Mexico weekly ledger., 1900-05-31
GRAVES OF THE DEPARTED DEC
GRATED BY LOVING AND
TENDER HANDS.
THE MASON MONUMENT DEDICATED.
Placed in the Custody Of the Grand
Army With Fitting Remarks
By J. s MeIntyre-syn-
Opsis Of his Remarks
at the Tomb.

Never before has the Mexico ceme-
terry been more prettily or more pro-
fusely bedecksd with flowers than 1t
wAsWednesdsy The people of the city
turned out en- masse to pay their
tribute to their honored dead and the
result softened sad memories to o.
great degree.
The services at the Grand Army
ball began al 10 O'Clock this morning,
and after the regular @. A. R ceremo-
ny had been carried out the special
choir sang KeIler's American Hymn
and Garland the Graves To-day.
The members Of the Post and their
friends assembled on Promenade
street and marched TO the cemetery
where the ceremony Of dedscating the
monument erected to the memory Of
Richard Mason was carried out by
the members Of Hancock Post OF O..
A. r.
Joseph Mcintyre made the address
Of the afternoon in turning over the
monument for dedication.
After this speech songs weres sung
and after the benediction had been
pronounced the decoration OF graves
began. This duty over, the members
of the Post marched back to town.
NIB. M'NTYRE's REMARKS.
Among other things Mr.. Mcintyre
said:
ait il with deep feeling of emotion
for the occasion and g sincere feeling
Of gratitude for all here gathered that
I attempt to speak At all. My mission
on this occasion lie not to pronounce
any encon,iums upon the past history
OF the G. a. R.-though it deserves
them richly, but / am here a. the rep
resentatlve Of q number Of patriotic
and liberty loving citizens OF this
community to turn over and intrust to
the tender mercies and loving care
of the @. A. 3. this beautiful monu.
ment here, erected by loving hearts
J and tender hands to the memory o.
an Audrain soldier who died in the
late war with Spain.
"The spanish-American war is still
: fresh In the minds of all here gathered
: The story Of hundreds Of years o
; wrongs which the Spanish heaPed upol
: the down-trodden, suffering Cuban !
: IS VIVID in your memory a. il Il werI
; but yesterday. These atrociou
: wrongs resulted In lmpoverisheI
men and starving womep, horrors
agonies and crimes heaped by tyrant
upon q helpless people. After thI
public conscience of our own dea
; Republic had long been incensed an
outraged by these %atrocious deed
committed at tina very feet OF III
Goddess Of Liberty that stands o
@on hallosved and dedicated 10 frao
dom by the baptismal blood Of on
ancestors, and above her head hold
high the torch Of freedom and libert,
en~lightening the world, then the publ
every where was suddenly astonishe
and paralyzed by the. incarnat
treachery that sunk the Maine an
buried lie American soldiers beneat
the waters OF the mighty deep.
"Wsr was inevitable. A call II
volunteers was Issued. Patriotisl
) glowed In every heart. Sire and 90
alike were stirred with the spirit {
1776 and the deeds OF Bunker Hi
Valley Forge and York Town were O
every lip and in every heart. Ever
one knew the war was just, righteoV
and even holy. It's object was
Danish misery and scatter sunshtn
not fame and glory, bat liberty an
= freedom, not to conquer and subjI
gate, but to unfstter the sons ar
daughters Of men. The strength an
.spower Of our Republic was astounG
ing. The President struck the roc
Of national patriotism and immediate
lily there gushed forth abundA
a volunteers from the pine lands
= Maine to the magnolias Of Florid
and from New Hampshire to Gallo
) mia the most dazzling manifestAtic
OF patriotism that sllhistory or fictiC
! affords came.
'S "This wave of patriotism and til
OF duty rolled into our own de-
little city Of Mexico and on its boso
bore away the volunteers of OompaI
r L, 9th Mo.-the flower Of our ma
hood. Bright-eyed gallant boys glad
n gave up the blessings Of home, u
N sweets Of domestic life and all u
of pleasure and prospects Of q CLOWN
future and eheerfully said "good-bys
ID to parents, sweetheaFts and low
ones for the sake OF their country.
.n Company L never saw acti'
Il service. Its deeds Of heroism Al
bravery were on the drill grounds Al
10 around the tents ct jefferson Ba
70 racks and Chicksmaugs rather thu
,f on the field Of active battle. Henc
II the bravery, the courage and fortitus
d Of this company viii be unmentions
by the future historian. One Of the
:. volunteers of Company Z VI
ts Richard Mason. Mason was Q me
re boy, an uneducated boy, . boy in vel
1t humble station In life, in fact, q POI
% boy, yea, he was Al orphan boy. A
l. all night exposure to 9 cold drizzliI
of rain and 3 bed OF wet straw a
ID chilly mud on the very night of reacl
1f ing Jefferson Barracks and poor MasC
II fell a victim to that dreaded diseas
typhoid pneumonia, and there with
p out relatives or friends In the hospit
10 ct st. Louis be fast wasted away uni
ID on the 18th day of May, 1895, b
d quietly passed to the great beyon
" without one murmur or one symptol
Of fiinchfuQ Courage-for he coubl