The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-07-05
MIMICK ED
SAN JUAN.
Clinton Rifles and Emmett
Guards in a Sham Battle.
COUNTY CELEBRATES.
From Winchenden To Webster The E2-
uberant Spirit of Young America
Gave Vent---Ball Games, Races,
Parades and Fire Works in
Evidence Everywhere.

work OF putting the Worcester COM
pany down High street toward the rail-
| road tracks. Policemen kept the streets
clear ahead of the soldiers. AL
crowd of 1000 people followed in the
wake II Co. K. The sidewalks on both
sides of the moving companies were
crowded with men, women and chill
dren. The windows of most of the
business blocks, whenever they COM
manded a view of the streets, were
filled with spectators.
The crowd had to make quick work
getting out of the way, when Captain
cannon abandoned his formation in
column and swung into line to sweep
the street, after the fashion approved
for use in quelling riots in the street.
And here was where the movement
| instituted by Lieut.. Hines early in the
drlll failed OF its purpose. 1t was in
tended that the detachment under
Lieut.. Hurley should be on Church
street at High street when the pursu-
ing company should reach that point
The K boys would then be flanked and
! subjected to cross fire, which must
have exterminted them, tactically
speaking, in a few minutes. But in
some way the force was in doubt as
to the street to use when the common
was reached. This made just SO much
delay as was necessary to defeat the
intended movement, and Capt. Cannon
got by the dangerous point safely.
Inc drill was now almost over. The
K boys moved forward in quick
rushes, driving the Emmets before them.
A dozen times men of the retreating
company turned and poured, tactically
speaking, again, leaden hail into the
enemy before they were driven back to
| Water street, where the drill was to
| terminate
No such interesting exhibition as this
| street drill had ever been seen on the
| flag sheltered streets of this town on
any previous Independence day.
| Now all this was warm work. espe-
| cially for the Emmets. Some of the
| boys remarked that they were getting
more reminders of Cuba than the re-
| production of the way they fought
there. The heat was very similar =
The companies formed in columns of
| IL, headed by the Sterling Band and
| marched to Curriers' fiat, where the
sham battle took place as soon as the
men could get into position.
| This short march, a few hundred
rods further down High street, dem
i onstrated how superior these compa-
MES are in marching quality and car
riage to ordinary militia. The training
| of the regular army, and something of
the bearing of the professional soldier
was manifested in every step that was
taken.
| Several thousand people were as
sembled on the flats when the soldiers
/ got there. These flats are in the
| nighborhood Of the base ball grounds.
There is swell in the land at the
! north of the grounds The elevation is
| far from being as great as that of the
! real hill of San Juan, but as a make
| shift it was the best thing in sight. and
1t did well enough.
/ Capt Cannon's men were in position
/ down under the bank near the river.
/ Lieut.. Hines placed his reserve on ton
of the elevation before referrd to, in
/ command of Lieut.. Hurley. He took
! the other section, a full half of the
/ company, and posted them some hun
oreds OF yards to the north and nearer
i KS position.
/ Capt. Cannon divided his company in
to four sections. Two went forward on
the firing line and two remained as sun
ports. The supports were commanded
by Lieuts. Martin ]. Healey and ]. ]
Boyle.
4 Capt Cannon brought men forward in
4 rusnes, precisely after the method used
i in storming the real San Juan. The men
gained 200 feet at each rush.
Making satisfaction for ammuni-
ton used in the street drill the men
had something like so rounds each.
Il With this number of blanks they were
able to make plenty of noise and to give
an exemplification of the difference be-
tween black and smokeless powder.
II whenever the rifles of Company X
! volleyed clouds Of black smoke rolled
over the men, Concealment under such
circumstances was out of the question.
Every time volley was fred the posi-
ton of the attacking party was dis
closed to certainty. But when the
worcester men used their rifles there
was nothing but the rattle and the
crack. There was no pail of smoke to
show just where each man lay.
4 The men on both sides were deployed.
II would have been useless under the
| circumstances to fight in close order. as
useless as 1t would have been in the
real attack before Santiago. The lines
stretched half across the field.
The onward progress of the line Of
brown was marked by recression of
the line of blue. The Emmets, as the
plan demanded, were pushed by re-
peated rushes backward toward their
reserves. The line of brown at last
reached the base of the hill, which was
the stronghold of the enemy. Capt
Cannon then brought his supports for
ward to the firing line and rushed the
hill. This was very interesting.
At last the attackers surmounted the
brow of the elevation and enveloped
their friends-the make-believe Span
iards-rolling them from their position.
The battle was ended to the satisfac-
ton of several thousand spectators, as
the rays of the sun were almost as fierce
as bullets. 1t was quite time for cessa-
ton Of hostilitles, for the 5000 rounds of
ammunition provided by the committee
was pretty well used up.
After the battle the Emmets saw the
town. The Emmets are popular with
the Clinton girls, and the vendors of
soda and ice cream profited by the cir
cumstance.
The companies marched from the
HATS to the Clinton House by High
street, headed by the band. They were
applauded as they marched.
The men We're dismissed until 2
O'Clock. At this hour they were as
sembled for dinner. An excellent bill
Of fare was provided Covers were
laid for hundred persons. The re-
East concluded with cigars. Capt.
Cannon, Lieut.. Hurley, Lieut.. Hines