Jasper County Democrat, Volume 20, Number 59, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 24 October 1917 — LETTER FROM CAMP TAYLOR [ARTICLE]

LETTER FROM CAMP TAYLOR

I>. J. Babcock Writes of Changes Made in the Camp Life. In a letter received yesterday morning from Camp Taylor, Kentucky, from D. J. Babcock, and written Saturday night, he stated that his squad, No. 1. composed of the tall men in Co. B, 309th Engineering corps, had been on reserve fire patrol all week. When on this duty no member of the squad can go to town or leave the borders of the engineering district, and are liable to be called out for duty day or night. They had been lucky so far, not having had to answer any .call. On Monday this duty was passed to the next squad, and no one was sorry. “I also caught a place on the barracks police today. The police i have to clean up the quarters of the men, and we did a good job, too, as it passed inspection O. K. by the captain, who is a very exacting man. This is the first time for two weeks that the place has been passed by the mayor, colonel, captain and lieutenant of the company. The ‘hunkies’— (The Democrat has learned from other sources were transferred last week and put in a company by themselves) —who cleaned the place up previously, a/pparently did not care what kind of a job was done, and the captain was the object of severe criticism. Of course, when ihe is ‘called’ it always terminates in making it uncomfortable for the enlisted men, so we try to do our best. "One good thing has already been done, extending our bedtime limit from 9:30 p. m. to 10:30 p. m. All, however, must be in bed by that time or will be charged with absence without leave, a minor' form of desertion. "A portion of our company—all the Jasper county boys included—fcave moved into different barracks amd we have plenty of heat now. Before moving it got quite ‘airish’ in the wee sma’ hours of the morntug. We have also been issued heavy underclothing and also another suit of clothes—the new, »atty olive-drab uniform —and a pair of field shoes, so expect to get along all right now. "Elbert E. (‘Doc’) Shoemaker has been transferred to Hattiesburg, Mississippi, with several other men of our company, but he is the only one from Jasper county to go so far. “We are going to have several football teams, and other lines of sport are being encouraged by the officers, who seem to desire to make us feel contented, yet preserving strict military discipline.”