The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-09-09
A NEW HAMPSHIRE CUCKOO.
One of the Characters Attending the
Convention.

One of the Characters Attending the
Convention.
A person would expect, when hearing the
high-sounding titles applied to officers OF
the S. of V, to encounter gray-bearded vet
Grams, bent with the weight Of years. In
stead, they are keen, alert young men, rep
resenting the strongest types of young
American manhood Many of them have
been engaged in professional life, not a
few are newspaper men, and others hold
public Offices Ajutant General Hammer,
of Reading, Pa, is city clerk of that place.
A number of delegates to the present en-
csmpment have attended the national meet
ings year after year, and the pleasure and
qualification the delegates expressed when
meeting acquaintance of past encamp-
ments was refreshing to the quiet guests
who sit around the corridors smoking, gen.
orally taking only passive interest in
what goes on around them. There is one
little luan, Michael Crowley, of Portsmouth,
N. H., who is about the most popular dele
gate that ever attends the encampments.
Everybody knows him. Some of them
call him Cuckoo" Crowley, from the odd
way he has of greeting an old friend.
'Ah, there!" he cries, rushing forward
and grabbing the hand always outstretched
falls to shaking it he winds up his unique
greeting with a prolonged cuckoo call. He
is ubiquitous and restless as an eel. He
skips around everywhere. He and Char
ley'' Bookwalter are old friends. Crowley
wore a red shirt with a small white check
and lay-down collar when he reached the
Denison last night
Il heard that shirt when you struck
Cleveland, Mike" declared Bookwalter.
crowley denied this, saying he had
changed since leaving Cleveland;
Give me the key to IS" said Crowley to
the clerk. Il think my vests in there"
Your vests in. 147,' replied the clerk,
handing him the key.
so soon? Cuckoo" And away Crowley
hurried away to make change of raj
ment. All evening he BUSTED about the
lobby whirlwind of excitement following
in his wake
Among the delegates to arrive last night
were Commander L. w. Friedman, of the
Friedman, both of Birmingham, Ala, and
ii. NJ Austin, of the same place. Com
mander Friedman expects at least six dele
gates of his division to be in attendance.
1t embraces Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia
and other Southern States, inasmuch as
the organization is not large enough in the
South to justify separate divisions in the
different States. The Alabama division
now has q membership of 405, a very strong
organization, considering the conditions.
Commander Friedman says that a great
deal of prejudice has had to be overcome.
Ihere is not so much opposition from the
old Confederate soldiers as from the
younger generation. He says that things
are getting better and prejudice is much
weaker than when the division was organ
lied nine years ago.
The Alabama division is not pledged to
support the claims of any particular city
for the next encampment, but personally
Commander Friedman woLld prefer to see
Cincinnati selected as q much larger dele
cation from the South could ne expected
there than at a more remote place
H. M Austin enjoys he rather unusual
privilege of being q member of the G. A
r. and s. of V. both He served in the war
himself. His father enlisted at the age of
forty-five and served three years. This
makes Mr.. Austin eligible for membership
in both organizations.