Jasper County Democrat, Volume 20, Number 61, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 31 October 1917 — FURTHER NEWS OF COMPANY M [ARTICLE]

FURTHER NEWS OF COMPANY M

Dismemberment Seems to Have Been for a Purpose. Clarence B. Harms of Goodland, company clerk of Company M when it left Rensselaer, has written to Goodland friends and gives further details of the dismemberment of the local company. From his letter it would appear that but very little is left of the original organization, and he also intimates that spite had something to do with the action of those in command. It is not altogether improbable that the conduct of those members at the Morocco banquet had no small part in the latest moves of the superior officers. We publish below some extracts from the letter giving details not heretofore published, beginning on their arrival at Camp Shelby: But here is the worst of my story, when we arrived at the place they out our company all to pieces and Casey, Burns and I will be all that stay. The Goodland boys were

scattered into three organizations. Some went to Co. G, Co. C and Co. D, which is artillery, and Bassett was transferred to Co. E of the artillery, so this idea of joining the home company and staying together, (if you will permit me to use a little slang) is all shot. Col. Freyermuth lost command of this regiment at midnight September 30, 1917, and the one he took command of was not filled up and he took his spite out on us. And believe me it hasn’t left a very good feeling. He did it, I think, just because he could. There are eighty-three in our company will be transferred in a few days and where they go remains to be seen, it sure is hard to tell. • * * We don’t know now where we are bound for. It looks as if they are. going to make artillery of the fellows in the service and the drafted ones' will be made into infantry. The organization I am to stay in for the time being, anyway, will be detailed to train recruits. That means that a part of the draft'-1 fellows will go thru our- hands if they don’t change their minds again. Major C. F. Beyer is in command of us now and we like him very much. He is very kind and considerate of us all. Company M, as it used to be. was considered the best in this regiment. We had the best cooks and cleanest kitchen. Inspectors came around from one to five times a day and every time put his O. K. on our outfit. They even sent cooks down from other companies to take lessons from ours. We had the cleanest company street and the best looking set of men for appearance there was and I guess that is the reason Col. Freyermuth chose this bunch to pick from. However, we are a sore bunch to think whit happened. I certainly hated to see our boys march away from us that morning and know that we were going to be separated for good.