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0ct.31, 1917. Personal News Items of Camp Hancock Units MILITARY POLICE IS FINE ORGANIZATION Their Duties Are Varied and Important Both During Period of Training and at the Frant. Probabiy the most interesting service of the men themselves is offered by the Headquarters Train and Military Police, under Major Charles F. Clement, a son of Major General Clement. Their duties, in addition to maintaining order among the soldiers of the division, as provost guards, and directing traffic within the camp lim its, includes the capture and arrest of deserters, and in times of war, the es corting and guarding of troop, ammuni tion and supply trains, in time of bat tle, their position is taken up in the rear of the firing lines where they keep the sol diers in order. At this crucial test of the soldier's courage, the bravest are likely, during their first encounter with the en emy, to break and run. It is then that he faces the relentless military police man, who scon convinces the men that his placo is at the front, no matter how urgently he pleads a pressing engagement elsewhere. Two Companies of M. P. There are two companies of military police, numbering 150 enlisted men each. The First Company is from Pittsburg, and the Second, from Philadelphia, Pa. The personnel of both are picked men of extraordinary stature, professional po licemen and firemen. Many of the mili tary police are ex-state policemen, which insures their caliber, as the Pennsylvania State Police Force ranks with the Cana dian Northwest Mounted as the two best bodies of soldiers in the world. Detectives in*Force. Many detectives are also included in the organization. The curtains are drawn tigntly over the inside workings of the force, and the utmost secrecy guards their every move. Not only is this true in regards to the rest of the guard and the inquisitive outside world, but within the organization itself. Verily, the right hand knoweth not what the left hand doeth. Otten one of the men will be called to the "head of the street," away from the canteen, or from a friendly game of craps in which he may have a decided business interest. Suddenly, from the midst of his fellows, he vanishes. He, is under secret orders. He may be in Maine dressed as a citizen, or be may go to Cal ifornia, and pose as a deserter. vv hat cver he do'is, and wherever he goes, he represents the long arm of Uncle Sam, and has the entire government behind him. He may be gone a day—he may be gone a month. One day, as suddenly as he left, he ap pears among his fellows again and takes up the camp life where he left it oft’. None know whence he comes, or where he was sent. No one knows what duty sent him off, and, knowing the futility of the question, no one asks. In a mat ter-of-fact manner he has performed a secret mission for the government, the nature of which possibly only he and his commanding officer knows. Absent Without Leave. A soldier may be absent without leave for nine days, twenty-three hours and fifty-nine minutes before he constitutes himself a deserter. After the tenth day passes the secret service ice is trailing him, nor does it relax its vigilant search until the culprit is safe in the guard house awaiting his court martial. The activities of the Military Police are not confined to police and detective du ties, however. The men, as a body, are trained as fire fighters, and under the di vision fire marshal, answers all fire calls from any part of Camp Hancock. A com prehensive and efficient system of fire fighting has been worked out, and the well drilled firemen have already proved their metal in combating blazes. Much stress has been laid upon this important point, as the mess halls and other buildings throughout the camp are constructed of yellow pine, a wood that is especially inflammable, and owing to their proximity and positions, a small fire starting in one of them might sweep down an entire line, destroying half a hun dred. Organized This Year. The Military Police, as a unit, was organized in May, of this year, and at tached to the Hdeaquarters Train. Pre viously, their duties were detailed to a selected provost guard, chosen from men of the ranks. Virtually every man in the tmit has had military experience and training, prior to entering this branch of the service. They wear the yellow hat cord, with leather buck-strap pulled to their chins. In addition to the duties out lined above, they will be required, in actual war conditions, to keep open all lines of communication between the vari ous troops, and between commands and their commanding officers. Roster of Officers. The headquarters of the Military Police are at Sunbury, Pa. Captain Jackson W. Study, adjutant of the unit, whose home is in Philadelphia, has been sent to France, to study war conditions. During his absence Lieut. James T. Ward, of the Second Company, is acting in his ca pacity. he complete roster of officers of the Military Police is-as follows: Colonel (vacancy); major, (command ing) Charles F. Clement; captain and ad jutant, Jackson W. Study (detailed to foreign duty): first lieutenant (vacancy). Assigned from Medical Corps—Major, vacancy); first lieutenant, (vacancy); First Lieut. Charles L. Schaeffer. First Company, Pittsburg, Pa.