Omaha daily bee., 1899-05-14
THIRD COMES HOME
Retaining Soldiers from Cuba Are on Their
Native Heath Again,
FIRST TRAM ARRIVES LATE AT NIGHT
Volunteers Are Glad to Resume the Walks Of
Peace Once More,
MEN ARE IN GOOD PHYSICAL CONDITION
Welcomed in Omaha by Waiting Friends,
Sweethearts and Wives,
EN- ARE IN GOOD PHYSICAL CONDITION
HAVE AN UNEvENTrUL TRIP FROM GEORGIA
Death Rate i'm the Regiment Has been
Remarkably Low, hut One OHiccr
aud Tbirty-Two Men
Hayinpr Died.


Having Died.
Tho second of Nebraska's regiments OF
| doughty warriors arrived upon their native
soil last night when the Third regiment
crossed the line and the boys disembarkcd
| to find themselves in the arms of loved
ones who had waited patiently for their
| coming. Hundreds of hearts were made glad
! by the home coming of the boys. not the
| least joyful beating beneath the bouses of
! the soldiers themselves, 1t was Nebraska's
| first experience in welcoming home Il reg,~
! nent which had seen service on foreign soil.
| Crowds of friends swarmed down to the
| Burlington depot to await the arrival of the
boys. At II o'clock cries of Here they
! come" sent the crowd scrambling ana
pushing over intervening tracks in the di-
| rection of that on which the train was ap-
proathnE AS the wheels of the engine re-
! voved slowly and then ceased to move, u
| great cheer was sent up. Men from all
! companies leaped from the cars to look for
sumo familiar face or to find themselves In
| the arms of some relative or perchance some
! sweetheart. Generally, however, the con-
i fusion was complete that no one could be
] located, and friends crowded from one SOL
! der to another to ask for news of an ex-
! pected soldier who had failed to come or had
| slipped away to hurry home as quickly ss
| possible looping for their welcome there ana
not at the train, where they would have no
| time TO talk. The appearance of W. J.
Bryan and Adjutant General Barry upon the
| platform drew the attention of some of the
| boys.
Drop or by the Way.
The first train consisted of a baggage car
two sleepers and three coaches. The con-
! u ,,Nt,N
ing Pacific Junction. He lost a number of
the boys ON their way to Omaha, however,
nearly a hundred leaving the train at Platts-
| mouth. He estimated that about 200 came
into the city with him. They were no longer
| in charge of any officers, Lieutenants Cam
eron, Hall and Mather coming in Just as
the others, each shifting for himself. The
men were looking wen and seemed to DO in
the very best of spirits. Without exception
each spoke of the Homecoming as the hap
piest day he had spent in his life,
The men whose homes are in other towns
in the state remained in the city over might
scattering to the different hotels, in which
they received a hearty welcome. They will
continue their journey today, as they hope
to reach their homes as speedily as possible
Lieutenant Hall in speaking of the trip
said the train left Augusta over the Geor-
gia Central railroad Thursday afternoon
about 2;30. The "trip by way of the Georgia
road extended ito Chattanooga, Tenn. The
Nashville Chattanooga & st. Louis road
hauled them to Nashville and the Louisville
! g. Nashville line to st. Louis. The run from
st. Louis was very pleasant, being over the
Burlington, which gave them excellent serv-
ice. A rate of SIG from Augusta to Omaha
was made for all who came on the special
trains. Those who preceded the specials
paid $11.75 to ST. Louis and $11.50 from St.
Louis to Omaha.
Colonel Goes to New York.
Officers Of the regiment have scattered
| throughout the country already, although
the organization ceased to exist only Thurs
day. The final muster occurred at 12 o'clock
| en- the 11th and before night all the regi-
ment had left the city Colonel Vifquan
! went to New York, accompanied by several
officers who are anxious to continue in the
service of Uncle Sam. These will visit
! Washington and other points in the east
before they return. Lieutenant Colonel j.
! ii. McClay came back to Nebraska, and Ia
now at his home in Lincoln.
! Among the first arrivals at home yester-
/ day morning were Major o. Grothan and
! Lieutenant Fitzsimmons, surgeon and assist
ant surgeon of the regiment. Captain Will
! liam Neve and his two leutenants Hansen
| and Nygaard; Captain Underwood OF Alma
and Captain McVcker of Fremont Likewise
came In early for sumptuous meal
The men all return pretty well supplied
! with money as they have not had an op-
portunity to spend very much cash on the
! way back. When they got their final set
tlement In Augusta the privates were given
three months pay, as their April pay had
not been received. This, with the travel
pay for sixty days, gave each $l0O First
sergeants received $191, while the officers
had all they could carry comfortably.
! The condition of the men physically 10
surprising when the change In climate is
taken into consideration. They do not seem
to have felt the cold on their way north
but the cool air last night sent the chlls
to their marrow. An officer stated that
no serious cases Of Illness existed in tho
regiment at the time 1t was mustered out
so no inyalds were escorted home by their
more fortunate comrades, as was the case
with the Second regiment. which returned
in body from Chckamauga. The number
of deaths in the regiment during its ten
months of service was comparatively small
being one officer Lieutenant Thompson, and
/ thirty-two enlisted men.
| Second Section Arrives.
When the second section OF the army
/ train, coming by the Port Arthur route, ar
! rived at the Union Pacific station this morn
| ing about 2:3O o'clock there was not such a
! throng OF onlookers TO shout welcome as
greeted the first arrivals few hours earlier
But the small crowd sent up a volley OF
cheers that was answered by the soldiers as
they jumped from the car steps onto the
platform.
There were not quite a hundred of the
volunteers, The train was made up Of only
Few caTs and they were not crowded Most
I q the men were of Company Of Wakefield
Company Of Sromsburg or Company C
and Company d of Omaha. There was but
one officer among them. Second Lieutenant
Hall OF Company II. The train was two and
half hours late, having been delayed all
along the route.
Originally there were two regiments of
Nebraska guards, from which were organ
lied and mustered into the United States
service the First and Second regiments OF
Nebraska volunteers Ex-Governor Hol-
comb organized another regiment, now
known Us the Third Nebraska, when the