Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 188, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 25 August 1917 — Pleased With Camp Shelby. [ARTICLE]

Pleased With Camp Shelby.

Camp 1 Shelby, Hattiesburg, Miss., Aug. 23.—Company B» Fourth Indiana infantry, reached Camp Shelby yesterday from Rushville, Ind. Officers believe this is the first national guard unit in the United States to reach its permanent training quarters. The special'train bearing the Hoosiers arrived at Camp Shelby shortly after 2 o’clock in the morning, but the men slept until daylight. Captain John H. Kiplinger is in command, with A. P. Blackledge as first lieutenant and W. A. Kreber as second lieutenant. The company is 145 strong and is made up practically entirely of recruits. Shortly after noon the men were temporarily quartered in one of the big warehouses. They have no cots but brought their blankets with them and will remain in the warehouse until their tents, cots and other equipment arrive. No sleeping quarters have been prepared for them here. Their mess hall and kitchen are complete but the construction officers of the camp had expected each unit to bring its own tents. -

The company left Rushville Monday afternoon at 5 o’clock. Had the trip been made without delay, it would have reached here Tuesday afternoon, but a rather circuitous route had been selected. Their special train consisted of one Pullman and three tourist coaches. “It was a fine trip,” said Lieutenant Blackledge. “Not a man was ill and everything was as pleasant as could be. The site looks good to' me and to the other officers. “When we reached here it was raining in torrents, and we imagined we would have to plod around in mud all morning. Of course, we were pleased this morning to find the ground practically dry. This soil is certainly ideal for training purposes.” Lieutenant Kreber and several of the men are suffering with sore arms from recent typhoid vaccinations, but on the whole the company is in fine shape and in fine spirits. The members of the unit are from Rush, Decatur and Fayette counties.