—Captain J. Clyde Miller, Homestead, Pa.; First Lieut. Elbert Shultis, Pittsburg, Pa.; Sec ond Lieut. Frank R. Burgard, Sunbury, Pa. Second Company, Philadelphia. Pa. — Captain Henry Crofut, Philadelphia, Pa.; First Lieutenant, (vacancy); Second Lieu tenant, James T, Ward, Philadelphia, Pa. TRENCH AND CAMP One Hundred and Ninth Field Artillery Field Day Wednesday, Oct. 24th, was a gala day for the 109th Field Artillery, formerly the Third Pennsylvania Field Artillery. The day was set aside for two purposes, namely to show our patriotism by sub scribing to the second Liberty Loan, and to exhibit our athletic ability. The regi ment as a whole responded nobly to the call for financial aid. It was due to the untring efforts of the physical directors, G. Davies and D. Hughes, that. Battery C was able to emerge victorious in four of the eight field events. In the 100-yard dash there were en tries for each battery, but as usual the prize was awarded to ( orporal Gordon Davtes of Battery C, who is one of the dismounted tug of war team which was captained by Sergeant Grabosky, and de serves special commendation as they en tered the contest with no practice and emerged victorious with apparently lit tle difficulty. One of tho most interesting events was the mounted wrestling match. When the various contestants entered the field it reminded one of those old tournaments held by knights and lords. After several minutes of expert riding and struggling among the contestants, there were but two left on the Held, Thomas of Battery D and Arbchesky of Battery C. Some fierce struggling ensued ad finally Arb schesky succeeded in unseating his oppo nent and, midst the cheers of his C Bat tery men, was carried across the field. Battery C was also fortunate in se curing first place in the running high jump, captured by Corporal Hahn, whose exhibition of high jumping also delighted tho vast crowd. In the most humorous event, the mixed shot- race, Merrill of Batter}' C took sec ond place. Semmers, of the same bat tery, who apparently had secured first place was for some technicality disquali fied. After the exciting events of the morn ing the men were keyed to the proper pitch in anticipation of the football game in the afternoon. The game was played under the supervision of Lieutenant Brown, the former Penn State Star, who served as referee. As umpire. Lieuten ant Hogg, who in his college days played with the University of Pennsylvania, served in a very efficient manner . The second battalion team was com posed of men from Batteries D, E and F, while the team of the first battalion was made up of men from A. B and C batteries. From the first sound of the whistle if was apparent that the first battalion team, composed mostly of men with much gridiron experience, would emerge victors. The line presented an almost stone wall defense and many times the swift backs of the second were thrown for losses, while repeatedly the first bat talion backs would skirt the ends for long runs and so place themselves in a position to intercept forward passes. The honor of scoring the first touchdown fell to McKune of Battery A, who took ad vantage of a fumble and crossed the line. Houston of Battery B, who played right tackle, proved by his excellent playing to be one of the best line men on the field. The guard positions were filled by McKune, the Hazleton star, and Enke, the erstwhile Gettysburg star. In the center Morgan innumerable times broke up the plays before they had really started, and many attempted punts were blocked by him. The beautifully executed punts of Quarterback 11. Hughes were well handled by the ends, Davies and Hahn. If end runs were needed it was a safe bet to give th eball to "Red” Hughes. Many times “Turk” Jones would hurl his ponderous weight against the oppos ing line, and he was ably seconded by Evans, who scored the second touchdown following “Herb” Hughes' spectacular run of 50 yards. Quarterback H. Hughes, who inter cepted a forward pass and with splen' did interference by Evans ran fifty yards. The second battalion employed forward passes to good advantage, and their backs made several very consistent gains. Tender, ana end, and Gunster, at quarter, proved to be their most consis tent ground gainers. The final score of the game was 13-0 in favor of the first battalion, and all present were thoroughly pleased with the sportsmanlike manner in which the ath letes conducted themselves. Plans are now being made for the or ganization of a basketball team. The men of C Battery have great in terest in sports because of support given them by the officers of the battery. SHOTS FROMII2 REGIMENT Every preparation is being made for the winter weather that is now beginning to reach this section. Mess shacks are being boarded up, the government-issued floors are being installed and stoves have been issued. Fellows who haven't over coats are hoping the Supply Company gets a big stock at an early date. Even the officers are having a touch of drilling these days. Friday afternoon Lieut. Joseph Connell had a score of them in line, giving them the manual of arms, school of the soldier and other drills— and he gave it to them just as hard as if they were the enlisted men! The prediction was made by Ben Sco vell, in hiss piendid talk on the trenches the the Y. M. C. A. the other night, that the war would run Fel lows of the 112th aren’t expecting It to last that long, although they are all hoping they’ll be able to sieck in the game to the end. The band concerts of the 112th band are to be on Sunday afternoons at three hereafter, instead of Sunday evening, that residents of Augusta may have the opportunity to appreciate the sterling worth of Chief Musician Roy Miller’s ag gregation