El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1899-11-27
TENNESSEE'S
FIGHTING MEN
EI Paso Made the Volunteers
Realize That They Were
Among Kinsmen

Among kInSmen
RIGHT ROYAL WELCOME
Resident Tennesseeans Met the
Troop Trains At Demlng And the
Return Trip To This City Was
Most acknowledgements We're
Made And Old Friendships Re
newed-IncidentsO OF the Journey
The Tennesseeans of Ell Paso did
themselves proud Saturday by the
manner in which they welcomed the
First regiment of Tennessee volun-
teers to the soil OF the lone star
state.
The soldier boys went to tie orient
to conquer or to die. They returned
with the victor's laurels about their
brows, but not satisfied they continued
the conquest, and to capture Ell PasO
and especially the Tennessee residents
thereof was comparatively an easy
matter. In fact the fair allies of the
bold soldier boys, who had journeyed
two thirds OF toe distance across the
continent to welcome them with open
arms when the transports reached the
Golden Gate, found the members of
the committee from Ell Paso easy to
captivate.
1t was a gay party Of Ell Pasosns
which boarded the westbound S. P.
train Saturday afternoon and went to
Demiug to meet the trains bearing
the troops. The enthusiasm of A. p
Coles and his charming wife was in
fectious and members of the com mmittee
determined to wait the arrival of the
troops If it required "a hours of wait
ing. Besides President Coles aud
wife the party consisted of w. J.
Bats and wife, w. H. Webb, L. NJ
Turner and &. M. Patterson, formerly
of Nashville, G. w. Roach, formerly Of
Milan. T: E. Hunt, passenger agent of
the S. P; aud John Sneed of the
HERALD. formerly of Memphis.
Others, who had been sppoint ted to
serve on the reception committee fail
ed to turn out. but 1t subsequently
developed that they were the losers
Passenger Agent Hunt very con-
siderately furnished transportation for
the entire party and extended every
courtesy during the trip.
JOURNEY TO DEM1NG.
The journey to Dsming was an un-
eventful one. Lieutenant Colonel
Eskridge, wounded at Santiago, and On
his way to join his regiment in the
Philippines, was on the train and
proved himself to be an all round good
fellow. There was Caiifornia
capitalist also along and A. P. Coles In
terested him on the Ell Paso electric
project. Nancy Turner, w. :
b. Webb and others sat in the smoker
of the Pullman and heard Scotchman
and New Yorker fercely argue con-
cerning the South African war. The
American took the side of the Beers
and finally put the Scotchman to rout.
The British subject was convinced that
England was right. but couldn't reply
to the arguments of the Boers's cham
pion. Turner and Webb decided that
the debate was won by the New York
The train reached Deming at six
o o'clock, Ell Paso time, and the party
to partake of a sumptuous re-
past at Col. Harvey's hotel. The train
pulled out for the west before the Tex
ans had left the table. After the meal
a somewhat vexatious delay of two or
three hours occurred; The ladies re-
paired to the parlOr, but most of the
men lounged about the Office Or paced
the platform. Finally as the night
wore away the glimmer of a headlight
was d1scerned in the distance and then
there WAS rush for the platform.
The president of the Tennessee club
led the attack on the first section of
the troop train. A Tennessee yell
went up from the attacking party,
which was heartily responded to by
the blue coated soldiers. who swarmed
from the doorways. Coles carried a
suspicious looking package. under his
arm, which was st fret mistaken for q
bundle of hand grenades to be used for
destroying the enemy, but itssoon de-
velOped that the bundle contained
nothing more deadly than several ORR
gina: :packages.of old Lincoln County,"
which added materially to the enthu-
siasm later on. Mr.. Bats was armed
with box or two of choice ''smugeled"
cigars which afterwards disappeared
ike chaff before the wind.
The car boarded by the reception
committee contained a dozen or more
officers and the distinguished citizens
If Nashville who had gone to San
Fran cisco to meet the soldiers.
The Tennesseeans were delighted to
meet the Ell Psso residents and q gen
eral jollihcation ensUed and many old
friendships were renewed and new ones
ormed. Some of the committee went
through the cars occupied by the pri-
yates and found many familiar faces
among the enlisted men.
Two Nashville newspaper men and
'ne newspaper woman were aboard,
Ind at the first telegraph Office the
lews of Ell Paso's reception to the vol
lnteers was flashed over the wires to
Cennessee's capital
Jim DuckwOrth, who represented the
mer1can, quit his position to enlist
Ind fought throughout the war Mrs.
0orr1s, also of the American, went to
San Francisco to meet the soldiers.
Geo. HALEY represented the Nash
III