The New York herald., 1921-10-02
MARINE who NEVER
DESERTED SET FREE
after LONG WAITING
Rllmke Simply Kept On
Fighting After He Be-
came a Civilian.
RECORDS WERE LOST
Uncle Sam, Being in Doubt,
Played Safe and Jailed
Him Six Months.
LOST BRIDE AND FARM
But Hero of Many Battles in
Fair Way to Recover
Them Both.
LOST BRIDE AND FARM

in the United States Marine Corps,
was released from the naval prison at
the New York Navy Yard yesterday
after having been in there six months
for--well. nobody appears to know.
He was arrested last April on a
charge of desertion, although he
couldn't have deserted inasmuch as his
enlistment had expired before he be-
came separated from his company in
France. The court-martial decided it
had no jurisdiction in the matter, but
Rumpke was locked up again anyway
and there he stayed until yesterday,
when he was taken before Judge Gar
win in the United States District Court
on writ Of habeas corpus and set
free.
But released with Rumpke was a
story that every man who served over
seas will understand. The records
show he enlisted in the Marine Corps
on April 8, 1914. His home is given
as 24S Doahue street, Cincinnati. With
the marines he saw service in Hayti
and finally when Germany and the
United States became embroiled was
shipped to France with the Fifth Ma
rines. Second Division.
They made him sergeant. and later
he was asked whether he'd like to 80 to
an officers training school He declined.
saying that he didn't have the educa-
tional qualifications. But he went
through Chateau Thierry and Veaux,
and while the records do not have him
In the Bois de Belleau they show he
kept on going with his company despite
the fact his enlistment expired in April,
1918.
He stuck through every show without
taking the trouble Of reenlisting. They
were too busy to bother about such tri-
fies. OF course he was no longer SER
geant, but merely civilian attached to
the Fifth--a civilian in o. d. Il didn't
seem to make any difference in his abil-
ity to scrap. they say.
However, when it was all over
Rumpke decided It was about time he
saw Paris. He applied for pass on
November IA. Whether he got it or not
Is not clear. Al any rate he was picked
up by two infantry NJ. P.'s. who said
they didn't like the locks of his pass. He
landed in st. Afghan.
No Charge Against Him.
There was no charge against Rumpkc.
He was no longer amenable to army o.
navy discipline. He was a civilian. But
that made no difference at st. Afghan.
He was herded into a company Of A. w.
o. L. casuals and detailed to guard duty.
In June. 1919. still doing guard duty
in st. Afghan. he was lined up in a
courtyard wherein a gallows had been
erected. For an hour ne stood at at
tention while two negroes were hanged.
The next day he decided to go back
to his company in the Fifth Marines
and reenlist. He got nowhere asking
the officers at st. Afghan to look up
his records and understand that he was
a civilian. They told him his records
had been lost
That proved to be tho case. for the
next thing Rumpke learned was that
he was charged with being a deserter.
But he had left st. Afghan Of his own
accord and settled in Vitry, suburb
of Paris. He purchased civilian cloth
ing and fell in love with one of the
girls. Louise Mourue. who lived at 19
fSue Ia Petit.
Rumpke and Louise worked hard.
saved money and finally bough. a little
farm just outside vitry. Next ON the
programme was to have been the we'd
ding, but the shrewd Louise wanted
to be sure the military or naval au-
thorities were not coming along to sep
arate them after the ceremony. There
fore she told Rumpke to go into Paris
and to military headquarters ard have
himself given a formal discharge.
He was arrested at military headquar-
ters and turned over to the marine
authorities. Nobody knew just what to
do with him inasmuch as there were
no records, and finally. without so much
as seeing the conscientious Louise, he
was shunted to the States. where last
April he was informed he was under
arrest for desertion.
IL Locked Up Again.
Capt. II. ID. Shannon, assigned as his
counsel. easily convinced the court-mar-
tial IL had no jurisdiction. The court
agreed, but being in doubt locked him
up again In the detention barracks
And there he stayed until a friend of
his asked Emery c. Weller, a LAWYER, to
take hand. Weller was not permitted
to see Rumpke that he might get the
iatter's signature to the writ. 1t was
necessary TO get Mount Vernon man
who knows Rumpke to sign It, There
was much quibbling in the United States
District Attorneys offire about the regu-
larity OF all this. but finally Rumpke
was taken into court yesterday with an
armed guard on either side OF him. Five
minutes later he was free.
In the meantime Adolph Rumpke, the
young mans father. has been looking
for his son In France. Yesterday he
sent word that he was starting back for
America, bringing Louise with him.
And what are you going to do7"
Eumpke was asked.
"Me and Louise are going back 10
vitry and work the farm" he replied.