of their experiences in
France, consuming about an hour of
the time of the meeting and thrilling
and entertaining their hearers with
realistic details of the actual warfare,
through which the home boys" had
gone. Mrs. Lumpkin followed them.
and, as she began her address late,
she made it short. But it was an ad
dress as eloquent and touching as it
was brief. Speaking in a low, CONVEX
sational tone, she thrilled her hear
ers deeply, holding them. in a spell of
rapt attention until she had finished.
Faith In People.
81 have faith in the people of
Americas and Sumter county, said
Mr.. Ellis, as he opened the meeting,
''but l am afraid the small number
here tonight is manifestation of a
lack of interest in this great cause.
However, / believe that they will be
aroused before we have gone far and
will rally nobly and do their duty as
they always have done it.
When they were seeking a chair
man for the drive in this county there
was great reluctance on the part of
men approached to undertake the
work. There were whisperings that
the drive would be a failure. But
do not believe it will be failure. 1
do not believe the people of this
county will fail to do their duty at
this mite when so much is at stake.
Down deep in their hearts patriot
ism burns, with motives as true as
those that lie in the hearts of people
anywhere, and | know they will do
their duty.
Il am dis lppo;1ted that so many Of
our boys who have been across can
mot be here tonight, but we have
few with us who have helped to save
the world, and of them we ar proud
tonight" (Applause)
Bruce Clark, who left here with
old Co. l, Americus Light Infantry,
for the Mexican border, and returned
from the war only last week, was the
first to speak. He told numerous de-
tails of his experiences from the time
he left until his return; of the hard
ships of training; trench life, the great
drives that ended the war, and finally
of the return home, which meant so
much to the American doughboys.
Sam Dedman, who fought with the
151st Machine Gun Battalion, of the
Rinbow division, and returned home
recently, followed with a narrative of
his experiences. Buth agreed that
war was terrible experience, the ac-
tual horrors of which can never be
known by those left behind.
Tribute To Fighters.
Mrs. Lumpkin paid wonderful tri-
butte to the American soldier and to
the American citizen left behind who
furnished the possibilities for the war
to be won, sustaining both our own