The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1901-09-05
THE REUNION CLOSES.
Twentieth Kansas Boys in sham Bat
tie at Ottawa.

Ottawa, Kan, Sept 5-The second an
nual reunion of the Twentieth Kansas
was brought to a fitting close here last
night by a union band concert in the
Rohrbach opera house. The sham battle
in the afternoon was pronounced by old
soldiers to be the finest reproduction of
a real battle they had ever witnessed
The only thing to mar the success OF
the battle was the accidental sinking of
a, raft on which were a number OF the
Kansas boys, and Noel P. Ripple, Com
pany NJ, came near drowning He was
rescued by his comrades The crowd d1d
not realize the sinking of the raft was
an accident, and cheered the men to the
echo. Two guns were lost in the river
Colonel W. F. Cloud, of Kansas City,
Mo, was a witness of the battle THE
movement of the troops, the character
of the ground, the fire by Volleys ana
by files'' he said. puts me in mind Of
Wilson's Creek, and I could imagine l
was at Bloody Run. The battle was
success in every particular The men
were young, but that's the element that
made this a united country Colonel
Cloud is a. veteran of both the Mexican
and the civil wars.
FilipinOs were represented in the
sham battle by the Kansas militia, and
were stationed in PickrelPS park, just
across the Marias des Cygnes river
from Forest park on the south. The
Twentieth Kansas men were stationed
near the North Ottawa Junction, ABOUT
mile away. The battle was a repro
duction of the Rio Grande. Picket lines
had been established by the FilipinoS
across the river.
The battle began with a sHirnish be-
tween the picket lines the FilipinoS
gradually falling back until the river
was crossed and the main body of in
SurgentS was reached. The Twentieth
men gradually advanced, a detachment
going up the river. swimming it and
thanking the enemy. The main body
under the command of Colonel Metcalfs
swan the river and routed the Fill
pinos at the same time
Aside from the sham battle the prin-
cipal event of the day was the address
of Governor Stanley at 10 o'clock at the
tabernacle. w. S. jerks. of Ottawa,
was chairman and introduced the gov
ernOr, who was given 8. splendid Ova-
ton. He was escorted to the park by
the First Regiment band. The First
Regiment National Guards and Twen-
tieth Kansas were lined up for review,
the former organization in full uniform
and equipment. After he had passed a.
salute of seventeen guns was fired in
his honor The audience he addressed
was large and full of enthusiasm. The
governors address was an hour in
length and he was given an enthusiast
tic ovation at it's close.
Two hundred old soldiers of the Sec
ond congressional district, here to see
the Twentieth Kansas, met today and
organized a district association and ar
ranged to hold a reunion next fall
Mayor ]. B. Remington of Miami coun-
ty, was elected president of the associa-
ton, and Yates Corwin of Franklin
county, secretary.
There was much hilarity in the camp
and officers and men played all kinds of
prankS on one another. Here is an ex-
ample: A squad of men captured w B.
Trembly and tied him to a. tree and
over his head there was tackled a card
bearing the words, This is Trembly,
the hero of the Rio Grande." Trembly
was left tied uD for half an hour and a
thousand people assembled to look at
him.