Connecticut western news., 1884-09-24

compelled to do." He said although he I was G. A. R. man, no commander-in- chief could dictate to him how to vote. S He risked his life for his country and if l any man on earth had right to vote, 8 soldier had, and "I'l be hanged if ( don't vote." He said every man had a perfect right to vote as he thought best.
 eff you are o democrat be good dem ocrat If you are a republican be a grand good republican There are 26O, 1000 G. A. R. comrades in this coun-
 try. The soldiers who died for their
 country, earned the right to Q compe-
 tence for their widows and orphans. |"
 Rev Atwood then spoke about " the
 old flag, ,''-related incidents of Ander- sonville, and told how the Union pris
 oners felt when they saw the stars and
 stripes again. Referring to the exchange
 of prisoners, he said the Union soldiers
 who had been kept in rebel prison pens
 called Aiken, s. c. the Gate to Gods |
 country"
 H. E. Taintor of Hartford, A. A. Gen.
 eral, was next introduced and made an impressive speech. He also recited Col
 Ingerscll's address to the flag Speak
 ing about the G. A. R. he said: You
 can aid them whenever they have fair
 or entertainment to raise funds for their
 organization or relief fund"
 | A Waouo1. of Nou HoTtford
 was fulfilling an engagement this even-
 ing at Sheffield, at the conclusion of
 which he drove ''like Jehu" to Canaan,
 arriving at the hall while Mir Taintor
 was speaking, and at the conclusion of
 the speech the professor was called to
 the stage and sang " "Hurrah for Old
 New England" the glee club joining in
 the chorus. He was -encored and re-
 sponded, being assisted by the glee club with ''We cannot forget that many brave
 boys must fall"
 } Rev Atwood thanked the audience for their presence and diligent attention to the exercises of the evening, and invited them to repair to the lower hall and ) participate in the camp fire and bean bake. He announced that the present f ation exercises would now conclude 3 with singing, led by Comrade Norman l l.. Hope of Hartford. Comrade H. then : sang Marching through Georgia" " and f the entire audience joined in the | chorus.
 r CAMP FIRE AND BEAN BAKE r Over 100 sat down to the tables in the
 lower hall, ,and still there were 25 vacant a seats, for many who came to witness U the presentation exercises could not re- T. main longer. The tables groaned be. u heath the weight of large dishes of bak.
 ed pork and beans, and plates of biscuit 'e crackers and doughnuts, and cups o1 r coffee. There was provision enough
 for three times the number present o Canaan not only flows with milk an6
 honey, but pork and beans are raised 'e land consumed) also.
 10 After vigorously attacking, surround T. ing and capturing large quantity o. u provisions, cigars were lit and the camp re fire begun, Rev Atwood conducting tho
 same and calling on different ones for { oi speech or song. Lawyer Roraback wa, B. called on but he asked to be excused o1 A. T. afterward said if a pan of beans ld had been hurled at his head he would p not have been more surprised than tt d be called on for speech.
 le D. Soule of New Milford made nea y speech and reported the condition Id of Upton post
 Comrade Norman l.. Hope recitet ',s the parody on Barbara Frietchie, whicl d, was loudly applauded; he also told al e. amusing story about man who entered d. 8 French restaurant, and being unabl re to read the bill of fare, pointed at tn on first line on the bill and the waite e. brought him dish of soup. After gel Te ting several kinds of soup by pointin o- at the bill of fare, he pointed to tn CT last article on the bill and the waite sh brought him tooth-pick. He survey
 ed it and said, ''what in h-l do ys want of a tooth-pick D; making the al ne plication MT Hope said, ''what do yo nd call on Hope for ?" He then told se7 eral other amusing stories.
 m' Comrade H. N. Fanton of Danbur JIG made very impressive speech and d. ng scribed his cordial reception at New O, 'n. leans, where he went one year ago lee present rebel flag to it's owners. H ln- related a touching incident that occu 7m red in the cemetery at New Orleans.
 lady knelt, prayed and wept at gray 'RY that was marked unknown, and aft nd nlacino a boonat on tho o,.oro so;, as ''Two boys had that died in the arm, 'ne perhaps they are buried in these LII lth known graves; at least some mother nt- darling boy is buried here, and I wi on' decorate the grave for her if not f, my myself" MT Fanton said that the SC ul- diers formed circle around that graz ter and stood with uncovered heads whi ort the sorrowing mother wept at the gray ent and after she had departed they gathe ne- ed boquets and actually covered u voc grave with them. He told an amusi1
 IS story of a Danbury man who raised 2t de- bushels of beans yearly for his own far an- fly, and yet had no beans to sell. ter Editor Vaill did not respond to cal pes for him so Rev Atwood told about J. 5ry. Avery of Louisville, Ky, who was u our first man to raise the Union flag ov md his establishment. MT Avery manufa