The daily morning journal and courier., 1895-09-18
DAYS OF TORE RECALLED
{ FEAST OF NISCENCES ATTHE
 GRAFS' 70TH.

Many Old Men Wise in Counsel and of
 Honored Names Tell of the Past in the
 History of the Grays and of New Haven
 Young Grays and old Grays Commune
 Together-InterestIng Details and Recol-
 Ieotions.
 The seventy-ninth anniversary of the New Haven Grays, held at Savin Rock on the 18th inst, was a very inter- esting and enjoyable one to the active members, as well as to the veterans,
 To hear veterans over eighty years of age tell the experience of their day, the sacrifices they had to make to meet their expenses, the "collections made after parade to pay for the music; and to hear from members who received only three or four dollars a week, how they bought their own uniforms and equipments, even almost to the mus kets, paying armory rent, etc., and at the same time meeting with opposition from both church and state, made quite an impression upon the "Actives' of this day.
 Colonel and ex-Captain Hendrick, who made Che opening speech and who was in his most happy and best mood, was received, together with his re- marks most enthusiastically, as was evidenced by the hearty and prolonged cheers and wild demonstration of sat isfaction his presence called forth from the veterans he so ably commanded and loved and who (veterans as well as actives) still love him, showing that he was most popular commapdant which popularity he has retained to the present day, as evidenced by the large vote which elected him mayor of the city of New Haven.
 The veterans were we'll represented, especially the old veterans, the ages of many of whom ranged from seventy five to over eighty years and who are still ''hale, hearty and we'll" Among these were ex-Lieutenant Amos Bost- wick, John E. Wylie, Wooster A. En- sign, Essi Stannard and many more, all of whom are venerable and most highly respected citizens. Other vet erans, but not as old present were Mayor Hendrick, ex-Captain James M Townsend (whom Captain McCabe in- troduced as the oldest living captain, who joined the Grays in 1S41 Colonel Ed. M. Clark, ex-Postmaster Benjamin R. English, Sergeant D. c. Beecher, Samuel H. Kirby, James A. Wood and others. Ex-Captain and General F, E. Bradley was sick and unable to be pres oat w -Ca mi n CtpcstrAp pg. pI F. T. Lee, Leonard Bostwick and Lieu tenant Harvey Munson were also pres ent, together with some 150 more vet erans and actives and Colonel Dwight Bowers, uncle of Dwight E. Bowers, one of the active members. Colonel Bowers was lieutenant under Captain Townsend nearly fifty years ago. Col onel Bowers has moved to and become citizen of New Haven, after an ab- sence of some forty years, during which time he has secured a fortune He has been colonel of a New Jersey regiment, comptroller of the city of Elizabeth and has held other offices of trust and responsibility in that state and is now welcomed back to his old training" grounds. Colonel Bowers can give thrilling "reminiscences of the time when he was a member of the Grays, the difficulties attending the same, time when it tried mems souls" to sustain and keep alive the grand old organization
 Other veterans of from sixty to sev- enty years were present and related their experiences. Among them was Sergeant Edward c. Beecher, so well ';,o anything he undertakes. Sergeant Beecher gave interesting "reminiscences of his first parade, which was under Captain Townsend, and said that he had in his possession the plume he then wore, and which he would present to Captain McCabe to put with other relics of the company
 Wooster A. Ensign, one of the oldest veterans of the Grays, enlivened the oc- casion with most amusing incidents which occurred over sixty years ago. He told of the up town and down town" militia of the 'Invincibles," Captain Duntze and how Captain Coogan, commandant of the "down town militia" gave orders to charge bayonets and they charged bayonets upon Captain Coogan, who ran for dear life across the old green into the Tom tine hotel. (Another of the veterans said Captain Coogan afterwards went to Captain Prescott of the Grays for protection)
 Venerable MT. Ensign recalled the fortieth and seventy fifth anniversaries of the Grays, both of which he at- tended, and told of the enjoyable time he had and that at the seventy-fifth he stated he expected to be at the one hundredth anniversary, and he had not given up that expectation. He was found to have a representative in the company, evidenced by his son, Woes ter P. Ensign Ca noble son of an hon. ored sire)
 Perhaps the most interesting remin- iscence was by the octogenarian Lieu tenant Amos Bostwick, whose anniver- sary of his birth is the same as that of the Grays'. After giving his experience with the Grays he told of going to Columbia, S. C., to live. Soon after his settling there military company was formed called the Governors Guard, which continued until Governor Tillman's reign as governor. They