A.E.F. DESERTER, ATTEMPTING TO SURRENDER, MISSES THE BOAT
London (JFK+50) On January 26, 1923, the Associated Press reports Rusceyl Pattenger of Roodhouse*, Illinois, an A.E.F.** deserter, "is destitute" here in London "after wandering 10,000 miles through Asia and Europe."
It seems Mr. Pattenger has been attempting to be taken into custody for the past two years. His latest attempt failed when he was unable to reach Antwerp to board the transport St. Mihiel.
The AP describes him as "Uncle Sam's most widely traveled prodigal" and "a pitiful spectacle of a man who once wore the uniform."
Rusceyl Pattenger deserted in Siberia on January 17, 1920.
JFK+50 NOTE
During WWI, 5,584 American servicemen were charged with desertion while 2,657 were convicted. 24 received death sentences that were later commuted by order of President Woodrow Wilson.
*Roodhouse is located in Greene County in the west central region of Illinois. Its 1920 population, 2,928, was a 34.9% increase from 1910.
**American Expeditionary Force (1917-1920) was the U.S. Army at the Western Front in WWI. AEF Headquarters were at Chaumont, France. In 1918, the AEF numbered over 2 million men.
SOURCE
"Yank Deserter, Circling Globe To Surrender, Misses St. Mihiel," The Evening Star, Washington, D.C., January 26, 1923, Chronicling America, Library of Congress, www.loc.gov/
