News of Richmond County Soldiers, Including Deaths of Robert Williams, Murdock McRae, Emmett Lee, Carl Leligney, Ernest Austin, 1918

“Richmond County Soldiers,” from the Rockingham Post-Dispatch, Oct. 10, 1918

Cecil Smith has had influenza at Camp Sevier but is now getting well.

Robert Williams of Hemp, Moore county, died of pneumonia at Camp Jackson two weeks ago.

Wm. Harry Entwistle has been made a corporal. He is well, according to a letter received by home folks Wednesday.

Sergeant James McKenzie is in 426^th Labor Battalion, Q.M.C., Camp Sevier, S.C.

Murdock McRae, a popular young man of Maxton, died at Camp Jackson Oct. 3 of pneumonia, following an attack of influenza.

Stephen W. Steele Jr. is now on the water en route across, having set sail from a Virginia port last Sunday. He is in Battery E, 509^th regt.

Mrs. W.T. Smith subscribed for her husband, who is a bugler in Company A, 306^th Tr. Headquarters & Military Police, Amer. E.F., France. He was one of the 18 sent to Camp Jackson Nov. 21, 1917.

W.K. McNeill’s address is Co. 1, Recruit Camp, No. 4, Camp Green. He is doing clerical work in the office of the Sergeant Major. He says two-thirds of the boys of his company have influenza and the hospital is full.

John Cole applied Aug. 8^th for admission into an officers’ training camp. Last week he received notice of his acceptance, with orders to report Oct. 15^th to Camp Gordon for entrance into the infantry officer’s training school.

Tom Guthrie and George Entwistle expect to leave Sunday for Richmond to report at Marine headquarters for duty. They will then be sent to Parris Island, likely. Thomas has about recovered from his wrestle with influenza.

Jimmie Horan, with Fox drug store at Hamlet, in filling out his questionnaire stated that he was born in France, lived 13 years in England and for the past several years in this country. Jimmie is a brother of Mrs. Steele Lowdermilk.

Oscar Jacobs, sent to Jackson May 25^th in the “124” and later transferred to Camp Sevier, was last week assigned to “stockade guard” duty. He was operated upon for appendicitis in the early part of May, before going to camp, and his side has really never completely healed.

Major R Emmett Lee of Danville died Oct. 8^th at the hospital at Fort Benjamin Harrison at Indianapolis, as the result of an accidental shot in the chest about a month ago at Camp Perry, Ohio. His wife was formerly Miss Anna Thomas of this city.

There are at present 1,480 American prisoners of war in Germany.

Lt. Carl Smith has been ill with influenza at Camp Gordon but is now improved.

September in France is a cold month, but the Allies managed to keep warm running after the Germans.

Carl Leligney of Mt. Gilead died at Camp Jackson last week of pneumonia-influenza and was buried at Mt. Gilead Monday.

Word was received by Mr. and Mrs. W. Scales Saturday that their son, Lt. Walter L. Jr., had landed safely across. He is in Co. G, 55^th Pioneer Infantry.

Jas. Leak Little, a limited service man, was sent to Camp Greene Aug. 30^th, has been in the base hospital there for the past ten days with influenza. However, he is recovering.

Lt. Victor Pegues spent from Saturday to Tuesday morning with relatives at home, en route from Ft. Sill, Okla., to Camp Polk, Raleigh. He volunteered for tank service and is now in Raleigh for training in that new branch.

Major Don M. Scott of Graham has just been promoted to Lieutenant-Colonel in France He is in the 120^th, which contains most of the old Third Regiment. Don has a number of college friends in this county who remember him pleasantly as a good “scout.”

A letter received Monday by Leake S. Covington from David Esterling Battery F, Heavy Field Artillery, American Expeditionary Forces, written Sept. 8^th, stated that he was quite well. He says they are billeted in a small French village and literally sleep in a barn with the cows and chickens, but all the same it is “the life.”

Two sailors were arrested in Hamlet Aug. 1^st as deserters and were held in the jail here for over a month before they were sent for. About three weeks ago they were carried to the Navy yard at Charleston, but one, Glenn Wilkinson, made his escape from Charleston on Thursday of last week, and on Sunday was found by Richmond county authorities two miles from Rockingham. He said he was trying to make his way to his home in New Orleans. He is now in jail here awaiting officers from the Navy Yard at Charleston.

Melvin Lowe of Co. A, 306^th Field Signal Bn., A.P.O. 791, has sent home the following letter which King George I in April gave to each soldier passing through England: “Soldiers of the United States, the people of the British Isles welcome you on your way to take your stand beside the armies of many nations now fighting in the Old World the great battle for human freedom. The Allies will gain new heart and spirit in your company. I wish that I could shake the hand of each one of you and bid you good speed on your mission. George R.I., April, 1918.”

Rev. Z.V. Roberson, who is taking special training for war Y.M.C.A. work at Blue Ridge, has been sick with influenza there, but is now much better.

Pneumonia-influenza claimed another Maxton soldier Sunday, Ernest L. Austin dying at Camp Humphrey, Va. He had joined the engineer corps two months ago.

Hubert T Prosser was last week made a Sergeant at Camp Hancock, with Mess Sergeant’s duties. His address is 54^th Co., 5^th Group M.T.D., Camp Hancock, Ga.