The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1907-04-26
JUDGE PENDERGAST'S
VISIT TO HUTCHINSON
Visits the Home OF His Boyhood Days.
Cites incidents of His Army
Life.


son Leader later published a
long article anent l.. G.. and
hisearly residence at Hutch
inson, together with an ac-
curate account of the Judge as
he appears in the august of his
life.
Under the caption, "Man on
the Square" the Leader says:
"Forty-six years ago this
month a well developed STRIPPING
of a lad aged 18 years left Hutch
inson barefooted for Acton,
where, he had heard, company
was being organized to go south
and lick the stufin' out of the
fire eating Secesh. In his candid
and callow opinion one north.
erner could single-handed and
alone whip three or four rebs in
the first round, so the war would
soon be over.
"There was nothing doing at
Acton so he returned home and
few days later went to Glencoe
on what proved to be another
wildgoose chase. Thoroughly
disgusted he rolled up hunk of
bread and piece of bacon and
started for Fort Smelling, walk
ing the seventy miles through
the sparsely settled country in
two days.
"Here his am bition was graft
fed. He was mustered right
into company I of the First Min
nesota regiment, which later
achieved imperishable glory on
many bloody fields. It was at
the first battle of Bull Run that
the eighteen year old boy who
had come hundreds Of miles to
personally trim up or put out of
commission at least three Johnny
Rebs, got his first taste Of real
war.
"rhe experience was SO unex-
pectedly disagreeable and nerve
racking that the boy decided to
postpone the picnic temporarily
if not permanently and saunter
back to Washington at the rate
of about four miles in SIX minutes
and rest and refresh himself in
the shade of the Notifications.
Some thirty thousand of his
comrades had decided to do the
same thing, so what use was it
for him to remain there alone
when every attempt he made tc
frighten away the rebel army
was in most aggravating and
brutal manner ignored?
''He arrived safely in Washing
ton, and the rebels must have
been suspicious that he was hold
ing the fort for they retired from
the field without following the
Yankee sprinters or attempting
to take the city. He remained
with the First Minnesota a yea.
and a half, when he got a chanc.
to enlist in a u. S. cavalry regi
ment and as his legs had not ye
fully recovered from the strai1
put upon them in traversing th
distance between Bull Run AM
Washington he decided that h
could get in touch with the thre'
rebels be had come south to var
quish quickerif on horseback tina
on foot. So he stayed in tn
saddle to the fnish-four lonl
years of war, from Bull Run t
the hell Of the Wilderness can
paign; four long years of camp
ing, charging and counter chare
ing, of scenes of blood and ho!
ror.
"At the end the boy returne
home man and wearing (poet
cally speaking) the patriot
crown of glory upon his heat
lie had been a brave and sple,
did soldier. And didn't the hon
folks let out a holler when the
saw him coming up the patti
And the women and girls she
copiously of the SOULS best brir
of joy.
"The other day a rosy face
rugged appearing nan wit
springy step butted into tt
Leader Office, slammed the doc