The San Francisco call., 1896-08-17
SOLDIER GUESTS
OF Los GATOS,
Camp City Guard Located
in the Center of the
Town.
COMPANY BIS OUTING.
Tents Pitched in a Picturesque
Nook Under Spreading
BoughS.
GAYETY AND DISCIPLINE
The Guardsmen Receive Instructions
by Day and Make Merry at
Eventide.
GAYETY AND DISCIPLINE
CAMP CITY GUARD, COMPANY B.,
FIRST REGIMENT INFANTRY, N. G. G.

yards from the bridge, on Main street.
which spans Los Gatos Creek. The trees
in the creek bottom are so wioe-spreading
as TO almost shut the camp out from view,
until suddenly the reader finds himself
almost in the midst of it, unless he hap
pens to run up against sentinel. But
the Company B sentinel in the daytime is
not the terror to the visitor that he be-
comes to the prowler or the belated guards
man at night, wbereat the large number
of people who looked upon the camp to-
day smiled and looked glad.
A more picturesque or advantageous
spot for an encampment could not have
been found in a wide stretch of coun-
try. 1t has all the charms of sylvan
retreat, with ample shade, bright and
frequent spots of sunshine, quiet hooks
offering seclusion when the stars are out
and 1.-The moonlight is floating over all. !"
Within stones throw of the flagstaff are
all the advantages of live little city,
famous for its beauty. High above the
camp rise the green and cultivated slopes
of the Santa Cruz mountains, with their
brown heads in the sky, and ten feet be-
low the mess-tables ripples the Los Gatos
Creek, on it way to the sea. Whoever
chose this spot had his eye out for the
beauties of nature on the one hand and
the advantages of civilization on the other.
This was the first day of camp. The
number OF visitors was not so large as 1t
will be tom orrow. About $50 people, in
Guiding many ladies, came up on the
trains to-day and are stopping at the
hotels. On entering camp the first thing
the visitor sees is "old glory" flying in the
breeze at the top of the tall flagstaff and
brass howitzer, highly polished and gilt
tering in the sun. The latter gives the
visitor an impression of business. Can
non nearly always project an idea OF seri-
Gus business into the mind of the be-
holder. When tile caller wanders farther
and sees stacks OF guns and glittering
bayonets he concludes that the gallant
boys of the City Guard are not here for
play altogether. And Captain George
Fllmer says they are not.
This is camp of instruction. he said
to-day. eff you are here at company drill
in the morning you will think So"
There are over 100 men in camp and
about fifty more are expected during the
week. 1t was impossible for all the mem
bers of the company to get away from
business for the eight days that the camp
will continue, so those who are now ab-
sent will come up for two or three days
later in the week.
The tents number ten. They are pref
tily pitched facing each other, with
broad shady avenue running between,
and nearly all have canooies of several
colors over their entrances. The mess
table is very picturesQuely located, and
three times daY it has added charms
that the able-bodied soldier finds it i'm
possible to resist.
There will be a new countersign each
night. The officers insist that a bottle
Will not ass muster as a substitute, and
nothing but the countersign goes. So the
guardhouse is yawning wide open for the
first m an who tries to seduce a picket from
the path of his duty with flask. 1t is
not to be supposed that the boys of Com
pany B are loaded with TASKS for this or
any other purpose but it was deemed
wise to have an understanding about the
NJ after.
Captain George FiImer is IN command,
and other officers OF Company B on the
ground are: First Lieutenant B. B. Stur-
divant Second Lieutenant A. T. Ramm
and First Sergeant W. n. Kelly. Among
other well-known National Guardsmen
in camp are Major H. B. Hosmer of Gen.
eral Warfield's staff and Captain A. H.
Williams late OF Colonel Sullivan's staff.
The company surgeons here are DIR. T. a.
McCulloch, DR.. w. H. O'Malley and DIR. A.
D. Mclean. Major-General James will be
here next Saturday with his staff and Gen.
eral Warfield and staff will be here next
Friday.
The commissary department of camp
"City Guard" is in charge of Quarter
master-sergeant A. H. Clifford. and the field
music is in charge of Sergeant II. Sleberst
(fifes) and Val Mills (drums). The COM
pany bugler IS All Aphthorpe, and he Will
make the rao obits high above on the hills
lift up their ears and listen.
A prize for the best-decorated and best
kept tent has been offered by Charles
Steiger, an honorary member of the COM
pany. 1t is not known yet what the prize
IS, but of course it is worth having, and
there is quite rivalry ION the tented
field" to win 1t.
Tomorrow night the members of the
company will give reception to the peo-
ple of Los Gatos. There are signs that it
Is going to be a stswell" and o very largely
attended affair. The grounds will be
Illuminated The Los Gatos band of six
teen pieces has been engaged. The name
that the location OF the camp is locally
known by here is Shores picnic grounds,
and there is a broad pavilion, which is
lust The thing for dancing. a ball in the
pavilion will be one of the features of the
reception. The gallant guaTdsmen and
the fair visitors from San Francisco and
the lovely maidens of Los Gatos may not
dance "tiII the stars pale" In the eastern
sky. but doubtless the time for sounding
LIDS Will De IOTRObbcH AOA q HAoeAAJ ii
length of time. Other social features viii
adorn each evening in camp. There will
be drama before the week is out.
The members of Company are deter
mined to improve themselves as soldiers
in every way while in camp, but after they
have arisen with the sun and worked hard
in the drill they will seek recreation that
will doubtless be well-earned.
Tonight it was a typical camp scene.
An fnh
avenue and a large bonfire built little to
one side of the camp. The soldiers and
a large number of Los Gatos young ladies
gathered around the fire. The camp
string band, composed of two guitars, two
ziihers and a violin, made the evening
beautiful with music. The guardsmen
sang songs, and before taps sounded 1t was
case of every body, including the young
ladies, singing in the REQ glare under the
trees.
For once "Tenting Tonight was not
sung but everybody expected some one to