The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1898-08-20
With the Twentieth Kansas at
San Francisco,
TELLS HOW THE BOYS
Feel Since They Have Been
Transferred to the PresidiO.
An Interesting and Picturesque
Account of Camp Incidents.


The Preside is the government reser-
walton of perhaps 1900 acres compris-
ing plains and wooded hill Here are
the barracks-long rows of brick build
ings with quaint little front porches
and charming yards and tropic hedges.
All day long children toddle around the
lawns and at evening the wives of the
officers gather along the road to watch
guard mount and gossip.
The camp of the Twentieth Kansas
is located in a pretty spot fronting the
sea where by night and by day vessels
are coming and going in and out of the
Golden Gate to all parts of the world.
All night long can be heard the tOot-
ing of the fog horn whistles on the big
ferry boats passing to and fro and at
sunrise smart little fishing vessels go
out to their labor.
1t truly seems more than beautiful to
US kansans who have been born and
raised on the rolling prairieS where only
the waving blue stem" or a yellow
field of wheat greeted ones eyes.
Here the camp faces the sea and from
the white walled tents the hard white
sand slopes away a half mile down to
the shore where the violet waves come
and go with ceaseless regularity.
But of all hours of the day that of
sunset is the most pleasant
Then comes dress parade, guard
mount and retreat.
The exercises are given on the square
parade ground. Hundreds of women and
children in gay attire surround the
camp ground, every soldier is dressed
in his best uniform with polished shoes
and glistening arms.
The band is out waking the echoes
with many a ringing air, the favorite
being "A Hot Time" of course. And
as the light of the day fades and the
breezes begin to stir among the fra
grant pines and flowers all faces are
turned toward the sunset on the sea,
watching the day die out in glory and
ba glow
waves tinging the distant crestS of the
dungeons on the prison islands OF Al
catraz.
The water is ever shifting in color
never, seemingly, an hour at a time of
the same hue. An apple green seems
the favorite tinge of dame nature.
Away on the mountains across the
bay the green sea pines are clustered
around many a little white walled town
where fishing smacks with dingy sails
creep in and out.
his tent the other evening remarked
that the scene reminded him of Italy
and it's picturesque coast.
AS I sit writing word IS passed along
the line that there will be no drill and
with glad shout the majority of the
boys are up and away to the beach
But a hurried recall of the First bat
TALON was caused by the announcement
that we would pay a social visit to the
Tennessees Four companies, A, B,
F and L with their respective officers
made the call. Lieutenant 0OlOIlG4 LII
tie. Captains Buchan, Towers, Martin
and Watson did the hOnors. South
ern hospitality was exemphneo TO the
fullest degree. Kansas was taken IN
full fellowship and while the still and
the mountain mOonshine was not intro
duced every other accommodation was
offered It was you all and we alp
on every hand and the boys from the
prairie state were invited warmly to
come again. Each company was turned
loose on one of their company streets
and took possession of it. The one
thing that rankled deep in their hearts
was an antipathy to the New York
troops They declared them to be
naughty and stuck up and unsociab1e.
And this last is the greatest OF crimes
in the eyes of son OF tennessee
Sergeant Quartermaster Young to-
day received his sentence. he was
given one year at hard labor and fine
of $50 He will be sent to Alactraz is
land ont in the bay near our camp
The health of the company has i'm
proved vastly and the sick list at pres
ent writing is of little moment 1t DIS
General Kings brigade composing
the regiments of Iowa, tennessee ana
Kansas was out for inspection Tues
day. The day was perfect. The slop-
ing hill of the Preside drill ground was
a living panorama of blue. Ihe long
columns wound away from their re-
spective camps with FURNISHED arms.
It was mid-fOrenOOn and the sun shone
down from a perfect sky. The long
line of blue stretched in serpentlne
form away up the plateau 1he SOL
dierly troops from the land of the kaW
and the sunf1ower, the dashntg Tennes-
see regiment from the Smoky noun
tains and the sturdy sons OF Iowa all
were ma ssed on the sandy plain
The red, white and blue of the stand
ard, the brass of the eagle, the gaily
tossed names of the officers chargers,
the swarthy faces of the soldiers, the
glisten of the sun on the arms, the
dark background of pines, the bright
uniforms all combined in a grand flu
sion of color The three regimental
bands Numbered forth their long mu-
steal roll, the regiments passed forth in
line with martial tread and head erect
shoulder to shoulder, man to man. In
perfect line, in perfect step the long ar
ray marched past the reviewing stand
where General King, mounted on a
magnificent sorrel, with eagle eye sur
veyed the troops.
It was a glorious inspection and Kan
sas did herself proud.
BY. some strange fancy the Kansas
troops have found a friend in the gay
rOllicking boys from Tennessee. What
the band of friendship is we hardly
know or why they became attracted
towards US. Perhaps it is a sort of a
feeling the same as one homeless dog
in a strange kennel takes up with an
other. or perhaps it is because Kansas
stands for the opposite in every re-
spect to them. Be that as it may they
have taken a great fancy to us and
take every opportunity to show it.
And thereby hangs a tale and with it
came the first touch of mimic warfare
we have seen.
On Thursday evening a number of the
boys of Company H, Of Lawrence, Cap
tain Clark commanding, dOnned rude
masks made out of sheeting and turn
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