The intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1887-1891, 1889-08-31
OLD
SHE WARMLY WELCOMES THE EX-
CONFEDERATE ASSOCIATION .
OF MISSOURI. .
WHICH ORGANIZATION MEETS
INJUYOUS REUNION WETH
IN rel HORDERS,
And Entertains Them IN n Style
Only Known to Her
People.
A Crowd OF Fully Ten Thousand
People Present on the
Opening Day.
Our Beautiful Little Sister Town, Hig-
ginsville, Selected as the Place of
Meeting, and Calamity did
She Perform Her Part.

4 SuA
ginsville, Selected as the Place of
Meeting, and Calamity did
She Perform Her Part.
The morning of the 9th day of August,
| 1882. the day selected for the Confederate
| Association OF Missouri to meet in reunion
at Higginsville, dawned bright, though
rather warm, and every tram that drew lnio
the little prairie city on its two railroads was
| crowded to OVERLOOKING with cd soldiers
who wore the blue or the gray; with the
widows of those who had given up their
lives for the preservation OF the union and Of
| those who had gwen up their lives for "A cause
which they thought was right; with the
| children who were left fatherlesS anu penni-
less through the devastatiGns of IA terrible
civil war; by the generation of young men
and women who have been reared since the
close of the terrible strife and who were to be
taught to hold in reverence the memory OF
| the gallant men who lost their lives in defen:
| ding their cause. ,
The entire town, always pretty, never look
| ed, and, perhaps, never can look better than
| il did to the eyes of the many visitors. All
the business houses and a large number OF,
the residences were beautifully decorated
with what is calculated, more than anything
else, to cause the veteran sOldier'' heart TO
beat with joy and his cheeks flush with pride,
the American flag. .
The procession was formed on Russell street
and the line of march was direct from Tho
Arcade hotel to the fair grounds. The fol-
lowing was the arrangement of the line. which
was commanded by Col. Hi. BIedsoe, of tho
famous Bledsoe Battery ,
Odessa Band. '
Mexican Veterans.
G. A. r.. John Z, McCluney Post No. 33l, of
Higginsville, and visitors from other posts,
Kuehn Band, of st. Louis.
Southern Historical Society, OF st. Louis.
Cockrell's Brigade. :
Artillery. Battery A.
Ex-Gonfederate Soldiers and Associations
Sons of Veterans, ,
The q. A. X. was under command of Capt.
Jno. W. Endly and the Mexican War vetes,
rams were commanded by Capt. W. Boon
Major.
After the lire had reached the fair grounds,
ranks were broken and in a short while
ever, body was partaking Of one of the most
bounteous feasts eyer set before mortal man.
Great, long tables had been erected and the
feast was ready for the veterans and the visi-
tors upon their arrival. Beside the large
quantity Of eatables prepared by the commit
tee, there were hundreds of private baskets
opened and spread out before The invited
guests of each owner. The scene was one
never to be forgotten.
At two O'Clock 1t was announced that
speaking would take place from the
stand erected for that purpose and at that
time the greater part of the crowd had
assembled to hear the eloquent and touching
words TO be spoken by the several speakers.
The exercises were opened by an eloquent
and earnest prayer by Rev. Dupuy, OF the
Presbyterian church.
Following thi. DR.. j. j. FulkersOn intro
duced Mayor j. w, Branch, who delivered
the welcome address and whose own words
tell of the hearty welcome extended 10 the
association by the ciIIzens Of HigginSville
and Lafayette county better than we car
other wise describe. They are as fOllows:-
Mr.. Pre- ,ident and Fellow Citizcns:-To me
has been assigned the duty of extending to you n
a cordial welcome to our midst. ] esteem IL both
n pleasure and a privilege TO greet yOH AS an AS
s%OciatIOn Of American clt'Zens, united hs you are
In the prosecution OF u purpose honorable alike
to your character as brave soldiers aud 10 that
chivaIric devotion to your dead comrades which
has been IN all uges regarded as the badge of IA
noble spirit, valiant achievements, illustrI0us
character and exalted patriotism. The dead
need not your kindly mlnistratioi B; taeIr lnsen-
sIble clay Is sleeping the sleep that knows no
waking But in honorln8 them you doubly
honor yourselves, ami testify TO tue world in
trumpet tones the fact that no true American
can ever be remiss IN his duty of love anu
allegiance TO the memory and ashes OF a brave
| anllfnr M mara tnIhpIlR 4 lNgunIIlnl lllnAtru-
ton of the innate love and devotion OF the
American people TO bravery and patriotism can
be given than is furnished 10 the world Jy the
annual recurrence of oLr National Decoration
Day, when the brave soldiers of both armies,
who shed their blood and gave up their lives ARE
remembered by II ceremony aJ once simple ana
! sublime. The busy, rushing wheels and SPIN
dies OF trade and commerce annually stand still
