Morning journal and courier., 1890-05-30
THE soLDIER DEAD

HONORING TME SOLDIER DEAD.
Last Evenings Exercises at she NY
portion Attended by q Large Gathers
ing-Comrade II. A. stevens OF wash
inUson Honors the Dead and she
Cause for which They Fought I'm an
Interesting Address-A Bright Pro-
gram Well Rendered.
There was q large gathering ct the Hype-
rion last evening to enjoy the first of the
Memorial day exercises in this city. Flags |
and patriotic emblems were seen here and |
there, and upon each eide Of the stage stood
the company colors of the local Grand Army
posts. A silk flag overspread the speakers
desk. q,
Seated upon the stage were His Honor
Mayor Henry F. Peck, Nathan Easterbrook,
IT,, Police Commissioner Baldwin, Alderman
Bradley Of the Ninth ward, City Sheriff
Coleman, q. B. Burwsll, Chaplain Twitshell,
General e. E. Bradley, Colonel William e.
Morgan, Commander Schafft, Councilmen A.
Maxey Hitler, John Lowe, Commander
Wright, Past Commander Weidig, and John
REYNOLDS. Major William 3. Wells and Mrs.
Wells occupied one of the lower boxes.
The exercises were opened with a selection
by Landrgan's orchestra and prayer by Com
rade Rev. DIR. Twitohell.
Commander II. I. Strickland made snort
address of welcome, In which he spoke
eulogistically of the faithful dead and OF the
custom of honoring their memory by the
beautiful and touching rites OF memorial
day. :,
thank these many friends who are with Us
tonight and who go with us on the morrow
when with reverent spirit we offer our hum
BILE tribute to the memory of comrades gone
for us, the actors in this great strife, and
the time is fast approaching when
age and infrmity will forbid our properly
performing the duties of Memorial day. We
must leave it to younger blood, and may we
hope that forever may float in the breezes
over our grave the glorious fsg for which we
go loyalty fought.
Miss Lisxle Gaffney sang with admirable
effect 1.-THE Star-Spangled Banner" Her
song was greeted with much applause. She
| WAS attired in most becoming costume of
] white with braid of old gold. Across her
bosom from the right shoulder was pinned
small flag. To an enthusiastic encore she
sang "The Banner of the Free" She was
presented with a handsome basket Of fow-
| ers.
| Comrade Fl. A. Stevens of Washington, D.
q, formerly chaplain OF the Fourteenth Con-
necticut Volunteers, made the address OF the
evening.
We must make distinction bs tween the
loyal, and the disloyal man, he said; between
him who helped his country, and him who
strove for it's disruption Some writers de-
light to say that both the north and south
Il were right. The south ever ready to. justify
itself catches at this expression as balm,
one rebel general having recently done ms the
| unspeakable favor 10 say he has forgiven the
brave men of the. union army whom he met
in honorable battle. Comrades, have you
ever thought of asking forgiveness fol
helping to save the uniona Long
since the leading men of our country have
said that state sovereignty was forever set
Davis furnished the most striking example
on record of the lieneney of our outraged
nation, with an unsratitude and egotiam I'M
| matched among the annals of all People, con-
tinued to chatter about it and many ap'
plaudsd. Recently arrangements were being
made for erecting and dedicating on the bat,
tie field of Gettysburg. at point reached
BY some of Pickett's division dur.
ing Longstreet's charge of July 8
1868, monument to this division. elaborate
and pretentious and bearing among other Ia
| scriptions this; "GloriOus ia the fate and
snvied his lot who for his country fights anc
for 1t dies" Could there be anything more
, / AppIOpElhLo lOT y LuOuuhcut " iOyuA tIOOpe
And yet these mon were fighting against thu
country and to divide i'll Not far from tina
spot where stood men of Connecticut regi
ment confronting death and helping t,
defeat this foe in that charge
stands q monument to said regimen
which, while bearing no self-laudatory in
J scription, adds to the regimental history tn
, motto "Pro Portria." Now which of thes
IL right Only one, certainly. If We wer
l rtnhk "a Nthara NJ and daad
were wrong. The death of our heroes wa
0 vain. But we were right. There Is q preva
{ lent sentimental ringing of change on tn
. blue and gray; but, friends, comrades, ther
: is no gray. There is only the blue, the Unto,
true blue. He who wore the gray can rob
love him as brother and as though he hs
always been one of US. But the gray canno
have place beside the blue. 1t was neve
q legitimate. II was the livery Of disloyally
the uniform Of treason In her hosts.
Continuing the orator spoke eloquenuy 9
: the patriotic devotion Of the soldiers, thei
. exposure to death.
Friends, You who never saw service In bat
tie can little understand what our boys hav
i, endured nor how brightly their loyalt.
! shone cut where danger hedgsd them round
Proceeding the speaker spoke Of the infam.
] that characterized the treatment OF uniol
prisoners at Andersonville and other rebe
prisons-a chapter of horror and infamy q
which the world shuddersd.
He gave brief but vivid description O
Andersonville prison and the treatmen
prisoners were subjected to. There was n
shelter from the burning southern sun. The,
dug for themselves burrows in the earth t
crawl into. Food of the ooarsest kind wa
given them, and bits of tainted bacon aliv
with msggots were gIudgingly given ther
with taunts that II was too good for Yankees
An army of men, $4,000, died within yea
at Andersonville. Loaded cannon wer
trained at all points of the en-
closure and men stood by to drs'
. lanyard at the FIRST attempt of tn
|, prisoners to escape. When some poo
wretches did sluds the guard and escape l
was not enough for their military keeper +
pursue them, but bloodhounds were pu
upon their track. OF those liberated afte
long bondage large portion coon died fror
the effects OF their treatment, while com
paratively few were ever at for duty In tn
, Held. There died, as now known, in rsbs
prisons no fewer than &c. 1865 Union soldie
prisoners. When one thinks of Anderson
: Vile, Florence, Salisbury, Millen, Belle Isle
Cahawba and Libby, he sees sufficient rea
son In these alone why just God could no
let the rebellion succeed.
At the close of Comrade Stevens addree
! the Arion Singing society rendered tw
songs, Hunting Morning" and "Night'
FAREWELL" to much applause. They re
sponded to an encore with "The Star Span
gled Banner"
Edward Shehan sang two solos with ad
mirable effect and was warmly applauded.
"The Sword of Bunker Hill" sang by Mis-
Gaffnsy was enthusiastically received an
tho audience punotuated each etanza Wit
applause.
under command or Second Lieutenant Plur
kett, gave bayonet drill. 1t was finely ez
: ecuted and was watched with much interei
by tho audience.
r The exercises closed with the singing c
the national anthem "America."
Red Men.