Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1902-06-03

fallen heroes while they suffered and
died; has furnished the reason for
many splendid deed which goes down
IN history from generation to genera
ton AT the present time, thanks to
existing conditions, there is not the
need of men to sacrifice their lives, in
terests and sometimes the hopes Of
others by throwing themselves upon
the enemy, but the spirit Of patriotism
still lives and is manifested at frequent
| intervals. No better opportunity than
decoration Day is afforded the people
OF the present day to at once demon
strate the fact that they have not fail
ed to receive their heritage of patri-
otto sentiment and the additional fact
That they honor and respect the mem
DRY of those who have given up their
lives in defense of the union and their
comrades who lived through the long
TOUR years struggle but have passed
away since it's completion.
AS each Decoration Day marks the
light of another year since the COM
pletion of the awful struggle that was
necessary to unite the once separated
northern and southern portions of the
country, the number of living members
of the Grand Army of the Republic be,
| comes less and less, and the work of
carrying out the celebration OF Memo
rial Day becomes at the same time the
more necessary and the more difficult
for the veterans, whose declining years
and strength render them unequal to
the task. AS this fact becomes more
evident the work of the Sons of Vet
Grams becomes the more apparent and
the organization begins to take charge
of the work for which it was originally
organized The committees which had
charge of the arrangements for the Gel
ebration of Memorial Day today were
made up partially of veterans, mem
bers of the Grand Army, and partially
of Sons of Veterans, who seek to per-
petuate the memory of the brave men
who fought to save the honor of the
United States.
That the work which year by year
| is slipping from the grasp Of the vet
Grams and into the willing and eager
hands of their sons, is not being done
in any manner other than the most
complete and appropriate was shown
today by the success of the celebration
of Memorial Day in Ottumwa. While
| hundreds of people marched through
| the city streets to the cemetery, thou.
sands stood along theroute or met the
procession at the cemetery, and the
whole gathering listened with intense
interest and sympathy to the eloquent
address delivered at the cemetery by
G. S. Cooper, of Keosauqua, the orator
of the day.
Floral Tributes.
Almost as soon as day had dawned
this morning people We're at the bu-
rial grounds in and near Ottumwa dis
tributing flowers and decorating the
graves of their departed relatives and
friends. By noon the Ottumwa GENE
fiery looked like mammoth flower
garden. The solemn beauty of the
imposing monuments which mark the
last resting places of hundreds of for.
mer well known Ottumwans, was en-
HANGED by tho bright colors of the
green grass and the vari-colored flow
ers which are strewn upon the graves.
The little metal headpieces that are
placed at the grave of each dead sol
der and sailof, are decorated with
flags and floral ,embleins. During the
morning the flower committee ap-
pointed from among the members of
the G. A. R. and the Sons of Veterans
of the city decorated the graves of the
fallen defenders of the Union. The
members of the Woman's Relief Corps
and the flower committee arranged
flowers which We're donated by the
public for these decorations, and the
committee in charge of the work of
decorating the graves was composed
of the following men: Charles Bach
man, E. M. B. Scott, Emmett Work,
Hubert Hills, ], K. Mahon, George c.
Miller, H. H. Baker, and Frank
Barnes. The flower committee from
the two mems organizations included
w. E. Conner. w. R. Warren, E. G.
Peirce and J. R. Criley.
The Procession.
Capt. w. H. G. jacques, representing
the G. A. R. posts Of the city. was mar.
shall of the day, and his assistant was
John K. Mahon, representing Donelson
camp, Sons of Veterans. They form
ed the procession this afternoon at the
city park and at about 2 o'clock the
body of marchers started north on
Court street toward the Ottumwa Gem.
etery. A platoon of police in com.
mand of Captain Gallagher was in the
lead and was followed by the Fiftieth
Regiment band in full uniform. Fol
lowing this organization came the pa
triotic orders of the city and the other
sections of the procession as follows:
Company G, Fiftieth regiment, l.
N. G.
Donelson camp, No. SO, Sons of Vet.
Grams.
Schwabkey's band.
futile post, No. 497, G. A. R.
Cloutman post, No. So, G.. A. r.
Ex-soldiers not attached to local
! posts.
| Carriages with speakers of the day,
G. S. Cooper, of Keosauqua, H. G. Nos
Ter, commander of Cloutman post and
chairman of the day, invalided old sol
diers, Y. M. CA. quartet and members
of the Woman's Relief Corps.
At the Cemetery.
At the Ottumwa cemetery services
in honor of the dead soldiers were
held. The procession first stopped at