The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1896-07-22
FL00DGkTES OF ELOQUENCE,
Col. Lamar Fortaine Speaks of the
Richmond Reunion.
The Entire City Placed at the Disposal of
the Vets, to Do With as They Pleased.
Overwhelming Hospitality of a Venerable
Maiden Lady. -


Maiden Lady. Il
Col. Lamar Fontaine of Lyons,
Miss, who has been in the simoOns
of India, the sandstorms ]of the
Desert of Sahara, who has crossed
every continent and visited every
Island Of consequence, who receiv.
ed sixty seven bullets in the ser.
vice of the Confederacy, having
had both arms, both hands and
one leg broken and the other leg
shot away in the bloody angle at
Spottsylvania, and who has the
record Of the greatest number of
Yankees dead, having made
squirt of over sixty in as many
minutes, is i'll the city, en- route
home after attending the sixth
animal reunion of the United
Confederate Veterans in Ri, b.
mond, Va.
A reporter Of the Commercial. Ap-
peal found the colonel yesterday
afternoon sitting in Court Square,
surrounded by large number OF
old veterans who had not been
fortunate enough to attend the re-
union. He was telling them of
the big time that was given the
boys in gray in the old headquar-
ters of the Contederacy. Togeth-
er the colonel and the reporter re-
paired to Gaston's Hotel, where
he is stopping, he being unable to
tell good narrative in the crowd.
The old vets would make too many
Interruptions to ask him about old
comrades in arms, and lie seemed
to know all OF them.
eyes," said the colonel, tive had
the biggest time in Richmond that
was ever accorded to any body of
men. Virginia absolutely opened
her great heart to the men that
had fought for the cause in which
she was so intensely interested,
and fOl which she also gave the
flower OF her sons. No amount Ut
money nor forethought could have
made us have better time. The
city WAS absolutely turned over to
us. All of the stores, except the
saloons, were closed, and the pc
lice had strict orders to arrest no
old soldier, no matter what he
might do. And we could not pay
a Cent for anything. All we had
to do was to let them know that
We wanted it, and it was ours.
Two restaurants down town aud
one out at the camping ground
kept hundred negroes cooking
all OF the time, and each instltu.
, ton cooked half a hundred hams
each day, aside from the other sta.
pie rations. Any vet could go into
any of these aud eat, free, all tina,
he could hold. Then out at the
camp there were hunks for 1000
luen. All along in the vast space
there were barrels kept full of ICE
cold lem0na,ie-a box of lemons tC
= the barrel. On the si,le of these
barrels there were cups enough fol
;. 200 men to drink at the same time
Then, too, there were barrels q
i. ice water.
"And the Lord was also with
> us. For ten days before the time
] for the reunion it had been rain
e ing almost all OF the time, but OF
$ the day that we got ther.
r the rains stopped. All OF the gras.
and fields were as green as the
sky and we had no dust. There
r was a cool breeze blowing all til,
s time from the sed.o
i, Col. Fontalne is a man of mos
powerful descriptive powers, ant
. when he confessed that it was i'm
: possible for one who was there t,
:, give an account Of it to one WHIT
J., did not see the hospitality, it wal
putting the case most strongly
But he did so, and mentioned tn
following as one of the examples
T. OF the manner in which the goot
people Of the city OF Richmond
treated the grizzled and manned
. veterans.
: ESSENCE OF HOSPITALITY.
J sit looked as if every home il
: the city had taken the doors off o
the hinges and left the entrance
: open t. Ill OF tue ex.Confederate
;. that might desire to enter. Blu
} none of them did as well as di.
! Miss SallieN I'ompkins. She is
: wealthy maiden lady, living in
fine hrlck mansion iii the heart o
3 the city, OIL Maj, street. Durin.
f the war she converted her magnifi
= cent home into a hospital for tn
wounded soldiers, and hersel
nursed them. When TIE men re
turned this time she again put TIL
home at their disposal. Tho door
q to the large double parlorsN wer
t thrown open, and all OF the avajla
bic SDace in the house. from cafI,,