The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-10-25

say It and the comment was borne out
by Colonel Fairman's remarks. He
| spoke of what the war lost and ga ned; ;
II lost three-fourths of a million OF
brethren, embracing north and south,
and gained an impregnable govern
| mental fortress In speaking of heroes
he said all were heroes. but the prls-
oners were unique heroes; they rem
dered greater service than those in the
, field-theirs was a Gethsemane of suf-
| fering and waiting. Most of them lay
| last night, he said, in uncoffined graves.
| We cherish the living in their gray
hairs and hope for something that will
come from the example of what they
have done. Let us keep the memory
| green for the children. The memory
suggests what? 1t suggests what was
accomplished-the greatest, grandest
most glorious country in all the world.
| He represented that the epithels Of the
southern press against the pension
els Is an evil tlrat should be wiped out.
The soldiers of this country, he said.
| are held in less reverence and respect
than in any des spCtism on the clabe. 1t
, Is 4 peculiar fa ct that among people of
| the north the soldiers are the most
| charitable toward the old foe. We
| hold out both our hands to them to-
| night; we can afford to do it, because
| ours is & united country and our coun-
tlS ~ u common Dpnu.
Miss Dickins Absent
President Lathrop regretted the un-
avoidable absence of Miss Susan T..
Dickinson, who last year was elected
an honorary member of the associa-
| ton. and who was to have spoken
| about THE Loyal Women of the War"
However, Miss Dickinson's manuscript
had been received, and was read by
| Colonel Ripple. 1t will be produced i'm
| tomorrow's Tribune.
n. $. Harrison, of Montrose, told
THE Midnight Alarm or the First
Death on the Picket Line of the Sew
enth Pennsylvania Reserves" Ii was
an unusual incident, and the climax
| of Mr.. Harrison's story earned the ap-
plause of his hearers. 1t transpired
that the death was that of cat.
which had been fired upon by timid
| picket.
The Capture and Release" of Ed.
a. Niven. the well-known Wilkes-Barre
| newspaper man. and secretary of the
Wilkes Barre board OF trade was told
by that gentleman himself in his most
peculiar and happy and popular vein.
He was fortunate in being imprisoned
| only a few days in Libby prison. when
of a friend In the confederate army.
MIR. Niven really had "a good time for
several weeks. as he was paroed and
posed as a contract surgeon in Rich
| mond, finally getting back to the Union
lines. 1t was a good story. told as
literary man would write it, and IL
greatly pleased the fancy of the speak
| er's interested audience.
Miss Lucy I.nncy's Appeal.
Miss Lucy Laney. the negro woman.
whose father and brothers had helped
50 mary prisoners to escape from the
Mocan. Ga, stockade. and whose pres
| ence in Scranton had been announced
by Rev. DR.. Logan, at the afternoon
business meeting made brief but poll
ished speech. She thanked the vetsr-
ans present in the name of 5000 900
negroes for the blood that saved 1000.
900 OF her people from slavery at the
time OF the war. She made an appeal
for their advancement, and impressed
the fact that they are good American
citizens, and are capable of a higher
| development than is usually believed
probable.
Colonel Meredith L. Jones. of the
staff OF General Doubleday. treated, in
an interesting way. his subject. with
Doubleday at Gettysburg" He con-
tended that the first day General
Doubleday's command retreated in
good order, pausing at proper inter
walls to fire, and that the retreat was
not rout as II has often been de-
scribed. Further. he said. II has been
incorrectly stated that the first days
lighting was conducted with varied
success the retreat was not defeat
Doubleday had retreated over his own
ground, and in good order. While he
had not pushed the enemy. he had kept
them at distance which was all that
had been expected The incorrectly
called varied success of the first day
in which General Double days division
bore such an important part, prac-
tically determined the result Of the
three days battle as Seminary Ridge
was held, and that position eventually
was part OF the key of the great
fight.
How lie Captured Richmond.
How Captured Richmond" was the
subject of o. a. Parsons. OF Wilkes
Barre. but the story revealed how the
speaker was himself taken. confined In
Libby prison and then sent TO the prls-
on at Salisbury, ~. g. He read extracts
from diary covering most OF the peri
cd following hts capture. The details
proved of unusual interest.
The Young Boys OF ls6l-The ON
Boys OF 1895" was the subjec; OF John
Il. Howe, who was fun OF the real SOL
'it'I anu ilOl HllHNt NbIIS III
the emphatic sta tement that the boys
the rank and file of 1861 became the
generals OF 1863 and 1864 and decided the
result of the war.
Rev. DR.. w. II. Pearce was present
and had been assigned to speak on "Our
Priceless Gifts to Our National Life"
President Lathrop announced that DR..
Pe2rcr was called from the room to re-
spond to a request to perform a mar
l..
absence should be excused. as his errand
was for union an object which al
ways meets with the approval of SOL
Glers
"Luxuries of Prison Life" was the
top.c assigned Ma jor f.. w. Pierce, who
told of things not luxurious but OF a
nature calculated to bring tender feel
ings to the guests present who knew
little of the horrors OF Confederate
prison life.
THE Rear Guards and Stragglers"
and "A Topic Open for Discussion" by
some tmpromptu speaker. was omitted
owing to the late hour. and the banquet
closed with benedict!on by Rev N. +.
Stahl
Those present were:
e. G. Hall. OF beaumont: NJ. II. Ohm
stead, of Carbondale: Mr. and Mrs. S. II.
Laphy, OF Kingston; i. II. Campbell and
G. Il. Metzgar, of Wilkes Barre; Mr.. and
Mrs. q. w. simpson. OF Nanticoke: Col
onels James Fairman and Meredith l..
Jones' Of New York city; Miss Lucy C.
Laney. of Augusta, Ga; Mr.. and Mrs
Halsey Lathrop. of Peckvile; Joseph
Krege. of Miners Mills: j. w. Bidwell. OF
Arlington: Mrs. II. g. Merceroau. OF Ell
mira; Mr.. and Mrs. J. T. Cooper and Mr..
and Mrs. 4. A. King. of Taylor: Mrs. C.
T.. Vaudeville, OF Elmira; Mr. and Mrs.
s. s. Hager. OF Gouldsboro: Il. A. Niven.
w. r. Bailey o. a. Parsons and 8. l..
Hagenbaugh. OF Wilkes-Barre: Mr.. and
Mrs. n. s. Harrison. of Montrose: Mr.. and
Mrs X. +. Lindley and Mr.. and Mrs II.
N. Capwell, of Factoryville. and the fol-
lax ipu frnp, acru Mr. Voh,,