Walker Lake bulletin. (Hawthorne, Nev.) 1883-1926, 1896-01-15
STORIES OF THE DAY.
The Confederate and Federal Relics at the
Atlanta Fair.

Atlanta Fair.
"Oh you needn't mind" said a
pleasant voice over my shoulder "a l
wiped few tears from my eyes. "Great
big men come in here and cry like ba-
hies. Why, it was only the other day
that | looloG around and saw way over
in one conner of this little room man
at least 80 years old, tremendous, sin
ewy man, burying his face in his hands
and sobbing like ohild.'
bit my lip and turned to the speak
er, who had caught me bending over an
old suit of soldiers clothes in the Con
federate Relic building at the exposi-
tion. She was tall, slender, aristocrat-
TO- blond girl, and she volunteered the
information that she was the daughter
Of the late General Kirby Smith and
was in charge of tho building.
Sometimes, she said, 81 just can't
stand it, and | have to go out. don't
think | can stay in here Confederate
day, because then all the old soldiers
will be here. My, N.Y." she went on,
"what stories l could write of my ex-
periences in this building One morn
ing an old eountryman came in and sat
down for some moments without saying
a word and then, his eye lighting on
my fathers old coat there heard him
say to himself, BY George, if that isn't
Kirby Smiths coat, and fought under
him in every battle from the beginning
of the war to the end And when
told him was Kirby Smiths daughter
tho old man looked us if he would en-
brace me ON the spot.
'The women, too" l said, "must
show lots OF feeling, don't they?'
"Woll, not SO much us the men. They
those days and the young who have
been told about it, bite their lips to
keep back the tears, and just as they
leave you hear them say something.
Sometimes they are rebellious and say,
L declare I'd just like to have them
fight II all over again; it makes me so
mad But generally they are quiet and
fearful and pathetic, and you hear them
say us they pass out in quivering voices.
We'll. it's long time over but some
way just can't keep from crying. :"
"And the northern people," l asked,
"what do they think of these old flags
and swords, these proclamations of Sc
cession?"
"Oh, most of them are very much in
terested, and the majority are sympa-
thetic too. Now and then woman will
come along and be disagreeable. One Of
the sweetest experiences have had was
with woman from Denver. She came
in and seemed SO affected by the things
that she saw that asked her if she had
lost any dear one in our army She cried
over those poor, old patched clothes
there, but she turned to me and said,
No, my dear, my husband was in the
Federal army and was killed at the bat
tie of Chickamauga, but my heart goes
out to all of the blue and gray, for l
know we'll how both sides suffered.
And she gave me this badge of the Wom-
en- of the Grand Army of the Republic
to keep as memento between us.
$50 often,' said Miss Kirby Smith,
"the old soldiers who own different
relics here will pay the place visit
General Bulger, the man who owns that
sword there, called the other day. He
is the Oldest Confederate veteran living,
being 96 years and having lived under
the administration of all the presidents
except the first two. The Cinnamon
flock here too. Having been conquered
themselves, they have kind Of sympa
thetic instinct toward the place, and
they look at the poor old flags and
swords and pictures with the most ap-
preciative interest.
"You see that horn there" pointing
to horn that lay in the case beside the
Bible which Alexander Stephens car
ried all through the war; "the man
that owned it paid visit here recently,
and he told me it's interesting history.
The horn was presented to him by
famous old hunter whom he had never
seen-he simply fell heir to it through
the will of the man bequeathing it to
the greatest hunter in the neighborhood
next to himself. 1t gave the first blast
for secession in Charleston. 1t has been
the means for number of years of win
ming for its owner $500 to his income.
This good fortune came to him through
the exchange of courtesies with
wealthy northerner of his neighborhood,
to whom he loans the horn for hunting.
and in return the northern gentleman
transacts all his business through the
old soldiers postoffice, which in some
way assists his revenue. Over there is
the fiddle which the same old man car
ried through the war, and which be-
tween the hours of carnage cheered many
q tagging and homesick spirit.