The Rich Hill tribune. (Rich Hill, Mo.) 1903-1911, 1905-12-21
FLAG From a weddlnq Dress

In the library Of a home on River
site drive hangs a frame In which.
under glass. Is n piece OF a wouian's
wedding gown, says the New York
Sun The remnant Is no larger than
the hand OF a slxteen.year-o girl.
The hne old man who lives in the
house tells this story OF the garment
from which Tire bit was taken:
1t Is a fragment Of the wedding
dress OF my wife's niece" he said.
'The Civil war was not three months
under way when her husband enlist.
ed in the company Of Coon Thornton.
afterward a Colonel IN the Confeder-
ate service. whose personal history
and daring made him known 20 both
armies west OF the Mississippi river
Ia the SOS.
"Soon after the enlistment Of the
young husband, he sent word 20 his
wife that the company had no Gag.
She was 3 spirited woman. as most
Souther4 women were at that time.
The stores were not dealing in
much those days except the neces.
saries Of life. The young wife took .
last look a. her wedding dress and
down It came from SIS receptacle.
~she cut Il and slnshed a. got the
rcd from another eown In her trous-
seau. and then added The ,blue field
from the crown of her hat. which she
had worn When her lover chose her as
the queen OF beauty a. a tournament
IN which be WA the successful knight
eoat OF all these the aag o. Coon
Thoruton's company wa made sy this
woman and her friends. and it was
duly presented hy the makers Across
the field OF the deg were the words.
stitched IN sllk Protect Missouri
the owner Of the remnant told how
the dag bad been preserved and hand
Cd down. and how Coon Thoruton aud
most Of his followers had died and Of
the death 81 the woman WIG had
planned the nag from The outht which
Is most dear 10 a Woman's heart
There the story might have. ended.
had not the person to whom Il was
told known the SEQUEL
According 10 bis story the iRg was
carried until Il Eas frayed and fun Of
holes: Before the FIRST year Of the
war was OVER the Gag was captured
by the captain Of n Federal company
that was enlisted ia Colorado. This
captain auorward became a General
George West Is his name aud he is
SAL living.
The husband OF the woman who
gave her weddins garment for a nRg
is also SIN living. lie Is Major vii
Kuykondall. lie has been Ia Wyom.
ing ever since the war ended Gen.
West retained the captured Gag until
q @. A. X. post received Il from his
hands. with the understanding that q
was subject 10 HIS order. Two or
three times the Gag disappeared. but
was returned as mysteriousiy as Il
had been taken away.
Long before Congress decided that
captured Confederate Tags should be
returned Gen. West was making IN.
quircs about the who had
made the hag. lie had heard ia story
He learned that the woman who pre-.
sented q, 20 Thornton's company was
dead.
Then he began a search FOR Major
K%uykendall and learned that he was
stili iu the flesh a correspondence
followed, and Gen. West arranged 20
have the tailored emblem returned 20
The man who suggested as creation
The -1tum Is 10 be the chief inch
deat OF a meeting of the surviving
members OF Gen, Vests Colorado
company and the few surviving mem
bers OF Coon Thornton's company.
As oon as en- Survivors Of both com
mHnds can be found the meeting viii
take place In Colorado. and the wed.
ding garment Banner. bullet rlddied.
yellow With years aud moth eaten,
will be returned 70 the hands OF the
man who we'd the woman from whose
/ silks the ensign was made.