Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1900-08-02
The Ogden Incident.

1
the field. During the war Of the re
bellion the knights Of the Colder
Circle" and the copperheads Of tn
North described the Union soldier
as "Lincoln Hirelings', reprobate
and adventures Of low and brutal in
stincts who for hire were ravaging
the homes Of the South. This wa
regarded as a shrewd method Of con
Quoting political campaigns agains'
the administration OF President Lin
coin, but the people from whose
home the union soldiers had one
whether they were Democrats or Re-
publicans resented the SANDER and
the insult and these traitors and
copperheads were execrated by the
loyal people OF the country. The
soldiers Of the union, despite this
brutal attack upon them by copper
heads, won the admiration even Of
their enemies and they stand forth in
history as one Of the finest, best dis.
ciplined and most chivalric armies the
world has ever seen.
For like motives and for the pur-
pose Of creating political capital
against the administration Of Presi-
dent Mckinley during the past year
or so, irresponsible persons have in
augurated a campaign OF SANDER
against our soldiers serving in the
Philippines. These accusations have
been that the men who are fighting
their country's battles were engaged
in a war Of criminal aggression and
charged them with the most revolt
ing and inhuman conduct, with desc
eating churches, shooting prisoners
by the score in cold blood and cruelty
Furnishing peaceful Filipinos. These
accusations have been met with such
convincing proof Of their utter false
hood and by such indignation upon
the part Of the loyal people Of this
country, that IL would seem incredi-
bic that any one would care longer to
engage in such contemplate assaults
upon the character OF the men who
compose the army Of the union, but a
Democrat, George Ogden, former
resident OF this city and at present a
Kansas City coal salesman, while in
this city on last Saturday SO far for.
got his manhood and apparently with
out any patriotism in his'soul. in the
presence of +. B. Bearce, G. 7. Estes
and j. B. Edwards stated in substance,
according to the evidence Of the three
gentlemen named, that the Ameri-
can soldiers who have suppressed the
Filipino rebellion are tramps and he
hoped they would all be killed.
A number of memb ers OF Company
l. heard Of it and sought Ogden and
finally surrounded him in front of
Hodge Brothers store on Buckeye
They asked an apology and Ogden
denied having said anything deroga'
tory to the soldiers. Mr.. Bearce was
sent for and insisted that Ogden had
made the remarks credited to him.
Part of the ex-soldiers were deter.
mined to punish Ogden physically,
but they finally agreed to let him off
il he would stand on a sulky pillow
seat, take of bis hat and apologize to
the Twentieth Kansas and to the
United States soldiers. This he did.
Ex-Privates Seaton, Schopp, Tate,
ex Quartermaster Dodge and several
G. A. R. veterans we're among the
leaders. The incident caused much
excitement in the city for many ex-
members Of the Twentieth live here.
1t is not surprising that the loyal
sentiment of this community is ready
at all times to resent such infamous
ISLANDERS and brutal desires, from
whatever source they come, about
American boys brought up in our
own homes, trained in our own
schools, men whose character and
sense of right and patriotism were
formed and instilled into them under
our republican institutions,
1t would be unfair to charge such
mouthings directly to the Demo.Pop
fusion party. The masses Of the PEG.
pie Of all parties are now as they
have ever been loyal to their country,
loyal to its soldiers and loyal to its
flag, but when great political organ.
ization deliberately asserts in its
platform that the soldiers of their