The Savannah morning news., 1903-05-26
SKILL WITH SABRES
SHOWN IN THE ANNUAL PRIZE
CONTEST OF GEORGIA HUSsARs.
AT HOTEL TYBEE PAVILION
DRILL TOOK PLACE LAST NIGHT
BEFORE MANY SPECTATORS.

Company Medal Won by Corporal
Charles observation-disclosures Cole
man Won Second Prize in First
Class and PriVates SummerViIIe
and Harris First and Second
Prizes. Respectively, in Second
CIass--Thirty-tVvO Men Took Fart
in COntest-Judges Were Col.
Beirne Gordon and Capt. c. A. l..
CunninEham-Danc Followed
Contest and Lasted Until Midnight.
Thirty-two privates and non-coms of
the Georgia Hussars took part in the
annual prize saber contest which was
held on the pavilion of Hotel Tybee
last night. The drill was conducted
by the officers of the troop, Capt w.
w. Gordon. Jr., Lieut.. Isadore Silver
berg and Lieut. W. H. Connerat. Jr..
while the judges were Col. Beirne Cor
don and Capt. c. A. L. Cunningham.
In addition to the men who took part
in the contest, there was a large num-
Der of the other members of the COM
mand present, including many of the
veteran members, who were not the
least interested of those who attended.
Likewise there was a large gathering
of others, non-members of the troop,
and ladies, who were there not only
to see the contest. but to enjoy the
dance that followed it.
In all, probably between 500 and 500
persons were present, among them sew
eral officers from Fort Screven. in
GLIDING Lieut.. Col. Taylor and num-
Der of the enlisted men.
The Contest.
The contestants formed in line on
the piazza of the hotel and headed by
the two most youthful members of the
command, Masters w. W. Gordon III.
and Spencer Shotter, marched from the
hotel to the pavilion. There they were
divided into four squads of eight men
each and each squad in turn was put
through the manual until but one man
was left.
Squad No. was the first on trial.
The commands were given by Capt.
Gordon and were executed promptly
and correctly at first, but as they grew
AAAOAE mi dAt anu SHIT was AilduH "
by number" and back again to with
out numbers, man followed man to the
side lines until only Private r. c.
Summerville was left.
Then came squad No. 3, which was
put through the manual by Lieut.. Sill
verberg. The members of this division
stood the test little longer than their
predecessors, but one by one through
mistaking a command or for some
slight infraction of the correct manner
of executing it, they, too. fell by the
wayside; that is, all with the eXcep-
ton of Private Lester Harris who cap
tured the honors of his squad.
Even better drilling was expected of
squad No. =, which next took position
and which Lieut.. w. II. Connerat, Jr..
put through the various movements of
the manual. Nor was the expectation
without good grounds, for though one
or two men fell out early. the re-
mainder stood the test very well. in
deed, though these were reduced man
by man. until Only Private Nathan
Coleman was left.
squad Ts Drilling.
The best showing of the evening,
though, was made. as might have been
expected, by Squad No. /, which con-
sisted chiefly of the non-coms of the
troop. The majority of them have been
drilling. for years, and so were not TO
be caught naf4.ssl8. Capt. Gordon
took charge of them at first and, though
he gave command after command in
rapid succession. with changes to num-
bers and back again after fifteen min
utes, he was still faced by two men,
Sergt. Charles P. Rowland and Corpl.
Charles Edmondston, Jr.
These he turned over to Lieut.. Sill
verberg, and not until that officer had
exhausted the manual and the men
themselves were pretty well tired out
with the physical, as well as the men,
tai strain did Sergt. Rowland fall out,
leaving the honors with Corpl. Ed
monston.
1t was in the drilling that followed
that the most excitement was shown
for the two winners of the first class.
Corpl. Edmondston and Private Cole
man, were first drilled together. then
Privates Summerville and Harris, ana
then the winner of each class against
the other. The result was that Corpl.
Edmonston secured the first prize, the
company medal that Private Coleman
was awarded the second prize in the
first class, Private SummerYi1le the first
prize in the second class, and Private
Harris the second prize in the second
class
At the end of the contest dancing
was general until the departure of the
last train which left for the city at
midnight. The gsreater number of the
visitors had remained for this train
so that until it left the pavilion was
thronged with a lively crowd of dane
ers. The music for the occasion was
furnished by Levin's orchestra, which
has been engaged by Mr.. Chas. f. Ora
ham. proprietor of the Hotel Tybee
Tor the summer.