The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1894-04-18
THE cOMAONWEAL ARMY
Passes Through Somerset County
Under the Surveillance Of
Sheriff Hoover.
CAMPED AT PETERSBURG

About one O'Clock Thursday afternoon
Coxey's Commonweal army filed across the
famous stone bridge dividing Fayelte and
Somerset counties, and headed by band
composed of three horns, fife and bass
drum, marched into the village of Somer-
field.
The coming Of the army had been awaited
by all of the townspeople and by large
crowd from the surrounding country.
At the head Of the procession rode Gen
eral J. S. Coxey, seated in a handsome phae-
ton, drawn by pair of trotting horses. The
General is an inoffensive looking gentle
man, and one of the last men you would
expect, judging from his personal appear
ance, to lead an aggregation of buns
through the country. He drove up to the
Endsley House, where he dismounted and
was soon lost from sight in the crowd.
The army continued on through the
town, with their ragged flags and imPious
banners floating in the breeze. Carl Brown,
clad in greasy hair coat, and big white
hat drawn down over his face, and mount
ed on a superb Percheron stallion, charged
up and down the line, issuing commands to
the hungry looking troops. Near the head
of the procession rode the unknown"
otherwise known as Marshal Smith. The
Unknown" was dressed in a uniform OF
blue and rode magnificent hackney stall
lion. He is a man of extraordinarily hand
some physique, but has a repulsive and
dangerous looking countenance. Others in
the ranks who attracted passing attention
were young Jesse Coxey, mounted on
beautiful bay trotting horse; Mr.. Murphy,
who carried q monstrous wooden sword
oklahoma SAM" who looked the ideal
cowboy, and Prof. Thsyer, the chief mu-
sician, who only attracted attention on &C
count OF his filthy clothing.
The rank and lie of the army presented
sorry-looking spectacle. Out of two hun
dred and fifty men in line no two wore hats
alike, although all of the headgear looked
as though il had seen service for many
years. Only a half score of the troopers
were provided with overcosts and major
ity of them wore ragged boots. Many
patched trowsers were visible as the ar-ly
ploughed its way through the mud and
snow covering the bill east of Somerfield,
and not one handkerchief was to be seen
among the entire aggregation. All Of the
soldiers carried tin cups strapped to their
sides.
A halt was called on the hilltop beyond
Somerfield, and after the three commisssry
wagons. drawn by heavy Percheron horses
owned by General Coxey, bad been backed
| to one side Of the road, lunch was announc-
ed Had il not been for the fact that an in
voice consisting of number of barrels Of
crackers and several hundred pounds Of
bacon had been received at Somerfeld, the
rank and file of the army in all probability
would have gone without their midday re
past A slice of fitch and three crackers
was the ration given each soldier. More or
less kicking was INDUCED in by the troopers
who wanted more.
Meanwhile, Coxey, Brown, Smith and his
wife, who had just arrived on the train from
! Confluence, took dinner at the Endsley
! House. Il is unnecessary TO state that they
dined on the best of food. and it is doubtful
whether they ever ventured a thought on
| the lily fed men who were serving under
them. A corps of fourteen newspaper cor
respondents and telegraph operators were
also entertained at the hotel.
After dinner Coxey and Brown spoke to
the crowd. Coxey took the evening train
| for Pittsburg.
Sheriff Hoover and three or four deputies
arrived on the noon train from Confluence
and were cordially welcomed by the people
of Somerfield, at whose request they went
there. General COxey expressed desire to
meet the officers Of the law, and upon being
presented to them announced that his men
were peaceably disposed and would not
make any trouble. The Sheriff wisely con-
cluded, however, that he would escort the
army out Of the county.
1t is three and one-half miles from Som
erfeId to Petersburg, where the army camp
ed all night, and it required exactly five
hours for the soldiers to cover that distance.
After leaving SOmerfeld it was go-as-you-
please with the troops, and a majority OF
them took stretch on the logs and stumps
lining the road. One mile from Petersburg
the army was met by brass band and an
escort of fautastically dressed riders from
that place.
An immense crowd witnessed the march
of the army through Petersburg. The sol
diers marched in good order, and paid no at
tention to the occasional jeers from the crowd
that greeted their progress On one Of the
banners carried at the head of the procession
was picture purp0rting - be Of Christ ;
other banners bore the portraits of three
females supposed to be Faith. Hope and
Justice. a Good Roads and Good Wages -
was inscribed on one of the banners carried
in the procession.
The procession halted in front of the beau
tiful residence Of Mr.. Jasper Augustine,
who had kindly consented to shelter the
army from the raw night air under the roof
of his barn. Clean straw had been provided
for the weary buns to rest their bones on.
Supper, consisting of hardtack aud coffee,
was soon prepared for the soldiers. The
officers were all comfortably provided for at
| the hotels.
Soon after the arrival Of the army, it de-
veloped that majority of the warriors had
sufficient money about their ragged gar
ments TO secure a drink, and a rush was
made for the only licensed hotel in town.
To the credit Of the lardlord, Mr.. Wicklow,
il must be said that he closed his bar and
refused to sell any of the vagabonds drink.
Three or four times during the night he
called upon Sheriff Hoover and his deputies
TO preserve order and run the hobos out of
| his house
As soon as dark set in, Carl Brown, wear
ing dirty leather coat, mounted a wagon
in front Of the hotel and proceeded 20 deliver
a lecture. He discussed the financial situa-
ton Of the country ever since the Virginia
colonists began to trade tobac o to the In
dams. He said that all of our financial
ideas have been derived from the Roth
ehilds of Europe, and pleaded with his
hearers to desert the Republican and Demo-
cratic parties and unite forces with the
| ''NOn-Interest Bearing Bonds and Good
Roads Party" He touched briefly on the
labor question, the coke riots, eight hours
per day work, and monopolies, and Gained
I Al. r.