The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-05-30
HONOR FOR Brave
Flowers for the Veterans Who
Have Passed On.
Twenty-Five New Graves Receive
Soldiers Tribute.
AT THE RIVERS SIDE.
Two Thousand People Partici-
pate in Exercises.
Blossoms on the Water for the
Sailor Dead.
Meeting at the Auditorium This
Afternoon.
Blossoms on the Water for the
Sailor Dead.

Twenty-Five of the old soldiers who
fought over their old battles on the
fields of memory in the G. A R. posts
on last Decoration day have since
gone to their last resting place. Twen-
ty-five- faces which had a place in the |
ranks of the old soldiers who marched |
in the Memorial day parade of a year
ago are absent. Fifteen of those be-
longed to Lincoln post, While the re-
naming o were distributed among |
the remaining posts in the city. Nine |
hundred and ffty-hve old soldiers be- |
long to these several posts of which
Lincoln post with 400 members is the
largest. Fort Pillow post, the colored
organization, ranks next with 321,
Gage post has 27 Topeka post has 125,
while Blue post is credited with 80
old soldiers.
The 995 members of the G. A. R.
posts however, do not represent the
complete census of the city of its old
soldier population as there are prob
belong to the posts in the city. About
SEQ of these veterans were in line this
afternoon for the parade preceding
the exercises which were held in the
Auditorium commencing at $3.50
o'clock
Though the roses have not been so
abundant of late years the flower COM
mittees from the various posts man
L
only Of roses but also of other flowers,
so that the fear which was first eX-
pressed that a sufficient supply would
/ be secured to decorate all of the graves
was dissipated. The flowers were
l brought up to Lincoln post hall at
| Sixth avenue and Quincy street where
/ the various committees arranged them
! IN large bouquets for the individual
graves. The school children over the
| city contributed a large percentage of
the flowers procured. In addition to
the graves decorated by the G. A. R.
and the W. sR. @. a great number of
4 the citizens went out to the Topeka
cemetery with their floral offerings, re-
membering not only their own dead
but also that section reserved for
those who died in battle so that the
fallen veterans were amply remem-
bered.
Quite a number of visitors from G. A.
r. posts in surrounding cities as well as
from outside of the state are participat-
ing in the various exercises of today
and We're present at the headquarters al
Lincoln Post.
The parade moved at 2:SO in three
divisions under command of Major G. M.
Stockham, the first comprising the po-
lice, fire department and city officers;
the second the Sons of American Rev
; olution and the fraternal societies; the
third the city troop bows bugle corps.
K. n. G. companies, Flambeau club,
Sons of Veterans and G. A. r. posts.
Following was the programme at the
2 Auditorium following the parade;
Music, pipe organ.
National hymn, America"
Brief G. A. R. public exercises.
Invocation by Rev. F. E. Mallory.
Vocal music.
Reading of Lincoln's Gettysburg
speech by J. NJ. Miller.
Vocal music.
Address by Rev. B. F. Boyle of
Atchison, past department chaplain.
Vocal music.
= T2avaJi0ffO4,
Taps by the Boys Bugle Corps.
The vocal music was under the direc-
ton of Prof. George Barlow Penny.
At the Kansas River.
o, heroes meath the ocean wave,
While life is strong and true
: With flags and flowers and hearts that
We win remember you!
AS more than 200 persons gave
voice to these lines, among them the
treble of the school child, the deep re-
, verberating tones of the state militia
! man, the soft, sweet lulling sounds
from the wives of the veterans, and
Z the broken, harsh, cultural voices of
the old soldiers themselves, arnful
after armful of flowers were thrown
upon the watery bosom of the Kansas
river from the MeIan arch bridge this
morning. tribute to the sailor dead.
After roses, daisies and jasmines
had fallen from loving fingers, the
!
dier's Rest" sighed over the waters.
Then those who were conducting the
ceremonies lifted tn cir voices to the
anthem America" Not less than
1000 visitors stood about the little
circle, and they too lent their voices
to the song, making a grand burst OF
l instantaneous patriotism.
, Five Grand Army posts three corps
one circle. two common schools, a
/ company of state militia infantry and
a battery from the state militia were
present. The following participated:
Lincoln post. Topeka post Gage post
Blue post, Fort Pillow post, Lincoln
: circle, Gage corps, corps No. 81, Blue
corps Grant school, Quincy school
Company A, (infantry) state militia.
: Battery B, (artillery) state militia.
All of these different organizations
with the exception of the two schools
formed in a parade at Lincoln post
-, hall and marched from there to the
t river at $50 o'clock. When the pro-
cession arrived at the bridge, the mill
: tia companies. and the old soldiers
! formed in hanking single columns on
= both sides Of the south approach to
the bridge, and making way Tor lne
!. ladies to march between them.
2 AS battery B fired a salute Of 13 guns,
those who participated in the ceremon-
: les formed on the west side, at the
4 middle of the bridge. The colors were
t hung over the guard rail.
r The service was opened with the sing
ing of Nearer Ny God To Thee" after
which Mrs. Mary E. Perkins, president
Topeka corps No a. asked the object
: Of assembling. She was followed by
Mrs. Nellie AIcNown Of Blue corps, with
. the response: ITO honor the memory
of the Union Sailors and Marines who
30 F.r4-