Splendid Send-off for new recruits - 1918

A Splendid Send-Off For The Soldiers

Sixth Contingent Answered The Call of Their Country

Norwich Sun, April 30, 1918

The sixth increment of the selected men for the national army has entrained for camp adding 29 more Chenango county boys to the long roll already in that count as service in the various branches of the army and navy.  The men went with light hearts because the county is standing behind them with their Liberty Loan subscriptions, and in sending them forth, both city and county are uniting in equipping them with all necessities and some of the luxuries.

 

Heretofore the men had been summoned to report the evening before entrainment, but the boys who left Tuesday afternoon reported at the courthouse at -?- and were there and then mustered into military service.

 

The roll call revealed that Roscoe Drake is still ill and unable to enter military service at this time.  Samuel J. Corbett, a student at Niagara university, Niagara Falls had already been inducted into service.  Howard J. Carr, a railroad clerk at Inglewood Cal., will report at the nearest military camp and Chenango county will be credited for his service.  Lewis H. Phillips of Gardner Mass. did not report here, but will go to a Massachusetts camp whence he will be credited to the local draft quota.  Nels Emiel Petersen of Brooklyn will join the Norwich contingent at Camp Dix reporting to the commanding officer there.  Grover Kelsey who came home from Washington D.C. and Harold Edward May coming from Ottawa, Canada were the men who reported from the longest distance to the local board.  Mr. May is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Richard May, former well known townspeople and had been a foreman in a Canadian munition factory up until last Friday evening, when he left for this city to fight for his county and her allies.

 

Response of 28 Men

The 28 men responding to roll call, who were inducted and entrained are:

Thomas W. Towner, Oxford, laborer

Frank Phillips, Afton, laborer

Leroy Slater, Earlville, laborer

Harold Edward May, 136 Kiefer street Ottawa, Canada, factory worker

Merle Andrew Greene, New Berlin, N.Y., railroad clerk

Cecil Marks, care of Frank Hovey, Oxford, N.Y., laborer

Henry Trickett, 29 Birdsall street, Norwich, factory worker

Norman Slater, [Bainbridge], factory worker

William P. Briggs, 38 Locust street, Norwich, factory worker

Leon Palmer, Oxford, N.Y., factory worker

T. Edmond Hornung, 115 West street, Ilion, N.Y., stenographer

Ivon Thayer, South Otselic, N.Y.,  baker

Walter Leon Reynolds, Otselic, N.Y., laborer

George Henry Smith, 55 East Main street, Norwich, machinist

Everett A. Percival, Mt. Upton, laborer

Marvin S. Cook, general delivery, Paterson, NJ, iron worker

Grover D. Kelsey, 942 New York Avenue, NW Washington DC, stenographer

Luther J. Coville, 32 Mitchell street, Norwich, wood worker

Volney E. Titus, Norwich RD 4, tinsmith

Earl C. Bivens, New Berlin, cook

Herman W. Sprague, Smyrna, cheese maker

George W. Smith, RD No. 8, Fulton, laborer

Fred L. Ostrom, RD 3, Greene, horseshoer

Edwin DeMorier, RD 2, Afton, laborer

Joseph Montilles, care of Dover Monroe, North Pharsalia, laborer

Louis M. Chapman, Smithville Flats, laborer

Clarence Utter, 115 West street, Ilion, clerk

Charles Mathewson, 161 Fort Watson street, Cortland, wood worker.

 

All Were Ready to Go

Responding to the uge calls sounded by Frank Johnson of the Home Defense unit, every man was in his place in the courtroom when Chairman Sullivan of the local board called them to order at 10:20 o'clock.  Clerk Beatty calledthe roll and the badges and tickets of transportation were given the men, together with instructions.  T. Edmund Hornung was chosen captain of the contingent.  Then Mr. Sullivan gave the several instructions by order of the provost marshal general, dismissing the men after they had been photographed by Mr. Chipman, to report again at 1:30 o'clock.

 

Gifts for the Boys

The men then went, upon invitation, to Red Cross headquarters, where they were welcomed and outfitted with comfort kits and sweaters by officers of the Red Cross chapter.  Later the men received pipes and tobacco from the Elks, magazines from Guernsey Memorial Library and tobacco from the kettle fund.

 

At 12 o'clock they went to the Norwich club, where they were met by prominent men in the several civic and benevolent organizations and were entertained.

