Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1901-04-12
An Enthusiastic Welcome
rendered to Corporal Robert
Smith on His Return Home
from the Philippines.
Arrangements in Charge of the Alma
Fire Department in Honor OF One
Of IFS Members
ADDRESS BY PRESIDENT BAHLKE.

| Alma's brave soldier boy, Robert
Smith. was welcomed home from the
Philippines last Wednesday night in a
manner that must have stirred the pa.
tnotC heart of every young American
lt means something III this glorious
country Cf ours 20 enlist IN Its services
and fight It's battles and when one OF
our countrymen returns home after nav.
ing honorable served his time in that
! capacity, especially after having proven
20 be as brave a soldier as the young
man In who's honor the celebration was
! planned " Waduesday evening he Is
greeted with a royal welcome.
! In this instance, SIR Smith was "A
member OF the Alma Fire Department
! before he enlisted 70 serve | uCle Sam
and the members of this organization
| felt II was their duty TO take charge OF
| the arrangements and see that they
were successfully carried out and
| thanks O. the committee in charge the
| entire demonstration was a success,
! The citizens subscribed literally toward
| the expenses and assisted in every man
uer possible The band was resurrect ed
and furnished no small part of the en-
tertalnment.
Al the beginning the members of the
! fire department marched TO the home #
| Mr. Smith IN the southwest part OF
town and surprised him by asklng him
g. take q ride in the carriage prepared
for the occasion. Although surprised
and mildly asserting that ne would
rather meet regiment OF PHILIPPINES
! than make himself 50 conspicuous. he
nevertheless marched out boldly and
took his seat beside w A. Bahlke .presi-
dent of the village. no was 10 do the
! honors of the occasion In the carriage
was also seated Chief Eishbeck and III
W Moore, president of department
| The carriage, drawn 10y the members of
the department, was then escorted TO
Superior ST where the procession was
met BY the band in front Of the Hotel
Arcadia and amid fireworks and the
booming of anvilS the procession
marched the length Of the street 70 the
strains OF martial music At the corner
of Superior and Water.st a bonfire
was in progress and the procession
countermarched from this point back tn
in front of the Wright House where
President Bahlke delivered short ad-
dress Afterwards the crowd scat.
tered and Mr. Smith was taken 10
Benefits cafe where refreshments were
served and then 20 the tiremen's hall
where smoR er was held and "Kob "
recited some of his experience while
serving as "A soldier boy.
When asked what ne thought of the
| Philippines he remarked that he did not
have much use for them, although there
were some very intelligent people
among them. He thought the islands
had good fnture before them under
| American rule, but that the Americans
must be prompt TO take advantage Of the
many opportunities offered or the Brit
ish would forestall them He thinks
| Col Gardner is great soldier, and
while az times hard upon the men it
was because he was anxious that the
regiment should achieve some good for
the government. II he had money he
said he would like 10 return 10 the
islands and invest it, but he did not
think il good place for poor man
without he had a good position
Corp Robert Smith was in the service
| Just ~ months He enlisted in com
pany l. along with w H. Rings,
anoihe Young man no YVES stopping
| IN Alma AT the time. He and Rings
were two out Of thirteen Michigan men
in the regiment that were recommended
for bravery and awarded gold medals by
the government. Rings was made cook
of 90 L., and served IN that capacity
throughout his time He stopped of at
Riverdale to visit friends on his return
to Michigan The tenth Of last October
Robert was made corporal OF his com
pany and received an honorable dis.
charge in San Francisco the third day
Of the present month