The National tribune., 1905-10-12
PICKET SHOTS
| rom Alert Comrades Along the Whole
Line.
The Rebel Flags.

y. . Stlnser, IZ5tn ONO, T1ptOn, MO-,
wants to ask several questions about
the return of the rebel flags: 1. Did
the South request their return? q For
what purpose did they want them re-
turned? 3. Did Congress request GER
tain promises before they were return
ed; and IL so, what were they? Com
rade Singer is from Missouri. and has
to be shown.
]. o. Funkhouser, 124th Pa, New
Brighton, Pa, says he will not vote for
any Congressman who sat and allowed
the resolution to go through to return
the rebel flags. He believes there are
enough old veterans to retire from Con-
gress the men who permitted such a
thing.
L. W. Miller. Snyder. Okla. says that
we should put the blame for the return
of the rebel flags where it rightfully
belongs, upon Congress, which had
nothing else to do and had to think OF
something to make the session notable
They did it by digging up the rebel rags
and presenting them to the Southern
States. For what purpose? Only TO
teach the younger generation that trea-
son was right The old Confederate
soldier is all right; he wants no more
war or rebellion, but the fire-eaters who
stayed at home and the women want to
feed the young men evil thoughts. Many
OF the school teachers do the same thing
and are too prone to portray the right
fulneSS of secession in eloquent terms
Comrade Miller has lived in the South
almost ever since the war, and knows
whereof he speaks.
William Stropes. 2Sth ILL.,, Highland
Falls, ~. Y, says that his views of the
return of the rebel flags are best repre-
scented by what Comrade John nj. Mil
Ian says. He is true blue. If Comrade
Stropes had his way the flags would
never have been returned. but would
have been given to the men who cap
tured them, or their heirs, to hang up
in the State Capitols.
A Very Young Soldier.
B. F. Strickland, Co. E, 8th Me-, Old
Orchard, Me-, writes: "Apropos to the
claims made by different comrades to
being the youngest comrade, / had a
tent mate in 1864 who enlisted under
the name Of Joseph Fitzgerald. He told
me that he was born in 1852. / carried
his equipments, or, rather, helped to
carry them, until he fell out at White
House Landing. l was told that he was
shot by guerrillas. He told me that he
ran away from his guardian. I after
ward found a man claiming to be his
guardian, who confirmed his statement,
and told me that he (Fitzgerald) was
worth 100000, and he had spent q
large sum hunting for the boy"
Scattering.
Albert Canaan, Ash Grove, Mo-, would
like the address Of James Pritchett, who
belonged to the 7th Virginia Volunteers
and held a commission as Second Lieu
tenant. Mr. Canaan has papers that he
thinks might prove valuable to Mr..
Pritchett.
Comrade Charles A. Taggart, SIS Liv-
ingston Ave-, Albany, n. Y, wishes some
cOmrade to send him the poem on the
death Of Gen. Sedgwick. As Com
rade Taggart remembers, the lines run
as follows:
Brave Sedgwick is fallen, but his deeds
remain bright
AS stars I'm the blue vault of heaven at |
night"
Comrade John S. Weber, Mont Clare |
Pa, writes: while on guard duty at |
the Old Capitol Prison in the Fall of |
1862, my. station being at the main en- |
try, when taking my gun FROM a right |
shOulder-shift to a shoulder 1T was ac- |
cidentally discharged. the bullet pass
ing through the ceiling and through a |
pillow Of a rebel Colonel in the room /
above. This rebel Colonel had just |
raised his head from the pillow to listen |
to an lrgume Mt that was going on in |
the room. Lieut.. Carpenter, of the 10th |
y. Y, had charge Of the prison. He ran |
out of his office to learn the trouble |
told him that my gun had been acct |
dentally discharged. / was taken To |
his office, and after an explanation he
told me to reload my gun and return
to my post. You can bet / was happy |
boy. / was only 18 years old then. j
would like to know whether either Lieut.. /
Carpenter or the rebel Colonel is alive"