The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-05-28

With the flag" Accompanying it was
j noe, which read:
Portland, May 81, 1898.
Col L. H. Kendall, Seventy fourth
United States Volunteers:
Dear Colonel-PIease accept this basket
Di flowers, with our best wishes to you
md your brave regiment.
Respectfully yours,
Charles II. Randall,
Henry b. Cleaves,
George P. Wescott.
+. e. Richards,
Thomas p Shaw,
John d. Printable
Col Kendall gracefully accepted the
gilt and assured the donors that the
Maine Regiment can be relied upon to
give satisfactory account of itself wher-
over it is ordered to duty.
3 At $50 the train pulled slowly out of
: the station, amid a volley of cheers and
waving Of hats and handkerchiefs
An urgent request from the people of
Biddeford and Saco, that they might be
permitted to have a last word with the
boys accompany and the Biddeford Off
GERS Of the. Regiment had been received
at the camp prior to the departure of the
troops. Biddeford is Col. Kendall's ma
tive city, and such request touched him
in tender spot. The original plan was
to have coffee served at Old Orchard. so
Col. Kendall sent word to Biddeford,
early in the day, that the friends of Com
pany g might go down to the beach and
they would there have a few minutes in
which to exchange good-bys with the
troops. i
The communication had the effect of
sending to Old Orchard crowd of Bid
deford and Saco people nearly as numer-
Gus as that which blocked the passage
ways Of Portland's station. All the extra
cars in the Biddeford Il Saco Street car
sheds were pressed into service in trans
porting people to the beach. When the
train came in the Old Orchard station
presented midsummer aspect. Every
body was endeavoring to elbow his way
to point of vantage.
Col. Kendall and his staff left their car
and the four companies were ordered to
line up on the station platform. Wives,
mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers and
sweethearts gathered around the Bidde-
ings, caresses and God-speeds that moist :
ened the eyes of even those onlookers who
tad nc, relatives in the ranks. Il
Benjamin 4. Cleaves, ESD, who has
just been appointed judge Of the Bidde-
ford municipal court, mounted the plat
fern of one of the cars, in front of which
we're assembled the colonel and his staff,
and delivered an eloquent tribute to the
bravery OF the Maine Volunteers, con-
Guiding it with the presentation of regi-
ment tag, contributed by Col. Kendall'e
Biddeford friends The flag had been
procured in Boston the day before, but
The time required for the lettering had de-
layed it's arrival, and Mr.. Cleaves an
nouncsd that it would be forwarded to
Chickamauga in season for use on the
regiments arrival there
Col Kendall responded to the presen-
tatlon, and, in behalf of the regiment,
expressed appreciation of the ovation and
5he gift.
A revolver was presented to Col. Ken.
dali by a few of his friends. A sword was
30 have been handed to Capt E. S.
'5owan of Company 6, on this occasion,
as a token of the esteem of his townsmen,
but the committee sent to purchase one
word as they sought, and the presenta.
Aon was necessaril y postponed.
After stop of twenty minutes, the
men We're ordered back to the cars and
the journey was resumed.
= M, awhile, the second of the troop
train had arrived in Portland. Its pas
ssngers were given a reception even more
hearty than had been bestowed upon the
first battalion. In this train were the
four Portland companies, and Portland
people eagerly crowded up to the car
windows 60 exchange good-bys.
y h II weeks in camp had tanned the
faces OF the boys, and some of them had
Improved the opportunity to start their
first growth Of beard. They all looked
hardy and Eappy. The ordeal of being
wept over by fond parents and lotinQ
wives and sweethearts in the presence of
such @ throng had the effect of melting