August Karwelat, Jr. son of August Karwelat of
509 South Chestnut street, of this city, was
killed in action on or about July 18, last year,
according to word received from the war
department at Washington this week. The news was
the first word received here from the boy in nine
months. Last July it was reported that he had
been wounded in June and was in a hospital.After waiting long months
in vain for further news of his son, the elder
Karwelat recently appealed to postmaster J.E.
Simpson here to try to try to get him some
information. Simpson communicated with the
adjutant general of the war department in
Washington, and this week the elder Karwelat
received the information that his son was killed
in action on or about July 18, 1918.
So far as the
HERALD has been able to learn, this is the first
and only instance of a Collinsville father losing
two sons in action in the great war. Andrew
Karwelat was killed in action on October 9, the
word having reached here ten days later.
The father is the
only surviving relative here. The mother and
several brothers and sisters live in Lithuania
– rather, they lived there prior to the
outbreak of the war, the father not having
received any news of them for more than two years
and being entirely ignorant of their fate.
Both boys carried
the full amount of $10,000 government insurance
and as a result the father will be beneficiary of
$115 per month for perhaps as long as he lives.
He is already receiving the payments on account
of the death of the son Andrew.
August Karwelat
Jr., was well known around Collinsville. He had
been employed in the mines prior to entering the
service in the fall of 1917. Both boys were born
in America.
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