while the people 1 THE great nation sadly con-
gregate in the gravcYards and cemeteries ali
over the land and render TO the noble dead this
heYrty tribute of love and affection. AssOcia-
TONS similar to this convened here To-day meet
yearly In almost every state, whose purpnse is
to reclaim from unknown and unmarked graves
The bleachcd aud decay in& bones Of valiant SOL
dIers and S,ve them decent and honorable
sepuItmrr. History nor tradition AFFORD To the
world the record OF any observance, of any
gatherings, so iraughL with holy memories, SO
inspiring TO the participant, 80 suggestive OF
future good t. us u II nation as are these. And
so, MIR. President and fellow citizens, we greet
this association to-day. The people oil higgins
vile. whom | represent, whose voice l speak,
whose sentiments | express unite with Ie IN
| cordial greetluk. Ill ne 'ILy lnhtlhb 10 IliH aSSO-
citation Tor honOrIng Us by its presence tod ~
In no CITY OF this great safe could you have
been more welcome Than here, Aud The people
OF Lafa yetLe. not By any means the lrasLO most
insignificant OF the CuuniIrs IN our grand old
state, Offer to yUu, rot mlonE that welcome
which gushea spontaneously from patriotic aud
chiyalr Gus hearts. hut also thlngs more sub
%s'antIal, If lets poetic, the wheat, the corn, the
Iruit, the cattle. tn" ubuGdant proinCts OF her
, fertile wales and ireming p'arrles. The God III
the Universe. ''bOunleOus aud benign has
Bile, sed us This year with magnificent crops;
the earth laughs with II wondrous arrest; vet
eTan soldiers can st least appreciate ms. ami
we lay IL at your ieet-It Is Yours To enjoy In ali
its richness whilst you are our Ruests We trust
that YOU sojourn within our gates may he pleas
ant, and that when you return o your homes,
after tTnnsartInR the business winch has called
you together, and recOuniIng among yourselves
"Ihe strange adventures, Mapped by Land and
sea" of your army experience. you nay bear
away with you to your distant homes happy
recullections oil the large hearted and ho-ptthble
treatment received ITnm III" genera s and noble
people of Laisy cite county.
The occasion OF your meeting IL an anspiCIOuB
one. Almost II quarter Of ii century has sped its
flight into eternity since last you stood together
I'm battles mugnillccntly stern arrny;' upon
many u banguInary field you illustrated in your
own persons that uniliuchlng devotion, that
unfaltcring resolution, that bravery and IortI-
tude which will forever render the American
soldier conspicuous in the annals OF the world.
I No Drawer. more valiant soldier ever shouldercd
u musket than those composing the armies upon
both sides IN the late war. | shall not st0p 20
enter into IN enCOnIum upon thtm. They need
none. Their vnlOTOus deeds are written in
imperishHbIe glory upon thousands Of bloody
fields, and Will he Chronicled IN song anu sto y
so long az human tongue exists to speak their
praise. Manassas, DOncls0n, Gettysburg, An
tietam, FTank'in, Atlanta, tie wilderness and
hundreds OF other CORY fields. all are immortal
monuments to IL vLlOr such rs the world has
never before witnessed. Other nations aud
other countries boast their Leonidas, their Tell,
their Winkelreid. theIr HGratIgg, heroes All,
the recital OF whose GLORIOUS achievements maze
the blood TO SURG and tlnglu in the veins, but
it was reserved for America To produce Il nation
of heroes PAlsied be the tongue That would
abate one JOt or title Of the just merit due To
these gallant mcn-Our fathers, BROTHER,
friends; Lh0If bravery, devotion and sacrifices
are our II eritage; we arc proud o. incIa. No
honor them: we enshrine them in our hearts.
''rhey sleep-what need 10 question now II they
were wrong or right,
They know, ere This, whose cause was right in
God the Fathers sight.
They WELD no waTlIke weapons now, rctLrn no
Iocman' Is thrust
Who but u coward would rcvile an honorcd SOL
dier's duSt?'
Bnt ''peace hath her victories no less rcnown-
ed than those of war iii. mast is uphr urv,,
and, THINK God, we have lcnruei these lcssuut.
The Old soldiers returning home with the
hOAOr5 oil way AZ once set Ia work u build up
the waste pl iCns; the uuUiurt, the anIutEcr.
the elegance OF former yrHIa again greet Us ut
every hand Us II rcsult OF their ~iibDr5, cur COIN
try. tried In the liery furnace ut war, has come
forth plrgcu OF It's dr0ss. redeemed, Tcgrn, rat
ed, uiJCntlTallcd. TO-ttay We are united IA
never before. one country, one flag, Que DIES.
ting The marks Of the terrible conflict ure
rapidly disappearing" the Bworl has been turn
ed lnIb II plow "hdr'. tha spear into = pruning
hook; the nGGO'tiTC urDla Of Tnr and the
embleins OF conflict have been exchanged Tor
the peaceful symbols OF the luabundmin and
the artiEIn; our former soldiers are now our
executives, our Legislators. our judges. cur
prOie sIOnai and business mra Win charity
lOT all anu malice tpWurl lgup'' tlgy Mr.. 1,lT-