Although Rudolph Beyer had registered early on National Registration Day for the draft, he wasn't actually drafted right away. Registration order numbers (#15 for him) were selected on the basis of a lottery by the local draft board to determine who would be called up for the draft to meet national military force personnel requirements. The local board lottery system was established to avoid problems experienced the last time mandatory conscription was enacted - in particular, draft riots that occured in New York during the Civil War!
This new draft lottery system was enacted July 20, 1917. On July 24, 1917, the Taylor Daily Press published detailed instructions about how men would be notified that they had been called up, when to appear to complete required forms and physical examinations, how to file exemptions and appeals, and other details. This notice filled half of page three of the newspaper under the headline shown above.
More than a year later, on August 8, 1918, Rudolph appeared before the local board and was drafted. We can assume from the instructions in the newspaper that at some point he became aware that his number was coming up by checking lists posted at the local draft board office and that he completed all required forms and physical examinations before that date. The next morning, August 9th at 4:55, he was ordered to board a train in Taylor, bound for Camp Cody, nearing Deming, New Mexico, along with eleven other men from Williamson County. Grandpa Beyer was a soldier in the U.S. Army.
