The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1903-10-30
warfare FOR FAIR NASON
Two Juvenile Regiments Meet
Upon the Field.
WERE HOSTILE MILITARY CAMPS

They Spend all Day in the Cotton Pas
ture North Of the City and Finally
Get Together-Represen Heights
and North Side.
While thousands and thousands of
grown soldier boys in blue were ma
neuvering and fighting sham battles
at Fort Riley all day. long, a crowd
of Norfolk youths a dozen years old
apiece and forming two diminutive ar.
mics of their own of about fifteen
each camped in Cotton's pasture
half mile north of the city on Satur-
day and pitched their tents in war
like fashion for stay of about eight
continuous hours.
With a real camp, every man to his
dog tent and with real officers, rang
ing down in the one bunch from Cap
tain Warren Beeler to the humblest
private and from Captain Marquis
Reynolds on the other to his orderly,
the regiments, having a fearful hat
red for each other, looked daggers at
he enemy's camp until the middle
of the afternoon when there became
something doing in military way
that would have made General Grant
himself pop out his eyes in wonder
ment.
Two Rival Neiehborhoods
The soldiers were from two rival
neighborhoods in the first place One
bunch, under command of the gallant
leader Marquis Reynolds, marched up
from the Heights to other heights
and encountered the fighters of the
north side. 1t was a battle royal be-
tween the north men and the south
erners, struggle for supremacy be-
tween foes of many years who have
met and fought upon the football field,
upon the baseball diamond and for the
favorite bellies of the school room
Captain Beeler with his warriors
bold were first on the battle ground.
Early in the morning he lined up
his troops gave the command to
march and headed off for the vacant
pasture. Every man of the crowd
was clothed in regulation blue, the
blue of toll and of industry-the blue
of the overall. And over this was
swung dog tent wrapped about the
shoulders of the soldiers in true reg
imental form until they looked like
the real thing headed for the Philip
pines.
At camp Cotton they pitched their
tents in company streets and each
man took his turn at sentry duty
along the outward lines of the field.
The guns were wooden affairs of dan
them-well, the sights were wooden
too.
The enemy soon appeared creeping
over the hill. They, too, pitched
their camp and established guard
line with rules that govern actual war
on the spot.
Hard Tack and Coffee.
For several hours the soldiers did
their cooking of dinner-they had
crackers for hard tack and real coffee
for coffee despite the advertisements
tldJ JOlu lltll IllSs might "Cll uSN
some other berry equally as invigorat-
ing but lacking the effects of this mar
cOtic. They were soldiers and they
needed stimulant.
Meanwhile the generals examined
the hostile camps with their field
glasses and made plans for the at
tack.
The Fray is On.
OF a sudden the shrill notes of the
bugle, as sounded by officer Graham
Humphrey, gave alarm for the fight
ing to commence. Instantly the
blood-thirsty troops lined for action
and marched to meet the enemy
Zach marched on to victory and each
side had the vim of well trained foot
ball team for their battle.
In the center of the field they met
and clashed. There was instantly q
battering of one another's weapons, a
smashing of the arms and yelling
that resembles the Salvation army
war cry. Several were taken prison
er and chained to the guard tents and
many of the wounded we're left dying
on the field. They fought until theil
men were exhausted and then the
generals had to get togther and cal
it a draw, agreeing to meet again.