The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-10-23
UNION EX-PRISONERS
OF WAR WERE HERE
Met in Thirte nth Annual Session in the
Rooms Of Griffin Post.
BANQUET At HANLEY'S DINING ROOM
All But n Few Comrades We're Pres.
cnt ut the Meeting, Which Began at
3 O'cIOck..At q O'Clock the Ban.
quoting Began..Aii the Old Oili-
GERS We're Re.elce eted Unanim Ousiy.
An Interesting Literary Programme
ut the banquet.

ut the banquet.
The thirteenth annual reunion of the
Union -Prisoners-of-War associa-
tion OF Lackawanna county was held
yesterday afternoon in the rooms of
Lieutenant Ezra S. Griffin Post, No. 139
Grand Army of the Republic, and the
comrades enjoyed banquet at Han
ley's dining rooms beginning at g
! o'clock in the evening.
In the absence of Halsey Lathrop, of
Peckville. president of the association,
Charles b. Metzgar of Wilkes Barre
first vice president, presided. Comrade
Lathrop was unavoidably detained,
and sent letter of regret. The meet
ing was called to order at 3 O'Clock, af-
ter the comrades had gathered around
the flag and the colOrs in the center
of the room and Joined in America
and Rev. S. c. Logan, ID. D., the chap
lain, had offered a fervent prayer and
invoked the divine blessing.
Colonel s. A. Urquhart, of West
Pittston: Captain b. w. Loring, of
| Owego. Tioga county, N. Y, and An
drew Hilbert. of Beaumont. Wyoming
county, were proposed for member
ship. They were unanimously admitted
law of DR.. Logan and has a brave
| record for heroism in the Civil
War. He ran away from home in
youth. became a cabin boy, and stuck
to the sea until he became commander
of the ship.
HE CARRIED LINCOLN. --
He was in Ford's theater Washing
ton, when the immortal Lincoln was
shot and was the second person to en-
| ter the box after the shot was fired.
and he helped to carry the wounded
president across the street to the house
where he died.
Colonel +. II. Ripple, the secretary,
read an official circular from Charles
+. Sheriff, of Pittsburg, commander
| Of the national association of eX-pris-
| Oners of war. He was elected last
| month at the twenty-fourth annual
convention held in st. Paul. In the cir
cular the commander addresses HIM
self in part:
Comrades, let each resolve that he
will add at least one name to our ros-
ter: so that when we meet a year hence
at Buffalo, we may show to the world
a solid united body of men who, though
starving. naked, and without shelter,
remained true to their government and
lliS, tHuS " tic w fltlt NDIiu,
that Il we are not a nation of soldiers,
(as taken in a foreign sense) vet that
we are nation of patriots, who stand
ready ut all times to defend Old
Glory"
The treaSurer'S report consisted of
the simple statement that all bills are
paid and there is q balance of $l.1J
in the treasury. The only cOmrade who
died during the year was George w.
Porter, of Carbondale. After a rising
vote of thanks was rendered to Grit
fin post for the Use of the fooms for
the meeting. the order of election of
officers was taken up.
OLD OFFICERS REFLECTED.
All the old officers were unanim-
ously reelected as follows: Presi-
dent, Halsey LathrOpe, Peckville;
vice presid ent, N. S. Harri-
son, Montrose, Charles b. Metzgar,
Wilkes Barre; secretary, Colonel f.. II.
Ripple; treasurer, G. l.. .Mercereau,
Scranton; recording secretary, Edward
l.. Buck, Scranton; standard bearers,
o. A. Parsons. Wilkes Barre, and Mil
ton Mcfarland Scranton: executive
committee. Captain q. W. Simpson.
Nanticoke, and b. =. Tewksbury. New
Milford; chaplain, Rev. $. c. Logan,
d. d. The meeting adjourned for the
banquet. Colonel Ripple asked
that his resignation he accepted. but
the comrades would not hear it.
The banquet, or around the camp
fire." as the comrades like to call It.,
| began at Hanley's at O'Clock. With
few exceptions all the comrades were
present, and many of them had their
wives and daughters with them. The
banqueting hall was filled. and the
tables were loaded with eatables fit for
a prince.
Colonel Ripple introduced DR.. Logan,
the chaplain, who said grace and Of
fered short prayer. Everybody then
sat down and after the last number on
the menu card was over with, the
stories around the camfire began. Com
rade n. $. Harrison, one of the vice
presidents of the association. spoke on
the "Old Yank in the New South" and
was very entertaining. He pictured
the difference one finds in South Caro-
lima nowadays to what is was in slav-
cry days.
EXPERIENCE IN PRISON.
Captain b. w. Loring told how to
escape from rebel prison. The cap-
tain was Il seaman and when he was
in prison the Confederate guards used
to tie him up with ropes at night. but
| he used to wiggle out of the ropes and
| lie down and have good sleep In the
morning he would put the ropes back
again and the guards used to say that
they didn't think they tied him so
tight He used to tie ropes tighter than
| they did.
DR.. Logan gave a touching account
| of the wounded and sick in the Army
| OF the Patomac, and Colonel Urquhart
told of his escape through the tunnel
from Libby prison. Miss Susan Dick
| inson spoke of John Brown of Ossowa-
tamie, who was hanged at Harper's
Ferry in 1859. Comrade II H. Dibble
recited Skipper 1reson's Ride" The
programme was interspersed with
numbers from graphaphone, which
Colonel Ripple provided for the oc-
casion. After a short service to the
| memory of comrades who have crossed
the dead line, benediction was pro-