Iowa Old Press
West Union Argo-Gazette
West Union, Fayette County, Iowa
Wednesday, June 27, 1917
SOLDIERS ROLL OF HONOR - Partial List of Fayette County
Boys Enlisted For Service in the War -- Know of Any Others?
Fayette county's "Roll of Honor" consists of
the young men who are enlisted to serve the United States in any
capacity connected with its fighting forces during the present
war. No compilation of this list for the county as a whole has
been attempted before, but in order to have the names of the
Fayette county soldiers before the big audience at the fair
ground Sunday afternoon such a list was prepared, and while it
may contain inaccuracies and have omitted some names, still it
will do as a starter. If anyone anywhere in the county detects
errors or omissions in this list we shall be glad to have the
correct information. The list by townships as it appeared on the
big bulletin board Sunday afternoon was as follows:
West Union
Alfred Clapp, Jay Chapman, Leo Dwyer, Ronald Finch, Leon Layton,
Reed McIlree, Merrill Probert, Clarence Richards, Archie Roberts,
Horace. Schwestka, E.A. Schatz, Karl Schatz, Glen Johnson, Lyle
Borland, Rob Riedel, Obbie Jobe, Harley Hills
Fayette
Earl Wolgamot, Ray A. Hague, Irwin Edie, Harold Simar, Lloyd
Hurmence, Paul E. Davis, Harold Littelle, Hadwin McCann, Charles
Parker, Edward Robbins, Emerald Robbins, Robert Tann
Windsor
Lou Busch, George Schultz, Theo Lenz, Ralph Sorg, Ed Rogers,
Arrie Westpfahl, Anson Dooley.
Harlan
Arthur Silka, Floyd Simpson, Walter Thiele, Howard Payne, George
Warnke, Stephen Journett, Roy V. Smith.
Fairfield
Weldon Burns, Harold Dunn, Mark Antweine, Charles Crow, Lloyd.
Frederick, Forest Powell, Clar.ence Sackett, Russell Stokes,.
F.A. Wright, Leslie Welch, James Wilson, Hoyt Young.
Illyria
Lerry Hinkle, Arthur Walters.
Auburn
Ray Fels.
Pleasant Valley
Boies Capper, Robert Gehring, Walter Kohls, Ernest White
Bethel
Bud Finch, Fred Thalman, Jr., Dan West, George West.
Center
Harold Ashby, Carl Ashby, James Bittle, Henry Jach, Ed Tripp,
Kenneth Wilder.
Clermont
John D. Shipton, Millard Johnson, Bert Cahalan, Orville Coffman,
Olaf Hanson, Charles Gruver, Stewart Buchanan, Francis Smith.
Eden
Hiram Lovrien, La Verne Belding, Dewey Lovrien, Othmar Luce,
Ronald Roberts, Othie Finch.
Oelwein
H. Wimmer, S.A. Wolf, Robert Wolf, A.E. Van Arsdale, R.S.
Stephenson, Charles Strand, Fred Smith, William Smith, Milo
Schneider, Edward Serar, Bernard Schatz, Ahthur Robinson, Leon
Robinson, Logan A. Sleak, H.E. Rickey, William Peterson, L.A.
Merker, Paul La Vallette, George Mealey, Lyle Larghe, Frank
Larson, Bernara Little, Sabin Kelley, Sidney Loeb, Ben King. S.A.
Jones, R. Jennings, A. Graham, H. Hailperm, Charles Howell, Frank
Hanson, L. Hilsabek, Arthur Hillinger, Frank Higgins, C.
Ferguson, J.C. Giles, H. Gustafson, Allen Edwards, J.L.
Dearhammer, M.S. Clark, E.E. Deyo, R.E. Doty, A.B. Cameroon, J.A.
Christenson, Henry Cleming, Ray Cassidy, Max Crane, A.M. Bruce,
C.H. Barnes, Martin Brinkman, Lewis Barnes, T. Basten, N.A.
Bruner, Ray Beck, Percy M. Allen
WAR FUND EXCESS $350
Fayette County, Asked For $11,750 For Red Cross Service
in France,Gives $12,094
WEST UNION $1.50 PER CAPITA
Eden Township Gives $1500, Oelwein $2354, Fayette $1000 -- North
End Over-Subscribes by $1700
The brief but strenuous campaign for raising Fayette county's
$11750 share of the Red Cross war fund ended Monday night in a
big victory, the fund being over subscribed by at least $350. The
returns are not absolutely complete, but it is known that the
subscriptions, total over $12,094. Of this amount $8433 was
raised, in the north twelve townships, in which the headquarters
was at West Union. This part of the county was asked to raise
$6,756, and made it over $8,400, thus exceeding its apportionment
by about $l,700. The south eight townships raised $3660.81 of the
$5000 apportioned to them.
