El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1899-05-30
IMPRESSIVE SERVICES
Held In All Our Possessions
And In Many Cities
Of the United
States.

WASHINGTON, May 3O.-Ihe natlon
al custom of observing May 30 as me
mortal day for those who fell in the
great struggle of the sixties is thirty
years old today. It was in 1869 thai
General John A. Logan, then com
mander-in-chief of tho Grand Army o.
the Republic, announced May 30 as the
day on which the graves of soldiers
should be decorated with flowers and
fisgs.
Before then flowers were placed on
the graves of both north and south al
different dates during the early spring,
but general observance of any specl-
fic day for honoring the memory of the
dead was not known until the famous
Illinois soldier issued his order naming
May 80.
Today, for the first time in the long
period since the close of the civil war.
the graves of American soldiers and
sailors who fell in another war are to
be decorated. One year ago today the
war with Spain was at its height. The
battle of Manila had been fought and
won, but there had been no American
loss of life in actual hOstilities except
ing the heroic deaths of Ensign Bagley
and his four comrades on the torpedo
boat Winslow.
Advices from all over the country
indicate natural revival OF interest
in the observance of memorial day as
q result of the recent war. In ell OF
the large cities, east and west, the day
=, ol,s xuifh narQdaS and
memorial exercises.
At all army posts and stations In
compliance with an order of the war
department, the national flag Is dis
played at half mast, and as further
testimonial of respect for the heroic
dead all regimental bands have been
ordered to play after the noon salute
the dirge departed Days"
GETTYSBURG, Pa, May 3O-In the
center of the historic battlefield of
Gettysburg and on the very spot where
President Lincoln delivered his i'm
mortal address, representative citizens
of north and south, east and west today
Joined in doing honor to the patriotic
dead.
Several thousand people gathered op
the field and in the vicinity of the
grandstand whereon was gathered a
distinguished company, headed by
Gen, Dan Sickles, of New York, Gen
eral Butterfield, who was chief of staff
for General Meade, and General
Longstreet, representing the confede-
rate army.
The exercises embraced a number of
addresses, poems, singing by a quartet
and the customary reading of orders.
The feature of the ceremonies, how
ever, was the address of Hon. D. D. |
Woodmansee, of Cincinnati. His |
stirring address was listened to atten-
lively by the vast audience and pro-
longed applause greeted his references
to the absence of sectionalism and the
successful outcome of the war with
Spain.
KEY WEST, Fla, May 3O.-Memor-
ial day in Key West was marked by /
the unveiling and dedication of the
monument erected in the cemetery
plot where rest the remains of "a vic
Tins of the Maine. All of the graves
were decorated by the citizens of Key
West with flowers and flags, the latter
contribut by the Union Veteran
Legion of Washington. d. G.
CHATTANOOGA, May 30.-The graves
Of Ii, 900 union soldiers and all who
died at Chickamuaga last summer
were decorated here today.
NEW YORK, May 30.--Memorial day
dawned clear and bright here, despite
the adverse weather conditions which
yesterday both in this city
and the surrounding country.
The plans for patriotic observation I
Of the day were the most elaborate +,
pro baby in the history of the city. t
In each of the three large bOroughs, {
Manhattan, BrookfyD, and the Bronx, {
there were monster parades, and in 6