The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1902-05-16
their entertainment. | understand

o''S oht Sohi piciC ItldG dl lC3St lNo
thousand more people could have
been fed and comfortably quartercd,
there was an affidavit TO the effect
that over one thousand cots in the
knowledge of the committee were un-
occupied, and a number ofrcsidcnces
were not half filed to their quota. /
In the afternoon at I O'Clock re.
ceptlon was rendered to Gen. Gordon
and other distinguished officers at
the Episcopal College, by Mrs. Tar
bert, the principal, and the fes,vi-
ties of the day closed, Il the audi
torium from 8 to $50 O'Clock by a
grand Kaliph's bail and the crown,
ing of the Queen of the Kaliphate by
the King,
FOURTH AND LAST DAY.
This day was taken up in the fore
nron by routine business, election of
officers aud the selection Of thc next
place for holding thc Reunion (New
Orleans was the place selected) after
which the meeting adjourned and
those who wished spent the remand
er of the day around town departed
to other points to visit relatives or
friends i'll Texas, or returned to lhoir
homes, and a large number went WIS.,
iting. There has possibly never
been such visiting record made ir!
the past as was made upon this occa.
sion. Texas, being a newly settled
country comparatively speaking,
there are hundreds of people there
from every State in the Union, and
there was possibly not an old veteran
at Dallas who did not have some rel.
ative or friend in the State, and on
account Of the remarkably cheap
rates offered By the railroads for side
trips, hundreds and hundreds of them
took advantage of the opportunity to
pay Il visit TO their friends in the
Lone Star State.
One Of the incidents of the Re-
union which | do not think ought to
be omitted, and one that | believe
will gladden. the heart of every vet
eran reader Of THE TINES | will
mention right here:
At Austin, Texas, is located the
Soldiers Home, where some one
hundred or more poor old Confederate
veterans are living tenderly cared
for. These poor old heroes of course
had great desire to attend the re-
union and once more. and IN all
probability for the last time, meet
with their old comrades in arms, but
this they could not do on account of
not having the money to pay their
expenses. Sanger Brothers, the
largest dry goods firm in Dallas, and
who. by the way are Jews, learning
of the situation quietly ascertained
the number of soldiers in the home
and purchased tickets for every
one of them and brought them to
Dallas in a body. Upon their arrival
each one was supplied with sufficient
money by these noble hearted
people to pay their expenses while
in Dallas. To say that the hearts
of these old soldiers were made glad
by this kind act is to but feebly ex-
press it. This was not done as an
advertising scheme either, as the
newspapers were earnestly requested
not to give the name of the firm,
and in referring to it the papers said
prominent business firm had done
it. But it leaked out Of course and
picked it up. 1t was the head Of
this firm who died the next day after
the soldiers arrived Of which | will
make mention later.
This generous action on the part
Of these big hearted men fur
nished the inspiration which brought
forth the following touching lines
from the pen of w. l.. Sanford, of
of Sherman, Texas. and which were
published during the Reunion in the
Dallas News:
THE VETERANS OF AUSTIN HOME.
They want to go to Dallas, too, and greet
the war'scarred throng;
The veterans of the Soldiers Home,
they won't be with us long.
They've heard Of the reunion, and their
pallid faces glow
With thought that will not perish, and
their old hearts long to 60
And grasp again the hands of those
they knew in that proud day
When, bidding home and friends good
bye, they armed and rode away.
Across the sun-kissed prariries dyed
with blossoms fair and sweet
There come the blare of buples and the