Hot Springs weekly star. (Hot Springs, S.D.) 1892-1917, 1900-06-29
WEEKS HAPPENINGS
SOUTH DAKOTA EVENTS IN A
CONDENSED FORM.
Seventeenth Annual Encampmcnt
of State G. A. II. Mt Mitchell
Fully Five Thousand People At
tended the Picnic.

Great numbers of old soldiers, women of
the Relief Carps. Sons of Veterans and
soldiers OF the Spanish var attended the
seventeenth annual encampment of the q.
a. IL. of the state at Mitchell on June 10,
u and -. Gen. Palmer presided at the
business meetings of the Grand Army. He
presented the encampment with Il gavel
made from the keel of the old ship Porcu-
pine, which was part of Capt. Ierry's
famous baclwoods fleet which won the
victory on Lake Erie, September IL, lSl4,
ut Abe first session. In his report to the
~encampnent Gen. Palmer said there We're
ninety-tive posts in the state. With II mem
bershlp of 2,0i5. The w. II. c. was pre-
sided over by Mrs. Alice Picker, the pres
idcnt of the order. There are fifty
corps in the state With Il member
ship of 1.2i5. Receipts for the year We're
i HOO and the expenditures We're about
$1,000. About 5000 WAS spent for relief.
Col. Morris of the Sons OF Veterans re-
ported thai five new camps had been or
ganized, with Il membership of 1S7. There
ARE now eighteen camps With 800 mcm-
beers. He stated that the proposed national
military college to he erected by the Sons
of Veterans was All assured success, and
that pledges to the ainoun of 100000 had
been secured. One of the interesting fea-
lures was the assembling of the Spanish
war veterans command, with Maj. .. l..
Sues at the head. There were seventy-tive
members of the state command present,
and Il permanent organization was formed.
Eleven commands have been organized in
the state in three months, and twenty-five
more will be finished by fall.
All the members of the various bodies
n,,<1 tt,n 1if;un,,, - a. .,,,, sod th1
big picnic on the 2lst inst. Fully 5000
people We're present. AT the conclusion of
the grand parade the procession marched.
to the Omaha depot and the guests were
given free transportation to jim River
Grove, Il few miles east of town. Five spe-
cial trains were required to transport the
crowd, aside from SO %conveyances, which
assisted in taking people TO the picnic
grounds. The big feature of the day was
the dinner spread for the old soldiers and
other orders. a table 1000 feet long, in a
square form, was set on which to serve
food, and 1000 people sat down to the feast,
the whole of which was furnished free by
Mitchell citizens. In the afternoon Il grand
campfire was held and addresses were de-
livorcd by III. {. Preston, y. c. Nash. w.
V. Lucas, Col. Melvin Grigsby and Rev.
c. Il. Clark. During the evening IL war
song concert was given by local talent at
the corn palace and the building was
packed to the doors.
Sioux Falls was selected as the place for
holding the mex encampment of all the
bodies. The following officers We're elected
by the q. n. IL. with practically no oppo-
sition: Department commander, Philip
Lawrence, DeSmet; senior vice IN
der, f. ID. Bowers, Mitchell: junior vice
commander, Henry Wittenbach, Sturgis:
chaplain, Rev. Oliver Williams, Scotly,d;
medical director, Il. NJ. Foster, Armour:
adiutant, Il. L. Blanchard, Mitchell; quar-
termaster, A. B. Nelson, Pierre; represent
tatives to national encampment, j. $. Per-
riton, Ashton; John Morris and L. c. De-
Jean, P%iankinton.