St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1902-10-25

cry cHIIu1 SiSIcA, S"OOUHSt'i'' - SA
ioin in three cheers for Company
r, First Battalion, Louisiana State
National Guard.
The "boys" deserve; it they won
it fair.
Had you been in New Orleans
and heard the laudations showered
on them by conservative civilians;
seen the hearty hand-shake OF grim
old warriors whenever they met
any OF the boys; heard the cheers
and seen the waving OF flags When
ever the boys appeared on the
streets; heard the cheers and ap-
pIause OF other companies when
St. Landry out-drilled everything
on the floor of Washington Artti-
lery Hall, on which occasion the
command was publicly congratu-
lated by prominent military Of
fetal of the State; had heard "Ihe
"Old Scrapper," Adjutant-General
Jumel, speak of "His Cajan boys
from st. Landry, dam it, they
can clean up the mob alone;" had
seen the boys out-pull hardened
sailors at "tug-o'-war," out-Wrestle,
ut-jump, absolute monarch OF eV-
erything in sight-Well, il you just
could form an idea of the part the
st. Landry militia boys played In
the strike in New Orleans, you'd
be a-hollering yit.
A write-up of the trip to New Or
leans, it's incidents, varied In pha-
SEES Of the ludicrous, the funny, the
stern and uncomfortable and the
pitiful, is impossible in one issue
without robbing the great State
OF Louisiana of its paid space oc-
cupled by the proposed Consttlohai
amendments.
Wednesday night, October 10Th,
Capt. Stewart received the expec-
ted order to hold his command IN
readiness, and squads We're at once
sent out for the boys in blue, and
hy morning every available mem
Der of the company was in the
artnory, ready to 60 forth and scrap
. ANYTHING alive. Although the
floor of the armory was not as soft
bed as the boys were used to, the
best Of spirit prevailed. The com
pany was kept under more or les
strict, stiff military discipline
until Saturday, answering roll cal
at stated periods. AT 8 O'Clock
Saturday the fire bell told the boys
that they must proceed post-haste
to the armory. There orders to Sc
to New Orleans by the l0:3O train
were found, and at that hour 60
B left for New Orleans, amid tht
shouts and cheering words ano
hearty good-bys of a brave ano
chivalric population.
On the way to the scene of strife
the tidings waited to the ears o
the boys by the depot agents az
the car sped on were anything bn
cheerful-made a fellow sorte1
home-sick. The distressingly unan
inous opinion prevailed that WI
were up agin it heavy; that de
parted old friends aud relatives
had already engaged rooms Will
the Keeper OF the Great Place TO
ST. Landry boys dressed in blue
"Ten thousand armed striker
waiting for you, boys. Be ready.
.eThings are hot there-fghtln.
like hell" These are mild sample
OF the encouragement we received
ON the way to New Orleans.
of the small boys actually began
They swarmed round the cars ant
hooted and cursed the soldiers.
At New Orleans we were met b.
members OF the Governors sta
and a detachment Of State cavalry
and marched to the Victoria He
tel, on st. Charles, where we ca
light supper, after which we wer
taken to the Washington Artiller
armory and quartered.
The line of march was not a be-
OF roses by a jugful. 1t was rathe
thorny. In the strikers dlstrlt
those individuals became very dt
monstrative, and had to be keE
back by the cavalrymen. But
was the strikers wives and sister
and kids and grandmas and cot
sins and the whole shoot that rea
ly made life uubearable. The ep
thets hurled at the boys double
discounted anything the boys eve
heard or imagined existed. Bt
the orders were to pay no attentio
to the ieers of the crowd, and tn
order was strictly obeyed.
When the enlightened and ciVi
lied portion of the city was reacl
ed. however, there was a transfo
nation. The Opelousas boys, |
their manly, determined appea
ance, at once created a favorabI
impression, and cheers came fro
ali quarters. "Three cheers for I'll
st. Landry Tigers p whooped Il
people gathered on the line
march; the cry was taken |
by the boys at the different arm
ries: the air resounded with ther
{We have to leave the boys
this point for this week. In su
seuuent Issues we will take up I'll
thread, until the story is complet
Besides the following the bo,
through their brief period of arm
life, we propose to give some spi'
bits of inside history as seen by i
things about which the daily pre-
whispered not.)
Either the indicator or the f,