Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 301, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 26 December 1917 — Twas A Merry Christmas At Camp Shelby. [ARTICLE]

Twas A Merry Christmas At Camp Shelby.

The following dispatch from Camp 1 Shelby, Miss., the home of some of our soldier boys, shows that they were well provided for on Christmas day; Hattiesburg, Miss., Dec. 25 — Camp Shelby is celebrating Christmas day. The same Santa Claus who visited the homes of the north left gifts at Camp Shelby. * Not a soldier, even if he had no home nor loved ones, was forgotten. Organizations, societies, clubs, churches, fraternal orders sent tons of gifts to the camp, and the Red Cross added thousands of boxes filled with useful and beneficial gifts. Each soldier was made to feel that somewhere some one was thinking of him. Scopes of little Christmas trees sparkled in the company streets. One mammoth tree, larger than the rest, stood in the parade ground of the 151st infantry, its branches hung with little presents sent here in the last week, but kept until last night by the commanding officers. Every mess shack is a bower of mistletoe and holly and cypress. Hundreds of northern visitors messed with their boys. Some of the regiments served elaborate Christmas dinners paid for by regimental funds. In addition to the 5 per cent of each organisation permitted to go home, the men had three days of rest, beginning Sunday morning and ending with taps tonight. Thousands of them visited Hattiesburg, Gulfport, Biloxi, Laurel, New Orleans and nearby points. All of them will be back tomorrow to take up their daily preparation for war.

Among the many events of the day was the surprise Christmas greeting to the men of Company A, 139th machine gun battalion, from Mrs. Katherine Mcßride Hosier, of Indianapolis, sister of Captain Herbert W. McBride. The entire company was lin ed up and Lieut. Lawrence O. Rarick presented each man vyith a box of Christmas gifts from Mrs. Hoster. The Mothers’ club of Vincennes and the mothers of New Albany also sent gifts to soldiers from Knox and Floyd counties.