Song Writing Comes Easy To Camp Cody Man

Jack Yellen, Who Brings Minstrels Here Saturday and Sunday Tells How It’s Done.

“Song writing? Easiest thing in the world – and the hardest. Nobody in the world can teach another person how to write songs. If you’ve got the knack it’s a cinch, and if you haven’t, it’s the toughest game in the world.

This is how the gentile art of writing the songs of the nation is characterized by Jack Yellen, author of “Are You From Dixie?” and numerous other popular successes, who will appear at the Texas Grand theater Saturday and Sunday with the Camp Cody Minstrels. Mr. Yellen laid aside his ragtime pen several months ago and came from New York city to Camp Cody, New Mexico, to take charge of the Jewish welfare work there. His is the originator and producer of the Camp Cody Minstrels, made up of the best talent of the Thirty-fourth division and selected from 1,100 tryouts.

“I began writing songs when I was still in knickerbockers,” Mr. Yellen went on, “I usually got about $5 for a song. About five years ago I hit upon my first real success, “All Aboard for Dixie,” and sold it for $40/ The man who bought it from my partner and myself subsequently sold it for $5,000 to a publisher who had rejected the manuscript.

“A couple of years later I write “Are You From Dixie?” and – well, I wasn’t so foolish in disposing of that one. After that I kept on writing Dixie songs until people began to think I had a patent on Dixie, although I had never been south of New York. However, I guess I didn’t do Dixie any justice, judging from the success of “Back to Dixieland”, “Listen to That Dixie Band”, “Look Me Up When You’re in Dixie”, “Circus Day in Dixie”, and my latest, “There’s a Lump of Sugar Down in Dixie”, besides several numbers that didn’t turn out so fortunately.

“I’ve had my ‘flops’ as well as my hits. It’s largely a matter of luck and you never can tell when you’re writing a song whether it will turn out a million copy seller or a failure. But everybody had his flops, only the public doesn’t hear of them. As a matter of fact, a writer who can produce one hit out of 10 songs is batting a pretty good average.

Jack Yellen is one of the features of the Camp Cody Minstrels. He will sing several of his new numbers, which include his latest war songs, “So Long, Sammy”, and “Over the Rhine”. – El Paso Herald Newspaper – Tuesday, April 23, 1918

Jack Yellen – Camp Cody, New Mexico

Son of Colonel H. V. Eva Joins Father’s Artillery Outfit at Camp Cody

Leaving his studies at the Virginia Military institute at Lexington, Victor Eva, son of Colonel Hubert V. Eva, commanding the 125th field artillery, has reached here to enlist in that regiment. His father has gone to San Antonio, Texas, to an officers’ school. Colonel Eva is from Duluth Minnesota where he was secretary of the Duluth chamber of commerce. – El Paso Herald Newspaper – January 2, 1918

Colonel H. V. Eva – Camp Cody, Deming, NM

Soldiers at Camp Cody Take $60,000 of Big Loan

Lieutenant Ira N. Sprecher, head of the war risk insurance station and third Liberty loan officer for the 34th division, reported late, Saturday night, that he had received applications for bonds of that loan to the amount of $60,000 and that he felt certain of getting $100,000. These subscriptions are absolutely voluntary on the part of the soldiers, because they took nearly $2,000,000 of the second. – El Paso Herald Newspaper – Monday, April 29, 1918

1st South Dakota – Camp Cody – Deming, New Mexico

Camp Cody Soldiers Joke about Absent Men

The 134th Infantry (5th Nebraska infantry) has lost two officers, Captain Glynn S. Willey and Lieutenant Jean Cobbey, the regimental chaplain, both out of service of the regiment. Those two officers left their tent signs behind them, so some joker thought the other day these signs ought to mark the memory of the departed ones. As there is always plenty of sand along officers’ row, two neat mounds of it were heaped up, the two respective signs were nailed to boards and placed one each at the east end of a sand mound.

As the joked looked real good, the tent sight of Lieutenants George L. Ailes and George P. Gillen, both on duty out at the trenches, marked two other mounds alongside the first two mentioned. While stones marked suggestively the foot of each of the four mounds. – El Paso Herald Newspaper – Monday, April 29, 1918

Camp Cody Soldiers – Park Scene – Deming, New Mexico – Train Depot

Three Barracks To Be Erected at Camp Cody For Use of Cooks and Bakers

Instructions have been received by the construction quartermaster, Major Frederick P. Simonds, for erecting three two story barracks buildings for the housing of 66 men each, who will constitute the student cooks and bakers and attendant personnel of the permanent cooks’ and bakers’ school to be established here under the command of Captain H. B. Oursler.

