The Arizona champion., 1886-07-31
Grand Army.

have been made in San Francisco, and
 Tn fact, throughout the State of Cali
 fornia, to give the grandest reception
 to the veterans of the war ever known
 on the occasion of the aoth Grand
 Encampment, G. A. R., to be held
 during the week beginning Aug. 3d.
 California's reputation for big heart
 edness and generosity will be tested
 to the utmost, but she will stand the
 ordeal triumphantly.
 For the last two weeks stragglers
 have been making their way to the
 front leisurely, thus avoiding the
 crowd, but by last Monday the main
 body began passing through Flagstaff,
 not in single files, but by battalions.
 Crowds gathered at the depot on the
 arrival of each train to welcome their country's preservers, all ceremony
 was thrown aside and hand shaking
 was the order of the day. The veter- ans necessarily showed age, but were
 as a general thing, handsome, fine
 looking body of men, jolly, lively,
 wide awake and full of curiosity as to the advantages, age, situation, sur roundings and climate of our beauti- ful mountain town, and many were the encomiums passed uponit. They were anticipating a grand time Tn California, and seemed determined to make the most of this one great op- portunlty of their lives to visit the Pacific Coast. Scattered among them were few who had lost leg, an arm or an eye. ghastly reminders of the bloody struggle through which they had passed, but the mllned ones ap- peared almost unconscious of their loss, and enjoyed the novelty of the trip with all the zest of those who had escaped unscathed.
 On Wednesday, by previous ar and in order to be to- gether as much as possible, the great bulk of the veterans began passing through.
 Four special trains with two engines each, brought delegates from New York, Iowa, Minnesota. Massachusetts, Dakota, Indiana, Ohio, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Kansas, New Hampshire, New Jersey and Illinois. Trains were arriving all day and far into the night, and the depot was one scene of excitement. Many | of the cars were decorated with flags, and some had the names of their states and organizations printed on large letters on cloth, which extended the whole length of the cars.
 Late Wednesday night the New Mexico delegation, headed by Gov E. s. Stover, District Commander, arrived, when they were joined by the delegates from Ransom Post, of Flag 1 staff, consisting of the following mem bers: Commander, Louis Burns, Sen for Vice Comd'r,, D. F. Hart, Junior Vice Comd'r., ]. R. Lockett; Quar- Geo. Hoxworth and wife, Officer of the Day, John Rosenbaugh: Past Comd'r., J. B. Smith, and Com rades George Rogers and Wm. Griffin and wife, Henry Pierce, B. F. Pinker- ton and E. Ellibe. The following of our citizens also took advantage of the occasion to go on the same train:C. H. Schultz, J. B. Knight, Wm. Murphy, Hiram Blade. Harry Fulton, E. F. Odell, Cal. David, Albert Hardwell and Geo. H. Tinker. Frank and Peter Daggs and Robert Bell had al- ready left on Monday.
 The delegates from Barrett Post, of Prescott, joined this train at Ash Fork, and Henry C. Wilson, Justice of the Peace of that precinct also got aboard.
 Thursday morning special train consisting of three sleepers and six passenger coaches with the Michigan delegation passed through, and the same night the regular train, four hours late, brought along, besides many stragglers, delegations from Tennessee and Georgia.
 On many of the trains special cars were allotted to the ladies of the Women's Relief Corps, belonging to the various organizations, and it was a relief to see beauty and grace min gled with emblems ot grim visaged war.
 The town seems deserted since the departure of "the boys" and, while keenly conscious of their absence, we still wish them God-speed on their glorious journey and safe return to