Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1889-07-23
APPEALING FOR AID. e.
A Plea for the Manned and Disabled
Confederate Soldiers.
Those Who Lost Health and Property
for Cause We Upheld.
To the People of Texas:

Several years ago "'The John B Hood
camp, - of this city, inaugurated a plan
for establishing a home for disabled, IN
digent ex-Confederate soldiers.
The philanthroplc men who undertook
the enterprise had many difficulties to en-
counter, but have accomplished a good
work, and can point with pride to a
| beautiful home where about thirty of the
old heroes are comfortably sheltered.
The present accommodations however
are not commensurate with the demand
and hundreds Of worthy applicants, left
in penury by the vicissitudes of war, and
doomed to remain so by physical disabil-
tiles, must be denied admittance.
Travis county could easily care for her
own dependent soldiers, but the object
of this institution is to shield from beg
gary and want all the brave fellows
whose prodigIes of valor were once the
admiration of the world.
The state of Texas III 1861 called her
sons to arms, and without questioning
the right or considering the danger, they
promptly responded to the call For
four years upon every contested field her
five-pOinted star was always found
among the dead and wounded.
When the war was ended many of these
manned heroes returned to their homes,
unable to care for themselves, and have
been buffetted from place to place,
whenever charity opened a door, or pity
promised assistance.
No reasonable person would expect one
community to raise money sufficient to
construct the necessary buildings. and
furnish the necessary supplies for all the
helpless acknowledgements of our state,
and it is but just and fair that every
town and county should assume pro
rata of expenses.
In presenting the claims of such an en-
terprise it requires neither logic nor
pathos to awaken sympathy in every gen.
erous nature, and surely the "men of
gray 80 the knightliest throng whereof
the world holds record cannot neglect
the comrades who fell by their sides as
they marched through that long night of
sorrow and blood.
We, who, when the morning dawned,
were left unsecured by blade or ball will
be unworthy the coIors we wore and the
history we made if now we fail to come
up to the full measure of a soldiers
highest duty.
Many posts of ''The Grand Army -
with magnanimity unparalleled in his
tory, have made liberal contributions to
this Confederate home, and words can
not express our gratitude to those true
and gallant soldiers, but every impulse
of manhood imposes the sacred trust of
caring for these unfortunates upon the
friends and comrades who shared their
dancers and know their
The United States government distrib-
utes millions of dollars annually TO those
who enlisted in the Northern army and
who were injured by the war.
The pension list numbers almost as
many men as ever followed the standards
of Grant and Sherman, and we of the
South, who contribute largely to that
fund, do not complain
We willingly provide for those who
swept with fire and sword the fairest por-
tons of our land and crushed with iron
hoofs our hopes of nation; but in mer-
cyl name what have we done for the
men who barred their breasts to the storm
and went down before it? Absolutely
nothing.
Citizens of Texas, reflect upon these
things, and let the memories of common
hopes and cOnSecrated sorrows that fol-
lowed to the death the waning fortunes
of cause we loved-move every gentle
hearted woman, and every chiv8lrous
man to join us in this noble charity.
L. S. Ross, Chairman;
Il. I. FULMoRE, Secretary.
Il. NJ. SwEARTNGEN,
John Is. RECTOR,
W. r. HANDY,
n. @. SHELLEY,
Y. B. DEBRAY,
HENRY E. SHELLEY,
W. c. WALSH,
J. J ToBIN,
A. p. WoOLDRIGE,
f. T. ROCHE.