Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1879-10-01
Reported for the Citizen.l
Reunion Of 18th Reg't Pa. Reserves.

/ tend, and our friends generally VINO read your
| paper. it is here proposed to give some account
| of the days doings"
The day was all we could desire in the way
of weather. We left Butler on the regular
/ train at 7.40 A. NJ, and without accident,
would have reached Indiana at about 12.';O l..
! NJ On the train from Butler were Capt Lou
| den whom we were all glad indeed to have
with US, Capt. Fleeger, Lieut.. Sutton, Ser
geants Kelly and Black, Corporals Cook, John
! W and John S. Campbell, and high privates
Shryock, Monte, Lardin, Rothmyer, D. Ii.
Russell and Sam Miller, of Co. &c" Sergeant
Cleland,. with D. Mcdonald, Of Butler ); ): 4.
Moore, Alex. Kennedy, q. W. Huselton, Web.
| Graham, D. w. Graham and Evans Nixon, of
Co. 3D." We were also accompanied by other
old soldiers viz: Mai. J, B. Storey, Prothono-
tary Russell and Clerk Wright.
At Great Belt, McGuire, OF Co. &c, ;" boarded
the train. At Deiano, krause, of &c" at
| Saxon Sergeant Heckart and Corporal Muder,
of &c" Joe Hazlett, of 3D." Lyon, of "E,"
| and Eakman, of 81 " had gone from Butler
| the day before Others of sd" joined them by
the way, and these, making up the number -.
Col. jackson and members Of Co. &c" Joined
us at Apollo, and delegations Joined US at Salts
burg and other places before we reached Blairs-
Vile At this place we met Col. Gallagher,
| Mai. Litzinger, Chaplain Terrence, Quarter
master florence, Maj. K. A. Mccoy, also Capt.
| H. X. Sloan, who had come down from Indiana
| to meet us and distribute badges. There were
a." Fl" and ''F," with a magnificent brass
| band Of 80 members from Altoona.
After wait of an hour for the train from
| Blairsville intersection, we boarded train OF
| six cars on the Indiana Branch. Leaving on
| time. at 114j A. NJ, we anticipated a clear
| track and safe over the sixteen miles 10
our destination, but "there's many Slip" dc.
| Four miles from Blairsyille, at a sharp curve
around a creek bend, near Black Lick station,
| and down grade at that, some thoughtiess boy
| ("they say') had been cracking hickorynuts
on the rail with a stone about the size of a hen
egg. and carelessy left the stone aforesaid
| the top Of the rail. We did not see the boy,
! nor the hickorynuts, nor the remains Of either
in the vicinity at that time, neither did we see
the stone, but 'ge heGrd of it in way TO dlspcl
| any doubt as to the fact that IL was there. The
| front wheels of the locomotive were thrown of
the track, and bumped along for several rods
on the ties before the train could be stopped.
| MANY Of the cold vets" were railroaders, and
| with their assistance the train men soon got the
wheels back on the track again, but the ma
chine was pronounced disabled in some way,
| and moved off to be laid over for repairs.
A messenger had been sent back to Blairs-
Vile for another engine, and in about an hour
| the sound of its coming was heard then it
| came careerng in 81 shf. "All aboard" was the
word as it was expected that iron horse would
push rs ahead until the next station, and then
switch off and get III front of the train. Well,
steam had been kept up too long, and the
brakes would not stop the horse, so that he
came with a rush and undertook to jam his
nose into the hind end OF the rear ear, and
came pretty near doing it, would probably
have entirely succeeded had he not got his
nose knocked off, and his front parts otherwise
disigured and injured. 1t was not without
effect on the hind end Of that car either; the
hind trucks were Efted off the track several
feet, and the platform, etc, badly bruised up.
One man, Mr. Phail, (he failed to make that
coupling) who was riding on the cow-catcher,
is said to have jumped just the collision
was about to happen but was severely injured
about the head and face, and probably other
wise He was an employee of the road, and we
were informed that brother Of his killed
during the riotous days Of 1877 by similar
collision, and he on the cOw-catcher. The rest
of the family should take warning.
