Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1899-06-27
ROUGH RIDERS REUNION.
First Annual Meeting of These He
roes of the Late War
with Spain.
A GOLD MEDAL GIVEN COL. ROOSEVELT
zens of New Mexico Ride to State
Border to Welcome Him-Rain the
Night Before Spoiled bunting and
Decorations at Las Vegus.

Las Vegas, N. NJ, June 26.-More than
1000 visitors were in Las Vegas Satur.
day to attend the first annual reunion
of the Society of Rough Riders, which
began that day. Several thousand
more were expected. The town is
everywhere gay in bunting and in cav.
airy yellow, though its decorations are
sadly bedraggled by heavy rain. The
city's public park has been converted
into encampment grounds, with regula-
ton tents, and the rough riders will
be literally cared for.
Gov. Otero and staff and Gov. Muir
ply, of Arizona, are here. The gov
ernor of Colorado is represented by for
mer Gov. Alva Adams, and by his mil.
itary staff. The governor of Chihua-
hua, Mexico, has sent his magnificent
band.
The fireworks exhibition will include
pyrotechnic representation of the San
Juan fight.
The forenoon was largely taken up
with preparations for the reception of
Gov. Roosevelt. Gov. Otero and the
mayor headed committee which met
the rough riders colonel at Ration, near
the state line, Saturday morning. Aft
er an exchange of greetings, Gov. Otero
rendered the freedom of New Mexico to
the party.
After warmly eulogizing Col. Roose-
welt and his rough riders, Hon. Frank
Springer presented the gallant colonel
medal.
The medal is of solid gold. The
medal is pendant from bar by chains,
v shaped with the ends attached to the
bar and joined to the medal at the cen
ter. On the bar are the words Col.
Theodore Roosevelt" Between the bar
and the medal the coat-of-arms of New
Mexico is engraved. On the medal
proper are crossed sabres and above
them is the monogram "R R. R." Be
low the sabres is the wording: "Pre-
sented by the citizens of New Mexico,
Las Vegas, N. NJ, June "a, $780," On
the circular edge of the medal proper
are the words: San JUAN" LAS
Guasimas," Santiago" In the center,
just below the crossed sabres, is bril-
lldul diamond.
Rain Spoiled the Bunting.
Las Vegas, n. NJ, June &c. = Roose-
velt's Rough Fders' day opened auspi-
ciously, the clouds having dispersed
over night. Business men and residents
whose decorations were damaged by
the heavy rainfall Friday evening were
busily engaged early in the day in re-
storing brightness and color to the
scene. Much of the bunting used, how
ever, was composed of cheap mate
rails and the damage to it was irrep-
arabic. 1t was found impossible, ow-
ing to the exhaustion of stocks, to re-
place the greater part of that damaged.
The bright sun quickly dried up the
mud and by nine o'clock in the morning
the streets were in good condition.
The washout Friday night on the
Santa Fe, near Blackwell, six miles
south of Las Vegas, was quite extensive,
half mile of track having been de-
stroyed, and railroad people were in
doubt Saturday morning as to the time
when the road would be passable. They
are making heroic efforts, however, to
replace the tracks destroyed.
The excursion train from Trinidad,
Col, arrived here shortly before 12
o'clock, having been belated by a hot
box. 1t consists of eight coaches, heav-
lily laden with people. The two reg
ular trains from the north and east
were also heavily loaded with excur-
sionists, each being furnished with
more than double its equipment.
The combined committee of rough
riders and citizens of New Mexico left
here at 1880 to meet Gov. Roosevelt at
some point on the road. 1t was the orig
inal intention to leave at four a. m.
and meet him at Ration, but as the
trains from the west We're materially
delayed the two coaches containing the
committee were attached to fast
freight train.
Last Day of EIks' Reunion.