Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-04-20
AT CAMP CALIFORNIA.
Coxey's Men Resting Themselves mt
Williamsport, Md.

Special From a stan Correspondent.
WILLIAMsPORT. Nd. April 10. 1894.
Tailors and shoemakers have been busy
all day today in Camp California, down by
the canal. The Commonweal Of Christ. led
by Mr.. Coxey. Is well equipped with shoe
makers and tailors- In fact, 1t would be a
pretty hard matter to think of a trade that
has not In the army an exponent. who. at
some time or other followed its workings.
Two tailors sat today dow. by the COM
missary tent and sewed up rents in the
trousers Of their comrades, while four users
of the peg and hammer placed the foot
gear Of the men In working order. The
march on foot is to be resumed from this
spot. and 1t behooves the gentlemen of the
commonweal to get something between the
cold ground and their bare feet
The tailors. after sewing up the many
rents, failed to put creases in the trousers,
but no comment was made.
feature Of the day in camp here, wet
and damp as Ii was, consisted in the pres
ence Of a number OF ladies, who strolled
around the men. gazed at. and shook hands
with. Mr.. Coxey and Marshal Brown and
generally had real pleasant time, much as
IL the affair had been a circus. In fact, to
many Of the people who come to look at the
cOnlmonweal the AFFAIR is something on the
order of a cross between a circus and a
county fair. The questions. as the army
enters a place. are: Which is Coxey
known"
The men are especially interested in the
horses carried by the commonweal, and
magnificent animals some of them are
Today Mr.. Coxey told your correspondent
that ne considered II a splendid sign to
See the interest taken in the commonweal
by the ladies Of the community. He was
still further encouraged later In the after
noon when party Of ladies and gentle
men drove over from Hagerstown in their
eagerness to meet the army.
Marshal Brown expressed the same idea
Of encouragement when he remarked with
a far-away look in his dreamy blue eyes:
Yes, tbs trLe the pure souls of women
are quicker to discover and realize the re-
incarnation Of Christ in the brothers of the
commonweal."
Whether the ladies' discovered any REIN
carnation or not, they were much interest
ed. and one of them even went so far as
to say that Mr.. Coxey was too sweet
for anything" and pinned a big bunch
or flowers to his coat, while Mr.. Coxey
smiled benignly.
Scenes I'm Camp.
The scenes at Camp California. however.
were well worth the curiosity of the Wis
itors- Above the camp came the canal.
winding away like ribbon; below moved
the Potomac. bigger and more dignified
than up above. where the army first caught
a glimpse of it's waters, but still inclined
to prankish tricks and quick dashes over
ard around obstruction. The camp ITSELF
pitched on a green stretch of sod, the
headquarters tent roped off at one end.
the commissary wagons drawn up in line.
two fires smoldering and sending up their
wreathes of smoke, while here there and
everywhere sat, lay or wandered go of as
motley an assortment of men as the world
ever saw. The men are not calculated to
Inspire awe They are seedy looking and
seem to know it.
The Discipline.
Take a casual glance at Coxey's army
and the impression is "tramps." Look more
closely at the faces and you become doubt
full. Talk with the men and you are speed
fly convinced that these men are certainly.
Is a whole. not tramps in the common ac-
ceptance Of the word. These men have
worked and many of them work now. They
are under discipline. and they stand I'D un-
der the discipline like old soldiers.
Yesterday on the canal boat a man on
the forward boat dropped a bucket over
board Jump" yelled his commander. Mar
shall. and jump he did into the water, got
the bucket and walked two miles to the
next lock before getting on the boat.
That these men know how to work is
evidenced plainly by the quick and BUSH
ness-like manner in which camp is pitched.
There Is. at any rate. certain sense of
honor, too, among the men. Yesterday, on
The trip. one commonwealth accused
another OF stealing a pair of shoes. The
men were loud in their demands that the
accused be fired at once. The case was
tried before Coxey and Brown. The evil
oence was inconclusive and nothing was
done. Almost that entire afternoon the ac-
cused man sat In one position on the deck
his head down between his hands. 1 saw
that man cry as he sat by himself three
hours after the affair was over. That was
not characteristic of tramp.
some OF the men, however, are the genuine
Old article of tramps and have the regula-
ton walk. begging appeal and other Incl
dentalS A large number Of the men are
travelling under assumed names and the
n1moer or Smiths, Browns and Jones reg
fstered is remarkable
This afternoon. in spite Of Coxey and
BroWns request that he be arrested he
spoke at Hagerstown, and Is billed to re-
peat the dose this evening. The attorney
FOR the county has advised the sheriff that
the man Is doing nothing Illegal but Coxey
anu Brown do not relish the statement of
the unknown" that he is the advance of
the army and will probably try 10 take
iurther steps Brown, in his speech TODAY
roasted the unknown severely and was
cheered by the men. IT O. N