Two more St. Francois county boys have made the supreme sacrifice, the sad news that they had been killed in action having been received this week.
Mrs. Gallagher, who lives in Crawley Bottom, received a telegram last Sunday from the War Department at Washington, announcing the fact that her son, William, who was a member of the 138th Infantry, had been killed September 26. Young Gallagher volunteered soon after [war] was declared as a member of the old Missouri Fifth, and left Flat River August 5, 1917 for the training camps. Mrs. Gallagher has received three letters from her son since she received the news of his death--one dated the latter part of August, and two early in September. Mrs. Gallagher is a widow, her husband having died several years ago.
The other Flat River casualty was that of Lawrence Robinson, son of Mr. and Mrs. R. H. Robinson, who is with the 138th Infantry and is a member of the Headquarters Company. He enlisted and left Flat River at the same time as Wm. Gallagher. His parents received a letter Sunday, October 20, from Lawrence stating that he had been wounded in action, Sunday, September 29. He had written the letter October 4 and stated that he was in the base hospital, recovering from a shrapnel wound in the right shoulder. He said he was first taken care of in a trench hospital for a couple of days and was then removed to the base hospital. He expresses his appreciation of the hospital and the care he is receiving by saying that it is like heaven. He says he was in actual battle four days and four nights without receiving a scratch and considers himself lucky.
Desloge has received news of a casualty in the same battle. Mr. and Mrs. Wm. Ste. Gemme received a telegram from the War Department, October 20, stating that their son, Jesse, had been killed in action, September 26. Young Ste. Gemme also belonged to the 138th, and was a member of the band company. He would have been 27 years old the third of next month.
Conflicting reports have been given this week concerning Clyde Phillips, son of Mr. and Mrs. Bart Phillips of Farmington. One of the St. Louis papers reported Tuesday that he had died of wounds received in action September 24. The same paper reported Wednesday that a typographical error had been made, and that young Phillips had been wounded severely but not killed. Mr. and Mrs. Phillips received a letter from their son, dated September 29th, in which he said nothing of having been wounded. Either the entire report has been an error, or he has been slightly wounded and did not mention the fact to his parents, to prevent their worrying about him.
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