100 YEARS AGO IN THE SARATOGIAN
Monday, Nov. 18, 1918. “Not for many weeks yet will Saratoga Springs know how dearly has she purchased her glorious share in the wonderful victory which the Allied nations achieved over the Hun,” The Saratogian reports.
One week after an armistice ended the world war, the deaths of two more Spa City soldiers are confirmed by the U.S. government. Private Jerome E. Weeks, age 30, was killed in action sometime during the second week of October, while Private George Gurtler Jr. , age 21,died on October 20 of wounds received in combat sometime earlier.
Gurtler served in the headquarters company of the 105th U.S. Infantry regiment, the former Second New York National Guard. He joined Saratoga County’s Company L in 1916, when the regiment was sent to Texas for border patrol duty. After the regiment was shipped to Europe, Gurtler transferred to the headquarters company in order to serve alongside his brother, Corporal William Gurtler. Their parents, Mr. and Mrs. George Gurtler of 31 Jumel Place, last received a letter from George jr. on September 20.
Weeks was a 1917 draftee who served in the 328th U.S. Infantry. The son of Sarah J. Weeks of 9 State Street, “Private Weeks comes of a family that is noted for its patriotism. His father and grandfather were soldiers who followed the flag, serving in the Civil War; and Private Weeks has nobly sustained the reputation they had made as soldiers.”
Warns Employers of Training Law
The armistice has not repealed New York State’s Military Training Law, which requires all boys between the ages of sixteen and eighteen to take part in weekly military drills. The sergeant in charge of the program in Saratoga Springs warns today that he can still deny employment to boys in that age bracket if employers fail to comply with the law.
Sergeant C. W. Watson hints strongly that some businesses have not complied, even though “I have repeatedly notified all employers” of the law’s provisions. Employers can’t hire boys of training age without a certificate confirming their participation in the mandatory drills. If this rule isn’t “complied with at once,” the state military training commission can deny employment to all boys in the training age bracket. What’s Happening Today is a “Special Bargain Day” at the Broadway Theatre, with two feature films for the price of one. Emily Stevens stars in “A Man’s World” while Francis X. Bushman stars in “With Neatness and Dispatch.”
At the Palace, Mitchell Lewis stars in “Nine-Tenths of the Law,” while the Lyric features Irene Castle in “The First Law” and the final chapter of the serial, “The Lion’s Claws.”