The Oakley herald. [volume] (Oakley, Idaho) 1908-1961, 1919-03-21


What did you do. desert or were you
kicked outw
was getting sore and answeed:
Deserted the Twelfth; kicked out Of
the Eleventh"
"What's your name?"
arthur Guy Empey."
you're q German"
This was too much even for me.
and l answered. you're a damned
liar" 1 saw my chances of shipping
vanishing in smoke.
The Jew grinned and rubbed his
hands and said: you're all right.
Go into that room and get card made
out, and come back at two O'clock"
/ received card and went to
beanery across the street and had
wonderful meal Of corned beef hash,
muddy coffee and huge slices Of bread,
minus butter. This cost me fifteen
cents.
At two o'clock reported back, and
with seventy-two others was herded
like cattle, and in long, struggling
line, flanked by three of the employees
Of the agency, we marched to the
ferry and landed somewhere In New
Jersey"
The ship, huge three-stacker, was
lying alongside. We were showed into
single file. ready to go up the gang
plank. Then our real examination
took place. At the foot of the gang
plank were group of men around
long table. They certainly put us
through third degree to find out If
there was any German blood in us.
Several men were turned down. Luck
lily, got through and signed for the
voyage. and went on board.
At the head of the gangplanK stood
the toughest specimen of humanity l
have ever seen. He looked like huge
gorilla, and had big. crescent-shaped,
livid scar running from his left ear
under his chin up to his right eye.
Every time he spoke the edges of the
scar seemed to grow white. His nose
was broken and he had huge, shaggy
eyebrows. His hand was resting on
the rail of the ship. 1t looked like
ham, and inwardly I figured out what
would happen to me If that ham-like
fist ever came In contact with the
point of my jaw. AS we passed him
he shOwered us with few cOmpli-
mentary remarks, such as "Of all the
lousy scum | have seen, this bunch of
lubbers is the worst, and this is what
they give me to take thirteen hundred
horses over to Bordeaux" Later on
/ found this individual was foreman of
the horse gong.
We were ordered aft and sat on the
after hatch. The fellow on my right
was huge. blue-gummed negro. He
was continually scratching himself.
/ unconsciously eased away from him
and bumped into the fellow sitting on
my left. After good look at him I
eased back again In the direction Of
the negro. ! don't think that he had
taken bath since escaping from the
cradle. Right then my uppermost
thought was how could duck this
trip to France. The general conversa-
ton among the horse gang was
"When do we eat?"
We must have sat there about twenty
minutes, when the second foreman
came aft. ! took fifteen guesses at his
nationality, and at last came to the
conclusion that he was cross between
Chinaman and Mexican. He was
thin, about six feet tall. and wore
huge sombrero. His skin was tanned
the color of leather. Every time he
smiled / had the impression that the
next minute he would plant a stiletto
In my back. His name was Pinero.
His Introduction to us was very brief:
"Get up off Of that blankety blank
hatch and line up against the rail-"
We did as ordered. Then he COM
manded: "All the niggers line up
alongside OF the port rail-" guess
lot of them did not know what ne
meant by the port rail" because they
looked very much bewildered. With
an oath he snapped out. "You blank
ETY. blank idiots. The port rail Is that
rail over there. Come on. Move or
I'll soon move you" He looked well
able to do this and the niggers prompt
ly shuflled over to the place designat-
ed. He quickly divided us into squads
of twelve men. then ordered; "All of
you who are deserters from the army
or who have seen service In the cav
airy step out in 'front.'" Four others
besides myself stepped out. The first
man he came to he informed: you're
a straw boss. Do you know what
straw boss tsp" This man meekly
answered. "No. sir" With another
oath. the second foreman said: "All
right. you're not straw boss; fall
back" / got the cue Immediately.
My turn came next.
"Do you know what a straw boss
is?"
I said: "Sure."
He said: "All right, you're a straw
boss"
l had not the least idea of what
he was talking about, but made up
my mind that 1t would not take me
long TO find out. Then he passed
down the line, picking out straw