The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-07-08
THETRAIN
 ROBBERS
By MAJOR c. E. RUSSELL

Well, Major, Gievres reports still another shortage today when they
 4nloaded the usual automatic ship ment. Yesterday it was Is-sur-Tille Tomorrow I suppose it will be some other depot. If the checking on our records Is correct, we are being sys- tematically robbed For the past cigarettes, candy, and tobacco amounting to thousands of dollars worth have disappeared. For want of proof to the contrary, we must &C., cept the records of the men who check the cars when they are un- loaded into the supply depots.
 "Gievres reports today a shortage of ten bags of flour, five boxes of bacon, two boxes each of tobacco, cigars, cigarettes, and candy-all short from two P. l. NJ. R. R. cars. Colonel Marble swears that the sup plies were loaded; while Colonel Bates, at Gievres, is equally as em- phatic that they were not in the cars when they were unloaded. It is one of two things-either some one is lying about his check records or there is an organized gang Of thieves It work. It is your task to ferret out the truth and see that the guilty ones are punished"
 l drew at the morning conference in the generals office.
 The automatic shipment was a pro- duct of American ingenuity. If there were million men in the front areas then million rations of flour, hard tack, bacon, beans, meats, vegetables, coffee, sugar, and canteen supplies must go forward each day The well fare of the soldier at the front came xl | tl,.a over all other shipments. Certain train crews, locomotives, and cars were designated for these automatic shipments, and wee to anyone who interfered with their going forward. It was the boast of the quartermas- ter's department that nothing could so interfere, and they always went forward on time.
 If these shipments did not arrive intact at the rail-heads some of our soldiers found their rations curtailed; and as no man can fight on an empty stomach, it was vital that these losses be stopped.
 The great value of the provost marshaPs department, in the conduct of war, was not recognized by our commander-in-c chief until late in 1918. Then suddenly he awakened to the fact that, outside of the actual combat units, there wasn't a de- partment in the army that required a higher degree of efficiency and bravery than did the provost-mar- shars, and We finally received the recognition due for hard and danger GUS work. But, this morning when we were set on the trainrobbers. we were still struggling along as best we could and every added case made our burden heavier. So now l was forced to protest.
 But, General" I said. you must remember that my force Is very small now. The recent order to send every available man to the front as replacements has sadly depleted our force. Today I have only one hun dred and forty-eight men for duty, and if I withdrew them from one place to put in another, 1t will be merely 'robbing Peter to pay Paul. Of course, we will do the best we can; but, with our small force. please do not look for the impossible"
 We know that petty thievery among the stevedores on the Bassens docks was prevalent. It did not seen to matter much what the article was. Many of these negroes, like a boy stuffing his pockets, delighted In taking anything that was not nailed down. In the majority of cases the attraction wasn't the article itself so much as it was the fun of getting away with 1t right under the noses of the officers on watch.
 A case tf automatic revolvers would disappear; then boxes of ra zors, soaps, toilet articles, tools, belts: and from boxes not broken spen. like magic, part of the con 3ents would be missing. Anything might be recovered when we search ed the stevedores barracks. In one cache we found tools and an ax, though 1t was impossible to tell what rAe man intended to do with the ax.
 Cigars, candy, cigarettes and to- >acco were the greatest temptation. 1t was a continuous battle between Sur dock detectives and the negro