These buildings will each be 30 by 60 feet. In addition, there is to be a one story building, 20 by 112 feet, for a mess hall and kitchen and another 20 by 42 feet for lavatories and shower baths. The site for the buildings have not been determined. – El Paso Herald Newspaper – Friday, June 14, 1918

A Company kitchen and Street – Camp Cody, Deming, New Mexico

Camp Cody Soldiers Hurt in Stampede

Saturday there was a wild stampede of horses with artillery pieces out on the target range. The cause was the horses getting frightened at the firing of the pieces, to which they had not yet become accustomed. A number of the teams became unmanageable and the result was that a number of soldiers got quite badly bruised and one had his wrist broken. – El Paso Herald Newspaper – Tuesday, April 9, 1918

Major Anson Marston

Soldiers at Camp Cody to Be Protected Under Civil Relief Act

The soldiers of the 34th division will be offered the protection of their civil rights under the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Civil Relief act, have been invoked for the protection of the soldiers of Camp Cody, as is explained in the following memorandum issued by division headquarters.

“The insurance feature of the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Civil Relief act provides for the protection of as much as $5,000 of the insurance which was applied for and premium paid on prior to September 1, 1917, by any person now in the military service.”

“This applies to contracts of insurance with only those insurance companies or associations which are required by the law under which they are organized or doing business to maintain a reserve, or, which if not so required, have made provision for the collection from all those insured in such insurer of a premium to cover the special war risk of those insured persons who are in the military service.”

“Insurance contracts protected by this act will not be allowed to lapse while the insured is in the military service, and he will have one year after the termination of his service, or, if he is in the service at the close of the war, he will have one year after the termination of the war, in which to repay any amounts advanced for the protection of his insurance.”

“Additional information and the necessary applications may be obtained at the insurance department of the division adjutant’s office, mess hall 4, section 5.”

“All officers and enlisted men are urged to take advantage of this opportunity to protect their insurance.” – El Paso Herald Newspaper – Sunday, April 21, 1918

1st South Dakota Infantry at Camp Cody, Deming, New Mexico

Smileage For Camp Cody Boys

Will Give Them a Chance to See a Show

Not only has the Liberty theater come to stay in Camp Cody, as is indicated by its steady popularity among the officers and men of the 34th division, but it is the hope and intention of Lieutenant J. W. Pierce, representing division headquarters in the management of the playhouse, that the friends and relatives of the men of Camp Cody shall assist the soldiers to see the show. To this end he is about to start a campaign through the newspapers of Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, North and South Dakota, for Smileage, to be sent to Camp Cody for distribution among the soldiers.

A soldier’s pay, under existing conditions, with Liberty Loan, compulsory allotment, etc., deducted from it, is no lordly sum, and in order that the men of the camp may have an opportunity to attend the Liberty theater with any degree of regularity, it will be needful for their relatives and friends to buy and give them Smileage books.

This week has witnessed crowded houses at the theater. A feature of the bill is a prize waltzing contest. Eight soldiers identified by the last number on their by the last numbers on their identification tags, are called to the stage at the end of each performance and waltz with eight of the young women of the cast. Individual applause is taken to mean the favor of the audience for any particular couple. At the end of the week the soldier prize winners will waltz against one another and prizes be given those whose dancing meets the approval of the audience. There will be a first and second prize. – El Paso Herald Newspaper – Friday, May 3, 1918

WW1 Smileage Book – Camp Cody – Deming, New Mexico

Sioux Falls Soldier and Minneapolis Girl Marry at Camp Cody

Army field clerk Jesse A. Putnam, of the 34th division adjutant’s office, formerly of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and Miss Margaret Danaher, of Minneapolis, Minnesota, were married in the chapel of the Knights of Columbus hall here Wednesday afternoon by Lieutenant J. J. Martin, chaplain of the 109th ammunition train. Lieutenant Eugene Field of company K, 135th infantry, acted as best man and Miss Teresa Clark, of Deming, as bridesmaid. – El Paso Herald Newspaper – Friday, June 14, 1918

Minnesota Collar Insignia – Camp Cody, Deming, New Mexico

Singing Class Organized at Camp Cody “Y”

Classes in mass singing will be organized here under the direction of Secretary Frenger of the Y. M. C. A. The men of all the organizations, and especially those who have singing ability, are urged to avail themselves of this opportunity. There will be a big regimental or brigade songs as “Over There”, the “Battle songfest monthly, with such inspiring Hymn of the Republic”, the “Star Spangled Banner,” rendered with a gusto that will make the echoes resound through the Boche trenches in Flanders ad in France. These programs will be followed by vocal solos, vaudeville ad speeches. None of the regular Y. M. C. A. programs will be curtailed in order to inaugurate these singing classes. – El Paso Herald Newspaper – January 7, 1918

135 Infantry – Camp Cody Band – Deming, New Mexico