Rockingham post-dispatch. [volume] (Rockingham, N.C.) 1917-1965, 1919-09-04
SERVED THEIR COUNTY, WELL
DURING THE WAR iN MANY
KINDS or WORK.
SOME ARE NOTED NoVELlsTs'
Rupert Hughes, Arthur somers Roche
and Kenneth Z. Roberts -AmonG
Those Who Rendered Good Service
MANY Newspaper Men IN Army.
By EDWARD 5. CLARK.

WAT ut IldFlutut uii tuc ohtt y . snvsNt'O l
temporary commissions In the United
States army will sever their connec-
ton with the service by September 30. |
Men who entered the service for the |
wartime period fast are leaving. Thou
sands of men who wore the bars, the
leaves or the eagles on their shoulders |
for long enough time to help thrash |
the enemy, are going back into civil
life, but there is goodly number OF
them left yet. for whom the knot still
| is to be severed.
There was large number Of book,
magazine and newspaper writer's In
the United States army. They did all
kinds of work for which their training
fitted them. Some OF them were In
| the intelligence service, some Of them
in the war history division, and many
more of them, who took camp training,
| were In combatant units.
In one little group in the army IN
| telhgence service, working side by
side day after day, until orders sent
them elsewhere, were several men
whose names are known to the public
az writer's. Rupert Hughes, the novel
list and playwright, was one of this
group. With him was Kenneth Z.
Roberts, story writer, playwright and
yoluminous contributor to Life
Others in the group were Richard
Aldrich, who has written standard
books on grand opera and is the music
critic Of the New York Times; Arthur
Somers Roche, the novelist, son OF
James Jeffrey Roche. the poet, and
several other writer's OF less proini-
nence and less merit, among whom !
put my name.
| Novel Writers and Good Fellows.
| Now 1t happened that the least OF
these was the ranking officer, 80 10
| a way while he did not attempt to ex.
ercise authority, for 1t was not neces-
sary, he learned much Of those with
whom he was associated. People
know Rupert Hughes through his
stories. They ought to. know him
j throa hi personal acquaintance, for ne
Is man of the rarest charm.
I, It was Hughes great disappoint-
ment In life that he could not go TO
France to serve In combat unit be
nut in years of hard driving service In
the national guard and year or more
of grillng work as line officer on the
border. The fates decreed that he
should not go abroad. He took the
disappointment like soldier and did
commanding service in that place In
which it was appointed him to work.
Kenneth L. Roberts is rare, roll
licking chap with steady qualitS
somewhere within him which kept him
true to his serious task through all thu
hours of grinding labor. Roberts was
ordered to Siberia and there he saw
hard service. He has just left th'
army to go back to the work OF light
!. ening mems lives by giving them (
read of the treasures of his exuber
!. ance.
Richard Aldrich at the age OF hfty
:. three volunteered in the service
his country, was accepted and staye'
: nut through the whole thing, and tnel
some, for he did not leave the servic
until nine months after the Germal
!, had concluded he had enough. Il
! accounted bromide to say that ma
] il a prince Of good fellows, but TIL
! is what can be said of Capt. Richar
Aldrich, and to the saying may p
added that the captain himself Is p
r. bromide.
I Newspaper Men In Service.
q There were scores, hundreds in fac
= and maybe thousands, of newspape
- men In the army of the United State
a Carl D. Ruth, Washington correspond
"a ent Of the Cleveland News, made al
V plication for service early In the gan
and was commissioned captain
the intelligence service. The kut
IN family did its duty by its countr
Carl Ruth was hammering for ADM
In sion to the service when the new
reached him that his brothers. both
whom were in the marine corps, ne
been wounded in the IBellcau Woo
e" fight in France. This made Carl har
of mer for admission more vigorous
in than. before, although he never n
in shared his knuckles. He got In. D
70. MEMORABLE orders to stay put % q
mt lob prevented his going to the place
MS wanted to go--the front IN France
nd william Moore, for years On Z
Of Chicago newspapers and later city e
IN, tor of the New York Tribune. despl
de the fact TINT he is lame, managed
fid break into the army In what the 4
of thorities supposed was to be 9 no
he conbatant position ''Bill," as \
M. newspaper men know him, wears
ted day, however, a ribbon on his g
Id which shows that be took part n
en- major engagement q
Ebe The list Of newspaper men who q
m. service could be extended Indefinite
ths ana the names given are those only
the the few with whom the writer 5Sf q
Nh. Was thrown into contact
J 4 The National Press club Of Wa
ineton sent $50 men into the servi
some a them never win come ba