The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-04-24
THE BHCKUS REGIMENT
OFFICERS PROMPTLY CHOSEN AT
LAST NIGHTS MEETING.
Ex-COunty Treasures the Colonel
Speeches by General Coburn
and Others.

"Col" Victor NJ. Backus's mass meeting
of volunteers turned out to be somewhat Of
a disappointment last night, so far as at
tendance went. but was perfect love feast
when it came to picking off the official
plums. The enlistment papers show a total
recruiting of nearly nine hundred men, but
a careful count of the crowd grouped
around the stage failed to show anything
above two hundred. Everything went very
smoothly when it came to choosing Of
ficers
To set the ball rolling, Victor NJ Backus,
surrounded by a score of adherents, took
the stage and began speech on the duty
of all men in this critical hour in the Ma
tons history. There seemed. in his mind.
but one course to pursue. and that was to
one and all range themselves under the
banner of the regiment. After repeated
whoops from the 'stalwarts" in front, the
speaker desisted. Just then young man
jumped up and, waving his hat, moved
that Victor M. Backus be unanimously
elected by reclamation as colonel of the
regiment" This was concurred in.
Hardly had Mr.. Backus been elected when
he began to throw fgurative bouquets at
A. A. McKain, who is stated to have sub
scribed $4,000 toward the equipment of the
regiment, winding up with the suggestion
that some one nominate Mr.. McKain as
lieutenant colonel. In a moment the de-
sired motion was forthcoming from the
same young man, who nominated the colo
nell Another young man, however, not to
be outdone, amended the motion in favor of
allowing Colonel Backus to appoint his
own lieutenant colonel. This went through
and then another enthusiast proposed that
AZ Ilrc1 ho erixr
point four majors. This, however, was too
much, and pronounced howl went up from
the rear of the delegation. One man
jumped to his feet and said openly that
that was too thin" He didn't mind play
ing football with a few offices, but insisted
that the rank and file be allowed some say
so as to the balance OF the ofncers selected
THE TENSION RELIEVED.
Continued bowls failed to put him down,
and things were getting rather noisy when
one of the 'fnside" delegation who was ia
miliar with military procedure in such
cases relieved the tension on the colonel by
stating that every one who knew anything
about military matters was aware of the
fact that battalion commanders were not
elected, but appointed. This was welcome
news to the unenlightened engineers Of the
meeting, and so Colonel Backus placed
at ease, calmly announced that he had not
fully decided on all the majors, but that he
would appoint some of the battalion lead
ers from outside Indianapolis, and had only
decided on three majors so far. They were
named as w. II. Ravens, Z. Guthrie of
Monticello, and Will G. Beach.
To further inspire enthusiasm the Marion
Glee Club at this point rendered a new song
dealing with the general Cuban situation,
with plenty of reference to the Maine cataS-
trophe. Mr.. Backus then announced that
hg bod fhn Na1elra inS
of one hundred, as follows: Company A,
of indianapolis; Company B, Linton; Com
pany c, Indianapolis; Company d, Month
cello; Company e, Indianapolis; Company
F, Muncie Company c. Indianapolis; Com
pany H, Scottsburg; Company /, Indianapo-
lis; Company J, Edinburg; Company K, In
dianapohS; Company L, Lebanon. This
gives Indianapolis six companies, for which
Mr.. Backus says he has nearly nine hun
war of words it was decided to have each
company assemble at a rendezvous to be
agreed on to-day and elect their own Off
GERS.
Pending such election Mr. Backus APP
pointed Derk De Ruiter in charge of Com
pany A, which brought out growl from
ed to care for Company c, G.. w. Warman
to Company E, Councilman Frank Clark to
Company G. Francis Hord to Company 1
and w. e. Tousey to Company X.
TURNED TO SAFEGUARDING.
A season of speech-making then came on,
Colonel Backus. taking occasion to thank
the regiment for his election, closing with
the statement that he would never ask a
man to go where he would not go himself.
He would insist on discipline, he said, and
hoped when the regiment came home it
would be said of it that it was a good one.
A. A. McKain then took the floor and
touched on the enthusiasm displayed in the
towns outside Indianapolis for enlistment
in the volunteers, mentioning each company
in detail. He then broke out in eulogistic
speech on Colonel" Backus. In conclusion,
he said that Colonel" Backus was the first
man to make move toward organizing
volunteers, and. said he. 'he is good man
who answers his country's call, but he is
better one who anticipates 1T The remain
der Of his remarks were relteration or the
promises by the colonel.
Major" Guthrie of Monticello, spoke in
a general way, denouncing, the inhumane
methods of the Spaniards, closing with the
prophecy that if the members of the regi-
ment were as persistent on the field as they
were in making motions they WOULD con-
Major Beach then said briefly that his
father had served through the civil war.
and he hoped to have 1T said OF him that
he was "a worthy son Of a loyal father"
General John Coburn, who was a. brave
soldier in the civil war, then made the last
important speech of the evening. He said
that those assembled were making history
last night which would be memorable for
Indiana. lie described Lne response 10 the
first call for volunteers for the last war,
telling Of the courthouse and the adjoining
grounds which were literally black with
men eager to go to war; how the old Met
ropolitan Theater and the Masonic Hall
were both packed at mass meetings. The
cause which the American army will now
fight for he said was equally as noble and
much the same as that which prompted
hostilities in the early sixties. The same
feeling brought both about-humanity, lib
erty and the rights of man. He bitterly
scored Spain and pitied Cuba, and closed
with an exhortation to every man to do his
best
Major" Beach announced last night that
he had appointed Charles B. .Hettinger as
battalion adjutant of the third battalion,
First Regiment Indiana Volunteers.