The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1899-04-08
FOURTH'S RETURN
Most Orderly Regiment
Mustered Out Of Camp
at Greenville.
NO DRUNKEN MEN
Crowds Waited for the Boys
In the Drenching Rain
No Parade.

return OIL our volunteers VINO OHefeu tHelr
| lives in the service of their country was
simply an exhibition of men in Uncle
Sans livery seeking Individual shelter
| from a furious downpour of rain
Hundreds of women and children stood
| for hours in a drenching rain in the vicin-
| ity of the Pennsylvania depot and the
yards, awaiting their return. They stood
there until the second section arrived,
after dark. In the crowd were mothers
and sisters. Some of them were mothers
| anxious to clasp their arms about the
| necks of stalwart sons whom they had
| perhaps in some instances reluctantly
bidden go forward and battle in your
country's cause
Wrinkled, though hardy looking, were
some of these old women, but despite the
| shrinking attitude caused by efforts to
get in out of the rain," proud light
| flashed from their eyes. Their motherly
pride and devotion defed the inauspicious
elements.
The rain was cruel enough, but the wind
| lashed it in more cruel manner. The
women shrank in doorways, in any recess
that offered shelter from the furious rain
drops that were driven cruelty westward
While Exchange place and the lower
section of Montgomery street was lined
with curious people it was evident that
the returning heroes closest relatives had
studied the situation and knew Just where
to wait for the earliest saIutation. Over
in the Pennsylvania yards, partially pro-
tected by the western wall ef Lor;llard's'
northernmost building was a real umbrel-
I I-
a platform protected By tae outer shed of
one of the companys buildings, stood a
squad of policemen n rubber coats and
gum bo OTIS.
A crowd gathered here. In it were
Chairman Frank 0. Cole and Andrew j.
Corcoran of the Reception Committee and
General John Ramsey, who, had the
weather permitted a parade, would have
marshalled it. The crowd as well as the
police were anxiously awaiting the ar
rival of the first section. Sergeant Hop
kins had waded through the storm some
distance away in the direction of Loril-
lard's factory. He was seen to wave his
hands. and Immediately the waiting
policemen dashed across the open. A rope
line was stretched and by the time the
first section of the looked for train rolled
in, bearing Conapnys e, ] and B, there
was ample rooms for the.men to alight
The rain was pouring at the moment
and men, minus arms, for they had been
mustered out, yet carried their blanket
rolls, haversack, canteen, ETC., rushed for
the nearest shelter and then glanced
eagerly around for long-looked for faces.
Many of them were quickly detected. Not
iorIt l1xr hn
for many who had waited for hours and
could no longer withstand the furious ele-
ments, had left for home, knowing they
would have only to wait a little longer
for the coveted handshake and clasp, in
the privacy of their own homes. But
there were lots of little scenes of warm
handshakes.
Every one of the men wore tufts of
cotton, gathered from the Southern cot
ton fields, in their hat bands. Though
the clouds may have gathered and the
rain was pouring, the little tufts of cot
ton were not dampened, but glistened like
white roses sprinkled with morning dew.
The second section arrived about 7:30. The
crowd had pretty well dispersed by that
time, as 1t was rumored that all would
not be in by midnight.
The soldiers on the first section were
notified that hot coffee and sandwiches
were awaiting them in Bay street, fur
nished by the proprietor of the Keystone
restaurant. Many of them drifted in this
direction. Taking in all the conditions of
the weather, General Ramsey, Messrs
Cole and Corcoran and Chief of Police
Murphy decided that it was impossible to
~, AZ
respective station houses. 1t was too bad
For the citizens along the published route
of the parade had in the early morning
decorated their homes and places of busi-
ness in anticipation of a big parade.
All through the lower section of the
city and in many Of the Hill portions open
house was kept for the boys. Despite
the storm they were royalty welcomed.
Today is their great holiday.
One of the amusing features of the re-
turn of our soldier boys is the fact that
on the day when they depar-ad supposed
ly for the front a soldier walked into the
Park House with a little live kid, which
he deposited on tae bar of zhe Park
House. The same soldier returned last
night and entered the Park House leading
by halter an apparently full grown billy
goat. The kid had grow1 wonderfully
while the boys wee encamped in the sun.
ny South 1t was the mascot of the com
rany of which its master was a member.
The medals viii be rendered the boys next
week.
The departure of the Fourth Regiment
from Greenville on Thursday morning,
was much more orderly than that of the
four regiments previously mustered out
at that city. The men carried nothing
but their blanket rolls, having packed and
delivered all their other baggage to the
railroad company the previous day
At reveilie Colonel Gilmore had
strong guard posted about the camp The
guard was relieved at seven o'clock by
company from the Second West Virginia
Regiment, whic-i regiment still remains at
Greenville. The object of this guard was
to keep the negro and falzics out of the
camp. The negroes were about the
camp in thousands ready to buy or steal
or be given whatever the men left be-
hind
Payment was commenced at eight o'clock
by Majors May and Becker and Company
/, the First Jersey City Company to be
paid off. was given its money by Major
May in fourteen minutes. The mon were
given on an average about $40 each. They
received this in $40 gold pieces AS each
man was paid he received his discharge.
The Jersey City companies were the