The Washington herald., 1921-05-29
Draft DeserterS Cleared.

ZANE HIGHLY desirable result, stated the War
Department last week, of the publication Of the
lists of names of men charged with desertion
from the draft, is that those whose names are in
cuded in the list will thereby become officially ad-
ysed oftheir status as shown by the War Department
records While the publicity will prove most unweE-
come to a who actually rendered honorable serv-
ice nevertheless 1t is within the bonds of probability
that he might otherwise never have learned OF the
fact that the records show that he deserter For
his own sake as well as for the sake Of his children
and grandchildren it becomes his duty to communicate
with the War Department with the view OF having his
record cleared before it is too late.
The department receives numerous requests from
descendants for the records of who served in the
Revolutionary War; and similarly. the descendants of
men who served in the world war viii be requesting
statements OF their service during the coming years.
either to gain the benefits provided by legislation, to
establish their eligibility membership in patriotic or
carnations or for other purposes Naturally unless
the records are corrected now while the men are still
living and are in a position to furnish satisfactory
proof of honorable service their descendants will De
deprived of rights and privileges to which they may be
justly entitled.
OF the large number of names appearing on the
lists of charged with desertion from the draft al
ready published it has far developed that those lists
contain the names Of only four men not righully ap-
pearing thereon These were Stanley Harrison
French Alfred Daniel Brazil Howatt H. Millinson and
William Sutherland Bacon.
OF these four men who thus far have been listed
deserters in error Stanley Harrison French of Brook
lyn signed the draft roll giving address, aud the
same day enlisted in the Navy Reserve giving another
street address He failed to notify the local board of
his action and therefore listed deserter when
the call for service elected reply.
Alfred d. Brazil registered with a New York
local draft board and then enlisted in Of the allied
armies He also failed notify the draft board and
Il Al. n. hty
the board.
Howatt H. Milnson to be the
part Of the War Department for their records show
his induction and honorable service, which not
discovered in any of the three checks made by the
department.
William Sutherland Bacon registered with draft
board n Chicago, giving a hotel address. He then
obtained commission in Washington, giving his ad-
dress as Macomb, ILL., He stationed in Washing
ton rising from the lieutenant in the Sanitary Corps to
a lieutenant colonel in the Chemical Warfare Service.
As there nothing in his record to indicate that he
had registered for the draft, and there were oo7
Bacons in the army his name was included in the de-
serter list 1t has been removed
fifth man out Of the $4,000 so far named by the
War Department in the lists of draft deserers proved
his innocence on Friday.
1t has been determined that William Claude Con-
ger whose included in the list Of registrants
of Local Board for Division Denver, Colo who are
charged with desertion from the draft actually
dered service in the army during the world war as a
commissioned officer and honorably discharged
as a first lieutenant March II, 1919.
The failure to identify this mans draft record with
the record Of his military service was due to the fact
tat the address Which he gave the time of his reg
istraton differed from that which ne gave when he
received his commission.
His name has been removed from the list