The evening world., 1903-09-14
Pathetic Scenes at Foot of Wall
: Street, Where the Transport
Fitzpatrick Is Dicharging Its
Freight of Coffined Soldiers.
RELATIVES GATHER TO
CLAIM BODIES OF LOVED.
Perished in Philippines from
Wounds and Sickness, the
Remains Have Been Brought
Home for Burial.
'~Trooper, trooper, back from the East,
What word do you bring Of my boy?"
Hes down below. in my lower hold

'-Trooper. trooper. back from the East,
What word do you bring Of my boy?"
Hes down below. in my lower hold
And there's an end TO your JOY.
i took him away with rufle Of drum and the
.shrillinE pipe OF the fife
They cut him up on a samar plain and that
vas the end o. his life"
Ballad of the Troopship's Dead.
Down at the foot of Wall street LIS
the troopship Fitzpatrick. and all day
her winches ratified and sheaves creaked
In blocks as they brought out of her
matches from the depths of her lower
hold long pine boxes. Three hundred
and one there were. They were hooked
and trucked and piled in tiers on the
army wharf just as the rough long
shoremen handle other freight and cases
of rifles. which these boxes of dead men
so much resemble.
The flag that took the occupants of
the pine boxes away on the quest of
empire chung sadly at half-mlst to its
star over the entrance to the transport
pier. Inside Mt the Aatchways where
the boxes were worked a guard of honor
patrolled.
Sought Their Boz.
Outside in the street thronged the
curious until traffic had to halt to curse
Its way on, and the oolice to drive the
crowd back.
Every little while some one in black
an old lady on the arm of an old man
would work their way through the
crowd and up to the Waterman at the
gate. They would whisper something.
Got a pass" the Waterman would
ask.
". maze 10 EAa ~, Had hn,, 30 nYI tIn
old lady held the old mans arm closer
TO her.
''Ob. your boy-I didn't know. Go
right down the dock there and they Will
tell you at the ship" and the old lady
and the old nan passed to claim
their boy.
Sweethearts and Wives.
There were sisters and brothers. and
wives and sweethearts and other mothers
and fathers like those who were stopped
at the gate. who went down to take
their lead from the troopship. Some
were alone. others were accompanied by
friends. They proved their claims, and
they took away the pine boxes that con-
tained their loved ones. There are
other boxes that are stained by no one.
and the Government will hide them
away in the bosom of the National
Cemetery, at Arlington.
No one cared when they went away
and no one cares now that they are
back.
They were to have started breaking
out" the cargo in the Kllpatrick's low
er hold early, but there was a lot or
freight for the st. Louis Exposition
be taken away first. This freight, the
goods of the quick. and two great
decks We're between the long pAne
boxes. and the feet OF those who came
back alive and danced and were glad
at the thought of the homecoming
The shuttle of their feet nor the sound
of their voices could not reach where
the cead soldiers lay, and IL they had
D.. would not nave .Gbsturbed their
sleep.
Pretty soon there will be another
trooper in with more long pine boxes
all that she can hold. Among them
will be most of the men of Co. c: OF
the Ninth Infantry. They were boloed
at breakfast one morning; They
s saere ~e OF Vliiagiga. since then they eat
X in Samar with sidearms on
and rifles at their sides.
trooper, trooper. back from the East.
What word do you bring OF nv sweet
heart
..He's not below In my lower hold.
And you will always be living apart.
/ took him away with ruffle of drums and the
shrilllnE pipe of the ME,
He stayed behind for another's love and
that's the way o. his nfe.