Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1903-05-26
HONOR VETERANS NE m DRY
Memorial Services Held Yesterday at First
Presbyterian and st. Patrick's
Catholic Churches.
MEMBERS OF c. ar, AND W.R.C., GUESTS
GLOWING WORDS OF THE DEPARTED HEROES
VETERANS WIVES ATTEND THE SERVICES.
From Mondays Daily.

memorial services were held yesterday
morning at the First Presbyterian
and St. Patricks Catholic churches.
The members of Cloutman post, G. A.
R., and it's auxiliary, the Woman's Re-
lief Corps were the guests of honor at
the services at the First Presbyterian
church and the address was delivered
by Dr. H. M. Wharton. AT st. Pat
rick's Catholic church the members of
the j. M. futile Post and the futile
Post Relief Corps were the honored
guests and the sermon was delivered
by the pastor, Rev. Father John G'Far-
rel.
The address of DR.. III. M. Wharton to
the old soldiers of the Cloutman Post
of the Grand Army of the Republic at
the First Presbyterian church. was an
occasion long to be remembered by all
those present. The beautiful auditor
ium was simply but beautifully decor
ated with flowers and flags. Before
and on each side of the altar was a
beautiful bank of flowers and plants
that might have served as breast
works in time OF war.
Surrendered to Grant.
Dr. Wharton lived in the south dur
ing the war, in Culpepper county, Va,
and while mere boy entered the
confederate army and was present in
the ranks when General Lee surren--
dered his army to General Grant at
Appamattox. 1t was an impressive
sight when at the close of the service
yesterday, DR.. Wharton stepped down
to the front of the altar and as the old
soldiers slowly filed past there was a
smile, a hearty grasp of the hand and
kind word for every one To add to
the impressiveness of the occasion
there were three colored men in the
line and they too, were accorded the
same hearty greeting.
A Brotherly Greeting.
No report can do justice to the ad--
dress of DR.. Wharton 1t came as a
tbrotherly greeting from the south to
the north and much of the charm and
force of it laid in the personality of
the man speaking and of the spoken
words ~
The address was in part as fol
lows:
Behind the Breastworks
1t looks again this morning as if
| were once more behind the breast
works. Times have changed. In the
old days we stood behind breast
works of rails and earth and sent
forth messengers of death to you. To.
day behind a beautiful breastworks
of flowers ] am here to send forth
to you messengers of life. Then we
looked over the breastworks as enc,
mics, today we look over them as
friends and brothers.
A Warm Reception
The time was when we occupied
far different positions. Your friends
selected you to come down into our
country. We remained at home to re-
ceive you. You will bear witness
that we gave you warm reception.
Today ifeyou will come down into our
country we will give you reception,
far different, it is true, but really as
warm.
Home in Midst of BattIefields.
My home was in Culpepper county
Time after time General Grant and
General Lee, sometimes one, some
times both, were within the borders
of our county with their armies. If
there is man here this morning
who was with General Grant in Vir-
GINA he has been near my home. The
battlefield of Cedar Falls was within
two miles of my fathers home.
remember well walking over that field
on the day following the battle and
doing all that we could to relieve
the suffering of the soldiers both OF
north and outh.
Enlisted Young
AT the age of Is l enlisted in the
Confederate army and at the age of II
| stood in line at Appomattox facing
long line of the blue-coatel soldiers
of the north. We had fought the
fight to the bitter end and lost. Will
our tattered colors wrapped around
our arms we gave up the cause fol
which we fought and surrendered tt
General Grant.
Silent and Reverential
On the faces of the men in either
| line there were no smiles, no levity
no cheering but all was silent ant
reverential. On either side there
stood foemen worthy of the others
| greatest respect. We fought and lost
| You won. Today there is no bitter
| ness between us. Between the ole
soldiers who fought on either side
there is the most genial feeling.
If In Need of Help
| If today should be in need of hell
there is no person on earth to whom
/ would go with such willingness OF
| with such certainty of receiving relic
as to one who wears the little brown
button of the Grand Army of the Re
public.
All Bitterness Gone s.
We fought the greatest and mos
bitterly contended war in the his
i tory of the world. But all bitterness
even the last vestage of i'll feeling
and say it believing it from tn,
bottom Of my heart was buried ii
the grave with that great, grand. goot
4 Christian man, William Mckinley.
The Vacant Chair.
! You remember how we used to sing