Middletown transcript., 1898-05-14
AT CAMP TuNNELL.

i
"Why are there not more Middletown
young men to enlist in the National
Guards ~ inquired an officer from Camp
Tunnel in the TRAEscRIPT sanctum this
week. The question is a conundrum which
no resident likes to solve as being due to
lack of patriotism; certainly all the love Of
country is not manifest in little bunting
and few fags-this is the query OF
visitors to town and among the tenters at
Camp Tunnel. Let this be as it may the
patriotism of the "6oys'' Of the TRAEscRIPT
cannot be questioned, Sergeant Holten,
the towns first patriot, spent the night
before he enlisted in the TRANSCRIPT office
assisting Foreman Fouracre in setting up
the enlistment blanks used at the camp.
He was at home in the TRANSCRIPT Office
always, working here often and drank OF
the patriotism which flows from the Office.
Mr.. Samuel r. Warren who enlisted on
Saturday last was for years compositor in
the office, and he too drank while here of
the patriotic spirits of the eds Last but
not least on Tuesday Mr.. Frank D. Suy-
dam, compositor in the TRANSCRIPT Office
for some years, left to join the forces OF
Uncle Sam at the camp. If the TRANSCRIPT
plant were big enough it would have gladly
sent out company to swell the ranks of
Col. Wickershaun's patriotic boys. The
conundrum proposed lies not at the Tran
SCRIPT door.
A most unfortunate incident of the en-
campment was the efforts made on Sunday
lastto charge admission to the grounds
leading to the encampment-fve cents to
pedestrians and ten cents to those in
vehicles. The officer of the day made two
arrests and ''the matter was finally settled
to the satisfaction of all concerned" it is
said. It is true that the tenant of the farm
will be more or less damaged by grounds
tramped, roadways across fields packed,
ETC., but the proper authorities and not the
visitors should have been taxed for this.
Col. T. n. Gilpin of the Governors staff Is
the understood agent for the farm and
through him chiefly, it is supposed, tn e
Guards encamped here. He has surprised
many OF his friends by at least consenting
to the unpopular and unpatriotic, not to
use more emphatic adjectives. plan to
charge; he gave out complimentary tickets.
the arrangements having been made for
large crowd which came not because of
the rain, there being not over 300 on the ex-
cursion. The attempt to charge was a
,sa4o Il Haa he
qualified condemnation of the people of
Middletown as it should.
Recruiting has been the watchword if
not the password at Camp Tunnel this
week. The enlistments have been from all
parts of the State, 81 from Wilmington at
one time. On Monday companies A. G. +.
and Z were sworn into the United States
service with Major Theodore Townsend,
editor Of the milford Chronicle" as COM
manding officer. On Wednesday Compan-
| les D and e were re-enlisted, TIL ursday
Company B and yesterday Company 1 Of
which Sergeant Wallace Holten is quarter
master. As fast as these companies have
been passed from the State to the Federal
authorities they moved their tents. as their
supplies are drawn from the government
and not from the State after becoming vol
unteers. These companies have each 81
men, There remain Companies g, III and
NJ to be filled up. They need about hun
dred men yet to complete the 1908 men.
These will probably be recruited within
the next week.
Some of the State papers are trife
sarcastic in commenting upon the militia,
''the staff" &C. 1t certainly does not ex-
tend to the volunteers, however, and
the others will soon return home
The Milford "News aud Advertiser" says:
lis it not capital luck to be one of the
field officers of the National Guards OF
Delaware and have an opportunity to draw
on that $50, 900 at the rate of s., 800 or $1,000
year. My! But it beats politics all hol-
low. Let rs say right here, that if the
Governor would have commissioned every
private to be adjutant general, a.colonel or
major not man would have left Camp
Tunnel, but if the field officers had been
breveted adjutant generals, colonies and
majors with the pay of privates. that
$50 600 would have lasted longer.
"Things at Camp Tunnell, have changed
since last week and many things have been
done to make amends for the disgrace OF
previous actions on the part of several
companies Delawareans are patriots and
promise to send the largest number, in pro-
portion to population, to the front, of any
State in the world. ."-Exchange[The TRAN
SCRIPT protests that sshere has been no dis
grace. There never was soldier in the
family Of the writer of the above trash, moi
even "tin soldier SO repugnant among
them has been the feeling against Old
Glory. The patriotism of the family Of
that writer has consisted Of drawing sal.
aries at State, county, and government ex-
pense. Bosh at such critic-ED,1
Another excursion will be run to Camp
Tunnel tomorrow from Wilmington leav-
ing that city at 1890 and returning leave
Middletown ct $50. Last Sunday there
were only 300 excursionists but the day
was miserable. The hotels had prepared tc
feed thousand and dined less than hun
dred.
ODESSA NOTES.
Mr. p Corhit made a trim to Nav