of instrumental artists. Few military bands have established such an enviable reptuation in so short a time as this. The boys of the 112th, working hard eight hours a day at drill and kept busy in their spare hours, are beginning to wonder if the author of the statement, "The army is an easy life,” isn't tn line for court-martial at one of the numerous sessions the general court is now holding. It looks like grim work out on the drill field now, with the bayonet gallows and dummies all in readiness for the com ing attacks. Trenches have long been ready, and it will be but a few days until that class of work, as well as bomb throwing, is on in real earnest. One of the most impressive parades the regiment has held was conducted on Fri day evening, just before retreat, on the 112th drill field. The new formation, with four platoons of each company marching abreast, made a favorable im pression on the large number of specta tors. While the parade was in progress, the 111th boys returned from Augus ta, marching along the Wrightsboro road and forming a fitting background to the I battalions of the 112th. Colonel Rickards is confident that even with the much-talked of mental and nervous ’examination now being conduct ed the regiment will lose few men. Only the boys of the old 16th are undergoing the simple test, as those of the Sth were given the exam before coming South. While the official totals showed that the 112th regiment gave a total of only $111,150 to the Liberty loan issue on Wed nesday, in reality the regiment gave more than $200,000. 'The subscriptions made b ythe Bth regiment, which became a part of the organization a short while ago, were not. counted in the official total. They represented SBB,OOO. Additional sub scriptions, coming in shortly after mid night Wednesday, also boosted the total, so that $200,000 and more was given. The various companies of the old 16th regiment, gave as follows: Officers, field and staff $ 3,250 Headquarters Co 3,000 Sanitary Department. 1,500 Supply Co 4,200 Machine Gun Co 4,200 Company A 4,850 (Company B 4,850 Company C 5,650 Company D 4,350 Company E 7,500 Company F 14,000 Company G 12,550 Company H 0 7,650 Company T 5,559 Company K 4,150 Company L 13,300 Company M 10,600 The splendid last minute response is still being talked about in the regiment. Lt. James R. Thompson is telling with a smile of the record run Wednesday evening, when subscriptions came in so fast that it was no trouble at: all to roll up the splendid figure. Six buck pri vates in one squad gave a total of $l,lOO and others subscribed in similar fashion. Captain Williams, of Company L, made a pariotic appeal to the men at noon Wednesday. The total then was a little over S9OO. By nightfall it had mounted into the thousands and by mid night was over the $13,000 line. The boys literally emptied their pocketbooks with the cheers. Colonel Rickards, too, is especially pleased with the result, in view of the fact that the regiment’s original goal was only SBO,OOO. Much credit for the suc cess of the campaign in the regiment, must go to Lt. Milford Fredenburg, who managed the issue for the 112th. 13TH INFANTRY - REGIMENT IMPRESSIONS OF THE DRAFT MEN The men of the National Army who have been assigned to units in this division appear like fine fellows and in their brief association with the men of the guard they have acquired the confidence of their superior officers and the esteem of their comrades. On the average they seem like intel ligent fellows, who learn readily and willingly. They take to present con ditions without comment, and there is little or no grumbling. Last of all, they like Camp Hancock better than they liked Camp Meade. Didn’t Like the Flags. When Jim Flick and some of the other fellows from the 13th went over to the 109th Infantry, they started out for signal practice one day and met the enemy long before they expected to. They hardly had time to get set for signalling and somehow or other they got their signals mixed. Anyway, the enemy being an enraged bull stood the wig-wagging as long as possible, and then charged. The lieutenant com manding was the first of the retreating army over the fence and he started as soon as he spied the bull sharpening his horns on the trunk of a big pine tree. “Katty” Haynes, Harold White, Art McPhillips and Joe Fritzen, all of Headquarters Company, scampered over a fence through a cotton field. "Stubby” Barth was the last one start ed, and lie took to the tallest tree in the woods. Two hours later the army succeeded in driving the enraged ani mal from the tree and “Stubby" came down, but it was half a day before his hair went back to its normal position, and he could w'ear his hat. When the Band’s Not Playing. Say, comrades, do you recall when you marched away from the home towm? The band was playing then and you thought, well, this war business isn’t so bad after all. Didn’t you feel that way about it? Os course you did; so did I. There’s a big difference you’ve found out since then, haven’t you? It’s harder than you thought. You’ve found out that the war business is a serious profession, with endless de tails, hours of long, hard drill, and eve nings of study. There are hours for recreation, too, when you like to He around camp and visit with your com rades. Those are the hours of diffi culty; those are the times when the real test in the man comes; when the tempter sneaks in unannounced and starts his uncanny work in the crowd. It’s not all flowers and sunshine, this army