The herald., 1898-05-07
. answer questions-and this they would

| to answer questions-and this they would
not do.
1t is a fearful mass of people
to contemplate-thirty thousand. They,
were jammed against each other like
sardines ready for shipment. The sun
was coming down in all its midday fury,
causing humanity assembled there to
swelter and to perspire-more than that,
many could not withstand the heat. The
men were wise enough, when they found
| themselves becoming weak, to go into the
| shade before they were entirely exhausted
But the women, ah, they do not think of
| these things, and they stood out in the
very fiercest heat of that awful sun. Small
wonder that a dozen or more of them
fainted-some falling on the sizzling ground
because nothing else was handy Some
kind railroad employe carried them inside.
where 1t was fairly cool and shady. Cold
water usually restored them, and then
they walked home, followed by concourse
of friends, sorry that their fun had been
spoiled.
Women with children stood no chance at
all in that crowd. One had all he could
do to attend to himself. With difficulty
matured people stood their ground
When the troops arrived the cheering and
hurrahing was tremendous-there was
nothing but that. The city and county of.
ficials, who were first in the line of es-
cort, intended to see the boys safely on
the trains before they left, but they found
it impossible. SO dense was the crowd
Where they stopped upon arriving at the
station there they remained and there was
no moving about. In some disgust, they
left few minutes later, when they heard
that the men had got into their cars, for
they could not for themselves see it. All
the organizations left Immediately upon
for there was nothing more for |
them to do. and they could not even get |
to the officers car to bid them goodbye |
1t was about noon when the troops got |
there, and about ten minutes after / |
o'clock before the last section left, the |
three sections being about ten minutes |
apart.
1t was utterly impossible at first for the |
troops to get into the cars assigned to
them, so fun were they Of women, girls
and children, who had gone to the station
n the early hours of the morning and
planted themselves to await the arrival of
the boys. Force alone could remove some
Of them, so obstinate were they.
And when the boys finally did get in.
their girl friends came also, and the situ-
ton was therefore again the same, only Il
they were now dealing with those whom
they knew. There seemed to be no order
,r authority about those cars, and mere
privates could not remove any one. Those H
who had no friends had to share the
burdens Of the joys Of their comrades.
An. the affecting scenes when the trains
we're about to leave, when the engine bells
began to clang, when they began to toot.
What kissing, what handshaking, what
owing embraces, what asking and giving
If mementoes! All. It would have melted
callous heart.
There were young girls there taking a last
arewell Of their lovers, whom they, per.
laps, had hoped some day to marry Now
hey will have to await his return from
he war-if he ever returns And all Of
is know the foolish vows many women of
he days of the civil war made-that they
would marry none but the lover that went
o the war, and in many instances he failed
o return and they died single.
There was a girl yesterday who was A
oosted on the shoulders of her brother 10
he window in the car by which her lover =
at, and she spoke to him in that position
Until the final moment. And then she made
lin, by constant appeals, take button off
lis coat and give 1t to her. An he, as the I
rain started to move. pulled her hat from |
is place and kept lt-doubtless as fare {
veil remembrance. And that is only one Of
nany such scenes. D
There did not seem to be many mothers h
nd fathers down at the station. They ap-
cared to have taken their final leave at S