first of all that the man sought will have fair treatment and a chance
to state his side of the case before any proceedings are begun against
him.

Even a relative who has never been seen may sometimes be induced to act
effectively.

A man who deserted his wife and family was reported to have gone to
his brother in another city. Nothing definite was known of the
brother except that he was a telephone lineman. No address could be
secured through the company, but they agreed to forward a letter to
this relative. He never answered; shortly, however, the deserter
reappeared, having been persuaded to return voluntarily by the
brother to whom the letter had been addressed.

During the war local draft boards were of the greatest assistance in
finding deserting men. Election records too have been of real value in
the case of men who were voters. Passports and immigration records may
in some instances yield information helpful in establishing whereabouts.
Where there is actually a warrant out for the man's arrest, the active
co-operation of the postal authorities can sometimes be secured in
furnishing return addresses on envelopes delivered to persons with whom
the culprit is known to be in correspondence.

Problems of family desertion involving men in service during the war
were in the main handled by the Red Cross Home Service. Before the war,
private case working agencies had learned that the regular Army and the
Navy often seemed desirable havens to would-be family deserters. The
difficulties of finding them there were great, owing to the fact that
they often enlisted as single men under an assumed name. It has usually