None of our comrades were hurt at all. An
old gentleman, carrying considerable avOirdu-
pOis. was on the platform Of one Of the rear
cars and took in the situation at a glance as he
| saw that iron horse coming near in his mad
career OF course he thought the ground
safer place than where he was, and just az
| the engine struck, did he, for teyra GTma.
| A bank of gradual descent Of some twenty feet
was on the side where the old gentleman
| sought for footing, and down he went, rolling,
sliding and tumbling, TO the amusement Of no
| body until il was known that he was not hurt
much, and then it seemed funny, very! A
| little court-plaster and encouragement set him
all right. Strange to say, his name was JEFF
Davis, and he going 10 Indiana too.
| Your correspondent was sitting in the front
| car, looking out window, and saw the tum-
| bling Of the old gentleman when Just then he
heard a crashing Of glass in front, and looking
saw that by the sudden jar Of the collision the
| corporosity nearest the middle Of q man, with
| his back towards the front window, had been
sent crashing through the glass. Possibly the
railroad company thinks to-day that that glass
| was broken some philosophical principle Of
sympathy with the crash in the rear! so it
was but not the rear Of that train exactly
All this caused delay Of over three hours.
| There we were--a Quartcrmaster present but
no ratons. A few succeeded in getting some
bread and butter and coffee, but a hungry set
| OF fellows were there, and old army days were
| called 10 mind.
| A third engine was procured and by about
| four o'clock we reached Indiana What n
| sight there we saw The platform, streets and
walks around the depot were literally janmed
full Of people, and they had been anxiously
/ waiting since noon. There were Col Dan ;.
Porter, Major Dick Burkman and parts Of
companies '.B" and az" The military and
| fire companies were there, and the streets and
houses Of the town were profusely archod with
cvergreens and decorated with lagyand notices
and words Of welcome. a salute Of several
guns was fired from a cannon or its equivalent
for that purpose.
| We fell into line, about 900 Of the lth in al,
| and at once kept step in unison 10 the time
! Of the music, with COlonels and other
officers leading us. After march about town
we were drawn up in front Of the Court House,
] where an address of welcome, hearty and cla-
| qucnt, was delivered by Gun. Harry White,
| and we'll responded 10 by Gen. 7. Il. Gallagher.
We were assigned places amongst the hospi-
table people Of Indiana for dinner and as soon
| "a that was over we returned to the Court
| House, where the meeting organized as
follows Gen. r. f. Gallagher, President Col.
y. NJ. Jackson and Capt. Samuel Loudcn, Vice
Presidents Col Robert. LitziDger and Major
| Burkmau, Secretaries.
The meeting was opened with prayer by our
venerable Chaplain Rev. Torrcnee.
We were next highly entertained by an elo-
quent Grafton and we'll delivered by Capt g..
| w. Fleegcr, of Butler, and an interesting his
tory Of the regiment by Col. Robert A. Mccoy,
which time did not allow to be all read. IL
will be published aud n copy sent 10 each
| member Of the regiment whose address is
known. We were also favored with song by
Colonel and Rev. John A. Danks.
We loft the Court House about 8 o'clock j..
NJ aud marched 10 the Normal School building,
IN the cOmmodiou8 dining hall Of which tables
were set for 40 men. and provisions enough
for 900 were there. The hall was beautifully
decorated and the names Of every engagement
Of the | Ith in the war, or Of the Reserve Corps
from Draincsvlle to Bethesda Church, were on
the walls. Thus far all had been grand here
| IL was D,ngnifceni yes, UtdgHiFccntiv grand
Our venerable Chaplain, Rev. Adam Tor.
renee, Of New Alexandria, Westmoreland
county, who is now over eighty years Of age,
sat ut the head Of one Of the long tables and
amid profound silence asked u blessing upon
the rich provisions and the company present.
The eatables commanded our hcarticst dem
onstratoDs Of gladncss aud relish, and the fur
ladies who served, our most intense feelings Of
admiration. On them we could only look and
admire but on the viands we laid our hands,
and took them 10 our inward bosom with the
greatest familiarity! There was no Intoxicating
beverage at this banquet.
After supper came tsasts and responses, ns
follows: "1he ith Regiment =. Il. V. g."
Response by Col. Jackson.
"Our Regiments Friends" Responded TO
by Sheriff Smith, Of Indiana.
"The Pennsylvania Reserve Corps" Re.