Evening Republican, Volume 20, Number 203, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 24 August 1916 — INDIANA WILL LOSE BATTERY BY ORDER [ARTICLE]

INDIANA WILL LOSE BATTERY BY ORDER

War Department Edict Relieving Students Would Reduce Troop Outfits to Skeletons. Mercedes, Texas, August 23.—The war department has notified Brigadier General E. M. Lawis, camp commander at Llano Grande, to make an investigation of the number of men that will be effected by the order relieving individual students and student bodies from military service on the border, that they may return to their studies; also to ascertain what effect the sending away of the students will have on the different units.

It was found that Indiana would lose one entire battery, twenty-eight out of fifty in one company of infantry, an entire band and a large number from different units—so large that some of the Indiana outfits would je almost skeletonized. Colonel Lesie R. Naftzger, of the First; Colonel J. R. Coulter, of the Second, and Colonel Aubrey L. Kuhlman, of the Third; Major R. H. Tyndall, of the field artillery, and the commanding officers of the ambulance and signal companies, all urged that the order )e revoked and that only men with disability and men who have dependent relatives be discharged.

This request of the war department is taken to mean that the students, because they are students, may not be sent home, because it will weaken the outfits and in a way will interfere with recruiting. The discontent against the student order still continues and if the students are discharged for no other reason than because they are students, the effect on the Indiana troops will be demoralizing. This is all.set forth in the recommendations of the different commanders. The discharge of men on account of disability also will deplete the Indiana units. It is understood that in the First Indiana there are forty who will be discharged for disability. Should all the students, all who have dependent relatives and those who are disabled, be discharged, there will bs about enough left for one full Indiana regiment of infantry. Major Dreisbach, of the Second Indiana headquarters, and Captain G. A. Monninger, of Company B, from Terre Haute, who wont to Santa Maria to arrange for the placing of Companies A and B, Second regiment, on river guard duty, have returned, and such a return it was. They were caught in the hurricane and suffered hardships that hardly can be described, the least of which was pushing their automobile through the mud, in the terrific downfall of rain, to Rabb's ranch. There they remained all night and started back the next morning. For more than five miles the officers had to push their car while three cowboys towed the machine with their, ponies. When they reached the camp, Major, Dreisbach had no hat or coat, and was plastered from head to foot with the sticky Texas gumbo. Captain Monninger did not even have a piece of a shirt, and the men had to give him a blanket at the edge of the camp so he could get to his quarters. General Lewis says that it will be some time before the companies go in army trucks atifeh4he roads are impassible for the big machines.

While Captain Monningcr was away, Company B was in command of a sergeant. The first time such a thing has happened in history of the Indiana national guard. Lieutenant Talbott left on recruiting duty and Lieutenant Collins was assigned to supply company No. 1, thus leaving First Sergeant Jesse Moore in command of the company in the field. The men of the company fixed up a sort of throne for Sergeant Moore and Sergeant Bridges, acting as orderly for him, brought him cigarettes on a tray made from a frying pan and a detail took turns fanning the king. The company cook, private Vaile, celebrated the event with the announcement of “seconds” on everything. The camp authorities are making an investigation of an assault made on Sergeant Butts, of the Fifth Nebraska, who has been acting as camp police. He has been exceeding arbitrary and was especially so with the Indiana artillery outfit, many of whom he put in the guardhouse without the least cause. Monday morning about 3 o’clock Butts was found unconscious behind a cook shack bleeding from a severe wound in the head, inflicted with a pop bottle. He is in the hospital, but it is not believed that he is injured fatally. The investigation so far has revealed that no Indiana soldiers were involved in the Assault, and it is believed that Butts './as struck by a soldier from his own outfit. Colonel Leslie R. Naftzger, of the First Indiana, saw a huge tarantula measuring it sway along the ridge , pole of the tent and called for his or- | derly. Private Craig, orderly for: