LIVING HISTORY
51
This was the 1917 U.S. draft registration form for Ralph Rubin, who joined the U.S. Army just a few
years after arriving from Romania. At right, the hat of a U.S. Army private similar to one Ralph Rubin
would have worn in World War II.
>>
The suspicious questions and dubious behavior of
a fellow train passenger caused a bit of wariness
for the young Ralph Rubin as he headed home for
his first furlough. The warm weather in mid-June
made the journey from central South Carolina a
smidgen uncomfortable, but the joy of spending some time
with his brothers back in Cocoa Beach eased the discomfort.
The 26-year-old, who proudly wore the uniform of a private
in the U.S. Army, was a part of the Great War to end all wars
in 1918. He had only been in his new homeland for about seven
years after coming with his brothers from Romania. They
had set out to live the American dream and possibly prosper
as shopkeepers along the east coast of Florida, a region ripe
for expansion and development early in the 20th century.
As Rubin sat in his seat, a gentleman approached him and
positioned himself in the adjoining seat. The stranger was
neatly dressed in a fine suit and immediately struck up a conversation
with the soldier. There were no formal greetings of
name and hometown but rather inquiries to Rubin’s military
base. His time at Camp Jackson near Columbia, S.C., had only
been since late April; however Rubin had learned right away
never to divulge any military information. Rubin informed
the stranger that, “Camp life was never discussed out of the
camp.” That explicit statement did not hinder the stranger
from further inquires.
Rubin’s mind was racing, questioning who this gentleman
could be. As the man continued to talk, Rubin definitely got
the impression that the stranger was pro-German and against
the United States’ involvement in the war. He even showed
contempt for Americans supporting the war effort with their
purchase of U.S. Liberty Bonds and War Saving stamps.
The stranger continued to attempt responses from Rubin
about the numbers of soldiers, officers and what type of
activities were conducted at Camp Jackson. There was even
an effort by the stranger to convince Pvt. Rubin that he was
making a grievous mistake being in the Army and serving as
part of a war machine. But Rubin remained firm, refusing to
respond to any of his recurring questions or statements.
They finally did talk about Florida when Rubin stated he
was on leave to his home state. However, whenever any Florida
location was mentioned, the stranger acted as if he had
no knowledge of the place. Later, when the stranger opened
up his briefcase, Rubin noticed that it was filled with an array
of Florida maps, all which appeared to be well used. When
Rubin referred to the state maps, the stranger switched his approach
and began talking extensively about areas throughout
Florida, especially along the Atlantic coast.
After more than a couple hours of listening to his seat mate,
Rubin managed to excuse himself. As he walked from one
train coach to the next he made sure he wasn’t followed. He
now knew what he had to do. Rubin stopped the first train
conductor he spotted and told him about this suspicious
man. He spoke of the statements the stranger had made and
Rubin’s own thoughts that this man may very well be a German
spy. The conductor reassured Rubin that he was right in
his suspicions as the conductor had been watching the actions
of the stranger as well. The information Rubin provided gave
the conductor the additional evidence to go ahead and contact
the next major train station at Savannah, Ga. He insisted U.S.
governmental officers be present at the station to apprehend
this stranger.
Pvt. Rubin returned to his seat where the stranger remained.