This day in 1917 in The Record

Monday, July 23, 1917. “The effect of the draft for the new national army began to show in the work of the recruiting officers at the city hall station this morning,” The Record reports. The first military draft of America’s war against Germany took place last Friday. Several hundred Troy men between the ages of 21 and 30 are expected to be called in shortly for physical examinations, although only half of them are likely to pass. Men who’ve been drafted have the option to enlist in their local National Guard regiment. For Trojans that’s the Second New York Infantry regiment, currently guarding strategic bridges, canals and railroads in northeastern New York. While the Second is expected to head south shortly for regularly army training before going to Europe, the idea of serving with local friends is still more appealing to some draftees than possibly random assignment to a new army unit. More than a dozen men have shown up at the Second’s recruiting station by the time this evening’s edition goes to press. The first one to appear is Chester C. Smith of 2533 Fifth Avenue, a clerk for the Boston & Maine Railroad who has the 79th number drawn Friday out of more than 10,000. Smith considers himself physically fit and tells our reporter that he has no plan to claim an exemption from service. Joseph Schumacher of 10 Fales Court makes his second application to enlist with the Second after failing his physical exam last month. “The boy was refused because he was under weight,” our writer explains, “but for three weeks has been selecting food which he believes has added about five pounds to his weight. The recruiting officers hesitated to send Schumacher to Schenectady again [for a physical], but the youth’s persistency won him another chance.” Today’s most unusual volunteer is John W. Ryan, who recently returned to Troy after working in “a remote place in Connecticut.” The U.S. declared war on Germany on April 6, but Ryan didn’t know that until last week. “He knew there were grave international activities taking place these days,” our reporter notes, “but the information that the United States was in the world war reached him only a few days ago.” If Ryan’s story is true, then he obviously failed to register for the draft as required by law last month. If he’s lucky, the government will take his volunteering for the Second as proof of good faith. Recruiting Sergeant Edward Hubbard tells The Record that the Second needs “less than twenty” men to reach its full war strength and should have them “within a few days.”