Round Up Draft Deserters

From The Indianapolis Star, Friday, February 14, 1919: The 124 Indiana local boards have reported 13,000 delinquents to the state draft headquarters. Maj. Robert Baltzell, Indiana draft executive, conferred yesterday with L. Ert Slack, U. S. district attorney, to arrange a final review of the records of draft deserters. It is estimated that 75 per cent of the delinquents will be cleared up because many of the registered men who failed to file a questionnaire or appear for a physical examination enlisted in the army or had been inducted as “non-willful deserters.” Also, the number will be reduced because of duplications. When the final list of delinquents is completed it will be forwarded to the provost marshal general and the U. S. Justice Department in Washington with recommendations for court-martial if an individual is found to be a willful deserter.

“Round Up Draft Deserters,” The Indianapolis Star, 14 February 1919, p. 3:6