Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1901-06-25
REUNION OF
UTAH VETERANS.
GrizzIed Heroes Of the Past Recall
Scenes Of Yore,
PICTURESQUE CHARACTERS.


drew together yesterday one OF The
most picturesque bodies of men this
land ever prodaceN a class Of men
that IS rapidly thinning out under the
sweep Of The year8 and leaving few be-
hind that are ike them The devoted
veterans Of the Nauvoa Legion and the
grszed heroes Of the Mormon n Bat
talon ana the Black aawk war met
yesterday and ciaSPed ench other Dy
the hand, Saltar was their rallying
gruunu and While theW white flowing
Boards denoted their advanced age
SOME of them hoped about as sprlght-
" as youths. This H nothing less
than remarkable, for they were not
only men who had the weight OF years
upon them, but they We're men who had
battled with deprivation, exposure
and starvation. aud on more than one
occasion been brought yory close to the
grave.
The march o. the Mormon Bat
talon from the Missouri TO the coast
can never be adequately described. The
harcsbips encountered hq those intrepid
souls would MOI he believed II they
were truthmlly described, and while 1t
is u remarkable ,hng that there are
many men OF that band
stnl living. what must be
thought when W3nan marched
with them, Jared as thoy did and is now
hale and hearty This female veteran
is Mrs Melissa ltimtall Who was ten
dered an ova,i5n waon General Burton
introduced her 10 the audience There
were four la.lgs WHO west Wl!h the bat
TALON but they hayU al PASSED over the
great dlylic except MIS- kimbal
The exercises in the afternoon, which
We're presided over by General Robert
I Burton. were CONQUERED on the band
stand In the center Of che dancing Ao0r
The exercises opened with the audience
rendering America ana the inVoca-
ton was offered by Picst joseph r.
Smith. The Legion Fife and Drum
corps rendered a lively piece The corps
IS composed OF G.. j. Thomas, leader H.
G., Darrell, iife; James Radcliffe, snare
drum Sidney w. Worsley, llfe. a. L.
Hale. drum, Horace Drake, fife, and
Nal Burrows, color bearer
General Burton then delivered a brief
address " welcome ana expressed the
hope that Che r1unfT. mieht be
made permanent, and 80 Ike Of the ef-
forts of the veterans "a secure some
compensation from the government for
the services they had rendered II in the
Indian wars He mentioned that
there were some men and wo-
men present who had marched
from the Missouri to the Pacific.
He then called his sister Mrs. Melissa
Kinball, the woman who had made the
Journey She was received with cheers.
Then Nathan Tanner and Mrs Drake
were introduced as the only surviving
members Of lions camp, and Maj. Bur
rows as the oldest surviving member
OF the Mormon battalion.
The audience sang Hard Times, |
Come Again No More" and then Bish- |
op O. T. Whitney whose father II. X. |
Whitney, was major in the Legion, |
was announced to address the veterans,
The bishop traced the history Of the |
Legion and the battalion from their |
organization until they were disbanded. |
He spoke Of their deeds In ringing |
words OF eoqueuce and so wildly he !
described the scenes OF the past. that |
the veterans lived again In the stormy !
past. After the address Prof. Lund, |
Messrs Pyne and BOshard brothers |
rendered vocal selection, They were |
encOred Enthusiastically. The audience !
sang 'The Star Spangled Banner" |
and Apostle Ileber J Grant announced |
the following committee which had |
been appointed to endeaVor TO secure !
an indemnity from the government for |
the veterans: Robert 7. Burton, Brig |
ham Young. John II. Winder ii, b. !
Clawson, John Clark David Mckenzie, |
George Romney, George NJ. Ottinger |
and T. G.. Weber The closing prayer |
la Atngtl. ~
After the program Was over |
the veterans gathered together |
IN little bands and brought forth |
from the pages OF their memories |
stories ten times more strange than |
fiction and too romantic for mere his
tory. In the center of one of the groups |
stood President Lorenzo Snow, the |
venerable leader was captain In the |
Nauvoo Legion, and II is said that no
one ever saw q more striking figure IN /
uniform John S. Gleason OF Pleasant |
Grove. SO years OF age was q major |
Of the Second battalion. First regiment, |
First cohort, and Wg5 one Of the pie
turesque figures in yesterdays re-
union.
one figure that was missed was Al
bert S. Brown Of MIL Creek I'm this |
county. lie was member OF lions |
camp but was too feeble to get out to
the lake. Among other veterans who |
were present were: Col. Reddick c.
Alfred. aged so who ia living at Spring /
city, sanpete county. lie joined the |
Legion AZ Nauvoo; was one OF the Nor
mon battalion ana was prominent In
the Black Hawk war
Captain James s. Brown. OF Salt Lake
City. He is seventy-three years Of age |
ana was a member Of the Mormon bat
talon Was captain OF company OF |
minute men on many expeditions. Took |
part in Echo campaign and in Sanpete
war
George W. Boyd salt Lake city. aged |
r. years. He joined the Legion IN |
Nauyoo Ia 1858. one Of the minute men !
of early days, fired the FIRST shot at
the battle OF Pleasant Grove. Took part |
IN the Echo campaign, and Black Hawk |
war
Thomas Coward. aged rs. OF Payson
Joined the Legion IN Nauvoo; was IN |
the Walker Indian war and the Echo |
campaign
Major william Wallace Casper
OF MIN Crces. aged so years
He enrolled In the first mpany OF the |
Legion IN Nauyoo; YVES a member Of |
the Mormon b1toli1n. Served IN Indian |
wars and Echo campaign
Ezra T. CLARK. OF Pennington. aged |
rs years. Drilled In the boys brigade |
in Nauvoo. Served with the minute men |
IN numerous expeditions.
Drum Major Horace Drake. Of Cen
trcyi'lc. ged 70. Enrl lied IN the Legion |
in Nauyoo. Served In Echo campaign |
end In other capacities.
Diana T. Holbrork wife % Horace |
Drake. aged 81. Travelled with lions |
camp when she was a child.