Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1905-06-27
G.. A. r. AT LA CROSSE.
VETERANS OF WISCONSIN IN AN
NUAL ENCAMPMENT.
Advancing Years Cause Membership of
Great Order to Fall Off-CoI. Copeland
of La Crosse Chosen Commander
Next Years Meeting in Marinette.

La Crosse Correspondence:
The department. encampment of the
Grand Army of the Republic in this city
elected Colonel Fred A. Copeland of La
Crosse as department commander for the
ensuing year by acclamation, all other
candidates withdrawing. Colonel J. A.
WatrOuS of Milwaukee nominated Cope
land and Past Commander 4 H. De-
CROFT, who had nominated De SteeSe in
an eloquent speech. made the motion II
elect Copeland by reclamation. The de-
partment commander was brought before
the encampment and made brief
speech, pledging himself to - earnest
work for the cause.
John c. Martin of Mineral Point and
y. l.. Tucker of Berlin were nominated
for senior vice commander. The ballot
gave 113 votes for Martin and 161 for
Tucker. II. r. Allen of Merrill and w.
Il. Gets of Grand Rapids were nom
mated for junior vice commander. but
Gets withdrew and Allen was named by
reclamation. DR. T. r. Garlock of Ra-
cine was elected medical director and
Rev. o. \. Britton of Superior chaplain.
both by reclamation William Handy
side of Depere was reelected as trustee
and b. f. Bryant Of La Crosse and o. f.
Chase of Oshkosh as trustees of the Wis
consin Veterans Home
Corporal Tauner of New York was en-
dorsed for commandments to be
elected at the national encampment in
Denver.
The encampment was invited to Mari
nette aud Racine next year and the vote
was largely in favor of Marinette.
The Annual Parade.
The parade at o'clock Tuesday after
noon attracted Il large number The
local military companies and bands were
out, but only a portion of the veterans
turned out Many of them are getting
too old and infrm to participate. The
city was handsomely decorated
When the encampment rec0nvened
Tuesday at o'clock, a memorial service
was held in honor of the dead of the
year. Past Commander-in-Chief A. G.
Weissert presided in the absence of Com
msnder NorcrosS. The department chap
lain, Rev. l.. G.. Carr. offered an eIo-
quent prayer, after which f. o. Kim
berly, the national singer and adjutant
general of the department, sang AS the
Years Roll BY" by this time Com
chair, Brief but eloquent addresses were
made by Comrades NJ. Herrick of Hud-
son, \. c. Weissert of Milwaukee, b. +.
Bryant of La Crosse and ]. A. Watrous
of Milwaukee.
Late in the afternoon the Woman's
Relief Corps of the department presented
Il beautiful and costly silk flag to the
high school The ceremonies took place
On the steps of the building
Mrs. Minot Of massachusetts,, national
president. was the guest of the Relief
Corps convention Tuesday and made an
address.
An immense audience gathered at the
campfire in the opera house that evening.
Commander-in-Chief w. w Blackmar of
Boston was the principal speaker.
Past Department Commander c. H.
Russell, member of the AndersonvilIe
Monument Commission, presented to the
encampment a gavel made from the roots
of a pine tree from under the stump of
which gushed the waters of the famous
Providence spring at a time when the
prison pen was full of Union soldiers.
The handle was made from a section of
the Confederate flag staff which was dug
up from where it had lain forty years
L uNi i'tIdLiiliOil puilildHtltI -. u.
James. another member Of the commits
sion, presented n similar gayel to the
ladies of the G. A. Il.
Address of Department Commander.
The address of Department Comman-
der Pliny Norcross received close atten-
ton. 1t showed that at the beginning
of 1904 there were S,90S members of this
department in good standing The loss
by death for the previous year was 301,
or 3 1-3 per cent. The loss by death last
year was 331 or 34 per cent a small
percentage considering the ages of the
members There were no new post char
tiers issued the past year and one post
surrendered its charter, and three posts
went out of existence because the mem
bers did not wish to pay their dues The
present number is 241 posts. with a total
of $40 members. The commander be
lieves the time will come when many
posts will adopt county organizations in
stead of separate posts. The address
also referred to the splendid condition.
under Commandant J. II. Woodnorth. of
the Wisconsin Soldiers Home at Wau-
paca, of which the commander says: SIT
is one of the most sensible and deserving
charities in the United States"
The address favored the reelection of
the trustees whose terms nov expire.
The encampment was asked to make Il
contribution toward the fund for monu-
ment to DR.. b. f. Stephenson. founder
of the G. A. r., and the commander sug-
gested that Wisconsin give at least 800.
w. II. c. Holds Election.
The Woman's Relief Corps convention
balloted four times for department pres
ident, resulting in the election of Fannie
f. McAIlister of Omro. The other can
didates were Mrs. Annie +. Noyes of
Madison and Mrs. Sophia Strathearn of
Kaukauna.
Sons of Veterans elected: Commander,
John \. Hardwood of Jefferson. Senior
Vice Commander L..F Small, Madison;
Junior Vice Commander. f. G. Parme-
ter, La Crosse; Division Council. Anton
Black of Racine, f. w Croft of She
boygan and +. G. Coon Of Endeavor.
Among Our NeighborE
Victor O'Grady. 9, was drowned
while swimming in Il b. liver at BeIoit.
The body was recovered
Francis Clcary, an attorney of BeOit.
has been selected principal of the Grout
public school at Minneapolis
At the commencement exercises of
New York University. Lewis Wicks Hine
Of Oshkosh received the degree Of master
of pedagogy.
John Ford, a tramp who Inns been in
Jail for several weeks, was convicted on
a charge Of larceny in the Manitowoc
Circuit Court.
Ridgland reports that Asscnblyman
SCOTS Hour mill at Prairie Farm has
been washed away by the Hood; loss.
$4,000.
Nelson Brothers. pronrietors Of Ra-
cine restaurant, were victimized by a
forger. who secured from them so on a
worthless check.
Stephen Owen Of Wheeler was
drowned in the Red Cedar at the time
the Wisconsin Contra train went down
with the bridge mt Coifax