The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-01-28
HAD SEEN HISTORY
Great Crowd Meets General
Gordon.
HE WAS AT APP0MATT0X
Saw the Conference Between
Lee and Grant.

"eI have come in contact with history"
a gentleman said last night as he went |
home from General Gordon's lecture.
General Gordon was at Appomattox. !
He sat and watched the conference be- |
tween Grant and Lee, the worlds greatest /
generals, under the old apple tree. He /
was part of that scene, one of the great |
epochs in American history"
That was the general idea Of
General Gordons visit here. Everybody
talked about General Gordon, his lecture,
the North and the South, the struggle
and Appomattox, its close. The sent-
ment of his visit TO Wichita and all the
places in America, the harbinger of the
forgetfulness and forgiveness of time.
He was met at the depot yesterday by
the Union and Confederate soldiers, by
Eggleston post and the band, and great
crowd of spectators. The platform last
night was filed with old soldiers.
OF all the goodattractions. ever brought
here for the Lyeeum course by Mr.. Orviile
Boyle, the one last evening was one of
the best. The lecture by the eminent
southern
don. at the Crawford Grand was one of
unusual interest. Of course everyone was
prepared to hear lecture of great merit,
but the opportunity to see and hear the
soldier, patriot, statesman and scholar or
national fame was a privilege that the
people of Wichita appreciated and en-
joyed. Every seat in the Crawford Grand
was taken and besides the additional seats
put in for the occasion many were COM
PEELED to occupy standing room. Upon
the stage were $50 chairs occupied by ola
! soldiers. and in features of everyone OF
| the patriots could be seen the admiration
in which they held the noted orator.
When General Gordon rase to deliver
his great lecture on ''The Last Days OF
| the Confederacy" last night he was greet
| ed by storm of applause. The general
bowed in acknowledgement of the COM
piiment Judge Wall introduced the speak
! er. General Gordon represents that type
of the southern gentleman and scholar
so much admired by his fellow citizens OF
the north. He is the typical southern
orator-polite, eloquent, dignified and pol
ished His lecture was entertaining
throughout and there was not a dull line
in it. 1t was a lecture that fnstructs as
| well as entertains. 1t abounded in funny
incidents of camp life, descriptions or
/ pathetic scenes on the battlefield and
philosophic retrospect. His tributes to
| the memory of the great generals of the
late war, of the North and the South.
were very fine and his appeal to his coun-
trymen to bury their past grievances and
to be brothers in the true sense was the
plea of a great mind and a loyal heart.
! inspired with the patriotism of the found
! ers of this government.
General Gordon spoke Of the lives OF
| StonewaH Jackson. Robert Lee and Cen
eral Grant. and his historic "reminiscences
of incidents witnessed by himself were
| highly entertaining. The peroration of
his lecture was a masterpiece OF style
and eloquence and his closing lines were
heard with breathless interest by tho
great audience, whom the orator had
charmed and entertained with one Of the
best lectures ever heard in Wichita
The next attraction in the Lyceum
course will be John r. De Motto.