 

Dinner at Norwich Club

Dinner was served in the assembly room at the rear of the game room.  The walls were decorated with the national colors and a handsome photograph of the president and commander in chief of the armies of the United States, Woodrow Wilson.  Curator Adwards served the following dinner:

Pickles     Olives

Tomato Soup     Saltines

Roast Beef     Mashed Potatoes

Lima Beans

Wheaten Bread and Butter

Pumpkin Pi     Cheese

Coffee

Cigars     Cigarette

 

Those Who Spoke

Judge James P. Hill acted as toastmaster and paid a splendid tribute to the boys who are answering their country's call.  Among those who were called upon and who responded with brief talks were the following:  Judge Wm. H. Sullivan, chairman of the county board of exemptions, J. Bennett Turner, chairman of the executive committee of the third Liberty Loan for Chenango County, District Attorney David F. Lee; H.W. Clarke, chairman of the Chenango county Red Cross, Sergeant Urquahart, the Canadian soldier who has assisted throughout the War Chest and Liberty Loan campaigns, City Attorney James S. Flanagan and Rev. Walter l. Bennett, pastor of the First congregational church of Norwich.

 

Others Present

There were a number of other citizens present, among whom were Mayor Linn H. Babcock, H.L. Beatty of the county board of exemptions, Wm. H. Dunne, president of the Norwich Chamber of Commerce, Secretary R. Doran of the Chamber of Commerce and Prin. Frank R. Wassung of the Norwich high school.

 

Presented with Flag

At the close of the dinner, Judge Sullivan presented the soldier contingent with a beautiful large American flag, the gift of Judge James P. Hill and his office staff.  There was much patriotic music throughout the dinner, and the boys showed their appreciation by giving three rousing cheers for the Norwich club hospitality.

 

Those in Charge

Every man was in his place again at the courthouse when the roll call was made again by Clerk Beatty of the local board at 1:30 o'clock.  Chairman Sullivan then named Clarence Utter and George H. Smith assistants to Capt. Hornung and to Mr. Smith was assigned the honor of being color bearer, the flag being presented by the attaches of the surrogate's office. Every man in the crowd heartily took the oath that they did not have on their persons or in their baggage any intoxicating beverage and would not touch any while enroute to Camp Dix.  Mr. Sullivan again gave the men parting instructions and introduced Mr. Beatty.  He told very interestingly of the conditions at Camp Dix, where other Norwich men would be found, and some of the things to which they must become accustomed within the next two weeks.

 

Parade and Line of March

At 1:55 o'clock Capt. Hornung took charge of his men.  They formed in line and marched out of the courthouse, taking their place in the parade which had been organized to escort them to the Lackawanna station.  Mayor Babcock and Major Payne were marshals of the parade and back of them marched the Misses Olive and Jane Babcock in Khaki suits, bearing flags.  Johnson's band was next in line, playing martial music, then came Harvey Truss, the color bearer for E.B. Smith Post, G.A.R., members of which were in the parade directly following and bearing their muskets.  Mr. Wilson of the Spanish War Veterans bore their colors and preceded the Home Defense unit, which was in line just in front of the student military unit.  Then came the boys of the new national army, marching behind their new colors and the members of the local board and followed by officials of the county, business men and the teachers and students in the Norwich high school building.

 

Cheered Along the Streets

Lining the streets cheering the men to the echo, were citizens and the little citizens of this country for whose safety the boys are going to fight.  Drawn up along both sides of East Main street from the Bramer corner to the Lackawanna station were the pupils from the Ward schools, bearing their banner, waving their flags and cheering on the marching soldiers. It was the most effective and affecting parade yet organized to speed our boys on their way.

At the Station

The marching column reached the Lackawanna station at 2:10.  The quasi-military organizations formed an escort and cordon of honor about the newly inducted men, reserving the cobbled space just south of the station.  There with Johnson's band playing the patriotic and popular army airs which were picked up and sung by the crowd, that waited patiently for the delayed train which pulled into the station at 2:35 o'clock and left at 2:45.

The special was made up in Utica leaving there at noon, and consisted of eight coaches.  On board the train were draft units from Utica, Waterville and other stations en route.  At Binghamton more drafted men will go on board and the special will pick them up all along the route to Camp Dix which will be reached about midnight.  Dining cars were attached at Binghamton and the men will have their suppers on board train, the Chenango contingent expecting to eat about the time they approach Scranton.