The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1906-07-12
AN INTERESTING TRIP
The Editor and Family on Their De-
Iightful Vacation With National
Editorial Association.

After delightful visit with the good
people of Peru an hours swift travel
over the G. G. & L. r. r. brought our
special train to Marion, where we found
the entire business portion of the city
and many of the residences decorated
with the national colors in honor of the
editors. At the depot we were welcom-
ed by the reception committee and es-
corted to special trolley cars and after
pleasant ride through the business
and residence parts of the city were
taken to the Marion Normal College,
where pleasant hour was spent with
an impromptu program, and then the
party returned to the club rooms of the
Commercial Club where luncheon was
served. After luncheon special cars
were provided and everybody visited
the National Soldiers Home, one of the
finest of the National homes for the old
veterans in the whole country. The
buildings are all substantial brick and
the grounds have been transformed into
beautiful flower garden. Col. George
W. Steele, governor of the home and his
staff, together with the wives of the
officers received the visitors and direct
ed them to the various places of inter-
est. A special program was rendered
by the military band complimentary to
the N. E. A. At 10 o'clock our party
boarded their sleeping cars our train
having been transferred to the Big
Four road, and we started for Winona
Lake, to spend the following day as
guests of the Winona Assembly.
Our train had hardly started when
trouble also started among the passen-
gers male and female. In our flying
trip over Indiana the editors had been
dined and wined on an average of four
times day, and the pace was getting
pretty hot, especially when it is remem-
bered that the party had been mixing
drinks, and water from Tom Taggart's
famous Pluto mineral spring at French
Lick, lemonade from Peru, coffee from
Lafayette, all mixed up with sandwiches
pickles and such stuff proved the undo
ing of many, and the train was turned
into regular hospital train, but for
tunately DR.. J. W. Lucas, of Moorehead,
Miss, the associations special physi-
clan, was one Of the few person who
were not on the sick List and he worked
like trooper all night, treating nearly
seventy-five patients in the course of
few hours, and all suffering from the
same trouble. Some of the patients
were deathly sick, and the Chicago
papers published exaggerated reports
about the editors having been poisoned,
but the truth is that it was simply a
case of too much eating and drinking,
together with change of water and loss
of sleep, and days rest at beautiful
Winona Lake restored all the patients
to good health and ready to continue
the journey.
Arriving at Warsaw at an early hour
we found special street cars brought
right to our train to take us out to
Winona Lake, and in this place we spent
one Of the best days Of our entire trip.
The Winona Assembly left nothing un-
done for the comfort of their guests,
breakfast being served at the Winona
Hotel, and luncheon and dinner at the
Inn. Many thousands of dollars have
been spent in making the Winona AS
sembly grounds one of the finest sum-
mering places in America and the Sum-
mer School enjoys national reputation.
After breakfast many boarded the fine
little steamer "City OF Warsaw" and
were taken across the lake to Kosciusko
lodge, and then. a tramp through the
beautiful woods under the leadership of
Colonel Isaac W. Brown, the bird and
bee man, who has induced nearly every
species of bird known in the northern
climate to build their nests and rear
their young. Col. Brown is recognized
as one of the authorities on birds and
bees and as he pointed out the nests
all about their habits, the songsters
would come and perch themselves very
close to him knowing we'll that he was
their friend. In the grand auditorium
we had the pleasure of hearing Chevalier
Gargiulo and his famous Italian band
of fifty pieces, which came direct from
New York City to begin it's summer
concert tour. Everything connected
with the assembly grounds, boating,
bathing, etc. was placed at the disposal
of the editors and many enjoyed their
first dip in the water for the season
Everybody was tired but exceedingly
happy when we piled into our sleeping
cars at II o'clock for the final run to
Chicago where we were to leave the
dusty cars for lake voyage.
The following morning at o'clock