The fund raised in Oelwein reaches $2354.26. Oelwein is second
only to West Union. This city's subscriptions amounted to $2643,
which is the largest sum raised in any city, town, township, or
town and township combined, in the county. While one subscriber
paid $100, several others $50, a number $25, and scores gave $20
each, the smaller subscriptions came in by the hundreds, the boy
clerks and girl stenographers pledging from $4 to $10 each, to be
paid out of their weekly wages. The $2643 subscribed in West
Union represents subscriptions of an average of $1.50 per capital
which is 50 cents above the $1 per capita subscription asked on
the average throughout the United States. Eden township
(including Waucoma) subscribed $1500, which is at $1.25 per
capita, the second largest subscription in the county in
proportion to population. Fayette subscribed $1,000, although in
the midst of U.I. U.'s ambitious endowment campaign, and that
with Lima's $200 will give Westfield a total of$1,200. Pleasant
Valley subscribed $836.25, most of which was put up in about
three-quarters of an hour at a meeting in Elgin.
Since writing the above the claims of Waucoma and Eden township
to the banner for giving to the war fund have been brought to our
attention and are referred to in another place in this issue.
Bethel township appears to hold the banner for giving on the part
of the strictly rural townships.
The result is one of which the patriotic people of Fayette county
may well feel proud. The cause was one that appealed to their
hearts. No man or woman who has formed any idea of the hardships
of war, no one who stops to think that every community will under
the conscription law furnish boys to the battle line in France to
need the utmost relief the Red Cross can give, could fail to be
impressed with the duty and the privilege of consecrating a few
dollars to this cause. Wherever the conditions were properly put
to the people, there the response was liberal and prompt. That
Fayette county has oversubscribed its share, and that the north
end of the county went so far beyond what was asked, is a cause
for pride arid congratulation.
The meeting at the fair ground Sunday afternoon was attended by
an audience estimated conservatively at 3000 people. The cars
counted as they left the ground numbered 442. The address was by
Hon. Charles E. Pickett of Waterloo, formerly congressman from
the Third district. Mr. Pickett went at length into the
justification of America for entering the world war, and held his
audience attentively, for he is a very eloquent and incisive
speaker. He drew frequent applause, made a strong impression,
furnished his hearers food, for much subsequent thought; and
rendered the cause of Americanism in Fayette county a great
service. The committee was fortunate to secure for this great
meeting a speaker of Mr.Pickett's caliber.
Carl Evans, president of the West Union chapter of the Red Cross,
president. W.J. Ainsworth of the county council of defense spoke
briefly of the needs of the war fund. The good music was by the
Elgin and Hawkeye bands and by West Union vocalists, Lyle
Schwestka, singing two patriotic solos, one accompanied, by the
choir.
Large bulletin boards were set up fronting the amphitheater, and
E.R. Ballard was kept busy lettering on them the names of Fayette
county soldiers of this war, and of the amounts raised up to that
time by the various towns and townships for the war fund.
NOW FOR Y.M.C.A. FUND
Army Branch Asks $175,000 From Iowa, $3,000 From
FayetteCounty -- Campaign is On
BIG MEETING TOMORROW NIGHT
For Men Only, From North Twelve Townships, For Organization --
Mass Meeting Sunday
The campaign to raise $3,000 in Fayette county for the army
Y.M.C.A. is being organized in the county by A. Vincent Bennett
of Des Moines, and a meeting for men only with that purpose in
view is to be held at the courthouse at 8 o'clock tomorrow
(Thursday) evening. At this meeting men from the north twelve
townships of Fayette county are invited to be present to take
part in the organization work. It is also planned to have a mass
meeting in West Union next Sundayafternoon.
The co-operation of citizens in every county in Iowa is needed at
once to raise Iowa's $175,000 fund.
The Young Men's Christian association is "prepared by
experience, approved methods, and assured resources to serve
especially the troops in camp and field", and because this
organization "has demonstrated its ability to render a
service desired by officers and men", on April 15 President
Wilson signed an executive order giving official recognition to
this movement as a "valuable adjunt to the service."
From office, factory, farm - from city and country 40,000 Iowa
men are soon to be a part of the U. S. army. Many are boys under
twenty. In the new surroundings temptations are many.
Home-sickness is prevalent. Influences that will help to hold the
boys for clean living and the highest type of manhood are vitally
important at this time.
The army Y.M.C.A. establishes buildings in the army training and
prison camps in both foreign and home war departments. It seeks
to hold up high moral ideals and to keep the men away from the
evil influences which quickly surround camps of this kind. The
Y.M.C.A. shack or building affords a homelike place for the boys,
where they are given writing stationery and a place to write, the
latest magazines and novels to read, games of all descriptions,
entertainments of all kinds, a Victrola and a piano to use. It is
the work of the Y.M.C.A. to keep the boys occupied, and above all
to keep them as clean as when they left home.
Some Must Go—All Can Give
Fayette county's portion of the state fund is $3,000. This money
must be raised as soon as possible that the work which has begun
in preparation for our immense state training camp may not be
retarded for lack of funds.
What It Does For the Boys
Judge C. B. Robbins of Cedar Rapids, captain of Co. D, First Iowa
infantry, writing from Brownsville, said, "I wish to state
that I consider the Y.M.C.A. organization with the First Iowa
brigade to be of very great value indeed, to the men in almost
countless ways, in providing, a club house where the men can
meet, facilities for correspondence, etc. The institution is
doing the greatest good among our Iowa boys here. I do not
believe that there could be an institution doing more good to the
boys than the Y.M.C.A. is doing here. I trust that the Y.M.C.A.
organization will continue its work as a great moral force among
the men."
[transcribed by C.D., September 2018]