life; especially when the band's not playing. In the time for rest it’s bard to keep one’s mind occupied when the band’s not playing. MED IC A IToFfTc ER “SPE AKS Y. M, C. A. Indispensable Ad junct to the Army—Quiets Miners’ Fears My point of view and observations are those of a member of the Medical De partment, serving in the capacity of Dental Surgeon. I therefore believe I can give you an unbiased opinion of the great work the Y. M. C. A. is accom plishing in this camp. The secretaries who are scattered about in the various Y. M. C. A. build ings doing their bit are the best obtain able because they are volunteers and have offered then 1 services in interst of the soldiers, regardless of th sacrifices they are making because they are also men of broad vision who saw their duty and were glad for the opportunity to ren der a great service to their fellowmen in arms. They are particularly qualified to en ter into this work because they are men of mature age, men who have lived anti therefore know how to handle the prob lems of men and minister to their needs. They have not been attracted to this work for mercenary reasons. Many of these men have left excellent positions and various professions to enter into this work for the good they can do and are meeting all their own expenses out of their persona! savings. They are whole souled. self-sacrificing Christian men who have heeded the Macedonian call, and who are now doing a great work in a worthy cause. Any organization with such a person nel as this is bound to succeed in its aims and I am pleased to inform you that the Y. M. C. A. here is rendering such valu able service to the boys of Pennsylvania that it has become one of the necessary auxiliaries to the army. It would take a great deal of time and space for me to tell you all the Y. M. C. A. is doing here for they are doing so much, but I shall state briefly some of the things being done and how nicely this organization fits into the army. Each brigade in the division is blessed with one capacious Y. M. C. A. building which provides an assembly room for the soldiers and a place for the various activities. .Stationery, pen and ink, and a con venient place for the boys to write their many letters to the folks at borne are provided free of charge. In addition to the above there is something doing every night, such as religious services, enter tainments of various kinds, concerts, boxing bouts, moving picture and in fact everything is provided for the uplift of mind, soul and body and for the making of better men and therefore better sol diers. I want to make special mention of the religious ministration of the Y. M. C. A. for in this respect I am confident they are the greatest factor that exists, in the army today for providing religious or spiritual inspiration to the men. There are now two regiments in a brigade, each regiment numberinig about four thousand men. To each regiment a chaplain is assigned who looks after the religious welfare of the men in his organization. The chaplain, being a commissioned officer, is necessarily lim ited in his activities for he is under military orders and has other duties as signed to him other than religious work and as a result he can only go so far. The Y. M. C. A. religious workers not only take up the work where the chap lain is forced to leave off but they also co-operate with him in every respect, working hand in hand with him and thereby not only reinforces the excellent work of the chaplain but also follows it up with further Y. M. C. A. work. The association workers have freedom of ac tion not enjoyed by the chaplain which enables them to meet the soldier in a personal way and many a hard problem is solved for the soldier by the ever will ing and tireless Y. M. C. A. worker. To sum up, I would say that the Y. M. C. A. is the only solution to the moral, spiritual, physical, mental and social problems of the soldier. To the folks at home who are worried about the welfare of “her boy” let me assure you that if "her boy” gets in touch with the Y. M. C, A. workers ail his problems will be taken care of. I understand that a campaign for rais ing thirty-live million dollars for the Y. M. C. A. work is now in progress. If u»is amount were just doubled it would mean that your brother in arms or per haps your son would be just twice bet ter off, morally, spiritually, physically, mentally and socially while he is serving his country. It is a most worthy cause, to which all can contribute for the sake of humanity and humanity’s God. You can buy Liberty Bonds for an investment and thereby help the government equip these men so they can fight, but if you would like to see these boys enjoy com forts of mind and body after they have fought, a contribution to the Y. M. C. A. will fulfill your desire. I therefore wish this campaign for money for this great work the success it merits. Yours very truly, O. C. WALLACE, First Lieutenant Dental Corps. LONG BOY- A New Song in Camp. Good-bye, Maw, Good-bye, Paw, Good-bye, Mule, with yer old hee-haw. I may not know what the war’s about But you bet, by gosh, I’ll soon find out, An’ oh my swetheart, don’t you fear I’ll bring you a King fer a souvenir; I’ll get you a Turk an’ a Kaiser, too. An’ that’s about all one feller could do. Shapiro, Bernstein & Co-, Inc., New York, have furnished music for each Y. M. C. A. building. Hall, Mack Co., Philadelphia, hava sent a thousand copies of new religious songs. Page 5 I w/TO feiwi V K \p i V Mr YU VVj * I ' I I Mil