The daily monitor leader. [volume] (Mount Clemens, Mich.) 1942-19??, 1942-04-27
Petty Thief
Works Hardship
on SeruicemQn

on OCTUlCGHluU
When a girl is trying to keep
the home fires burning for her
husbands buddy, who is in the
Army by operating his string Oh
vending machines and some pet
ty larceny crooks sWipe a gum
machine that Woud cost her $50
! to replace and net them S4 If all
the gum were sold.
Well, it burns her up.
That was the situation con-
fronted by Mrs. Charles Beam,
well known here as the wife OIL
Charles Beam, co-partner with
Private John j. Ballenger, OF
the Clinton Gun Club at 1909
Wolf road, when thieves stole a
gum machine from the Office OF
the Miller Creamery Company
the other night.
It's necessary to backtrack a
bit to get the straight slant on
the story.
John j. Ballenger and Charles
Beam have been buddies for 10
wears. Their friendship began IN
Detroit. where Ral}epger work
ed in the spray department OF
an automobile factory and Beam
worked as a toolmaker. Three
wears, later when Charles mar
ried. his wife took his buddy
into the same sort of friendship
that he'd enjoyed with her nus
band.
She had to give John a lot
Of credit.
His father dead, he was look
ing after his mother and two
Younger children when they
first met.
That tok a big cut of his Wag-
es. ,
Later, after the children had
grown up and married, he de
cided, three years ago, to put
what he had been giving them
into some little business of his
own and got started in the vend-
ing machine business.
A year ago he had worked
that up TO the point where ne
had 20 machines in service,
some vending gum, others, can
dy, still others cigarettes.
Then, in February, l94l, I'm
Gle Sam collared John for the
Army.
It looked like the vending
machine business was over the
dam untR Mrs. Beam spoke up
and said she'd carry 1t on Tor
him.
I'll salt the money, invest IL
in new machines, when IT looks
like a good idea. Then, when
you get back from the Army
you'll have a stake and mean
( time you can always draw ut
tie of it for pin money to exc
out that first million you're go
ing to make Ill the Army. You
may need a pack of cigarettes
or something pay day. HoW's to?
"Oke, it's a deal.
So Whie Private John Ballen-
ger has been jumped around as
a military policeman from Camp
Grant TO Fort Riley to Las Veg
as, Nevada-that time as a
guard for Boulder Dam-and SO
on TO Camp Ham at Riverside,
California, where he's now sta
toned, Mrs. Beam has kept the
home fires burning.
She has run up the vending
machine holdings to 80 ma
+, chimes, the bank balance is
climbing and things look pretty
good for Johnny.
Naturally she ielt badly when
someone cracked into one OF
the cigarette machines at the
Ritz beer garden in East De-
troit. 1t made her madden when
someone cracked into another al
the Joy airport on M-97 and
damaged the machine beyond
repair. You can't replace 'em
now because the manufactures
is working on defense orders.
But when somebody made oil
with the gum machine from a
creamery office, that was the
last word, the last straw, the
payroll.
She hopes maybe they'll bring
the thing back or something and
if not. -.
Well, where does the girl who
backs up the boy in the Army
rate when she's being civiiianly
defended, Mrs. Beam'd like to
know