The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-08-31
CAR. ONCE MORE
FOrty.SecOnd Annual Reunion
of War Veterans
Begins at Toledo With Big
Crowd on Hand.
TnWWIC I'M MI II
NO TENTS THIS TIME.
Visitors Are All Housed in HO'
tels and Residences.
Contest for COmmander-in-
Chief Already Under Way.

Toledo. O.. Aug. 31.-The forty-sec-
ond annual encampment of the nation
al G. A. r. began here today. on spe-
cial and regular trains veterans are
constantly arriving with their wives.
families and friends for a week of re-
union. During the day the programme
called for nothing save the renewal of
old acquaintances. Tonight the for
NAL reception to visitors will take
place when Mayor Brand Whitelock
will deliver an address Of we1come.
The banner day of the encampment
will come on Wednesday when the G..
A. r. parade will share honors with
William II. Taft, Republican candidate
for president, Senator Foraker, Gov
ernor Harris and others. The gentle
men mentioned will be rendered a re-
ception on that day by the Lincoln
club and will review the parade. Gov
ernOr Wilson of Kentucky is also ex-
pected.
Flags and electric lights in patriotic
design are everywhere and bunting
runs in rivulets along every street in
the business district. The housing of
the old soldiers in hotels and private
residences meets with general COM
mendation.
BY noon thousands of veterans with
yellow badges bearing the names of
their respective states. thronged the
streets, though in scarcely greater
numbers than the women of the auxil-
iary associations. Here and there on
street corners or in front of hotels
crowds of old soldiers gathered relat-
ing history or listening to some i'm
promptu soloist roaring some old war
song, notable chiefly for wealth of de-
tail and the untutored composition of
the music
An early songster collected a crowd
near the SecOr hotel with a thunder
Gus burst which had a range on the
scale of about four notes, but omitted
nothing of interest concerning the
Battle of the Wilderness. And he re-
ceived earnest attention all the way
through The atmosphere of gaiety
was enlivened by the arrival of brass
bands and by the appearance of auto
mobiles and carriages, every one of
them appropriately ornamented with
the colors Of the occasion.
''Wherell I find the Massachusetts
boys?' asked a new arrival from Illi-
nois of a newsboy guide.
IF he's from Massachusetts you will
probably find him at the main head
quarters or with your own bunch. It's
awful the way they mix us up. Us
guides have our own troubles"
The boy YEARLY pointed to the pass
ing crowd of new arrivals-Pennsyl-
vanians, proud Of the buck tails in
their caps; New Workers veterans
from Iowa, Nebraska a large number
OF whom had been delayed by
wreck Oregon, Washington, Louis
lana. Alabama Illinois, Delaware,
Florida. Georgia, South Carolina, In
diana. Kentucky, Missouri, Minnesota,
electoneering for Ex-Governor Van
SAINT for COMMUNICATIVE chief; Michi-
gan New Jersey, which expects to
to elect Colonel Henry NJ. Nevis to the
leadership of the organization and
others.
Lack of System.
There was a lamentable lack Of
system in the concourse according to
the boys point of view, but it suited
the old boys in blue to mingle south
with north and east and west with
both.
At the various headquarters heed
less of the perplexities of the boy
guides, there was endless handshaking
and hospitality in the shifting crowds
At noon Illinois was outnumbered in
its own rooms by Iowa and later by
Indiana, but these two states We're. in
their turn overwhelmed by Illinois to
the hearty satisfaction of all concern
ed. California dispensed literally from
its store Of fruit and wine, brought in
two special cars from the Pacific coast
and Prof. George Z. Young of that
state. held forth for few pathetic
moments 10 reporters OF the WIDOWS
for whom -'-~~e We're no reunions To
husbands and sweethearts they had
said: Go" when duty called. he said
and for them there was no glad re-
union only sad memories alone in their
forgotten homes"
Colonel William NJ. Scott of Atlanta
Ga. junior vice commander, with Mrs
Scott. arrived during the night and
expressed himself pleased at the
numerical strength of the southern
states. despite discouraging railroad
rates.
There are a great many more mem
bers of the G.. a. R. in the south than
most people think" said Colonel Scott
The story of how a protruding door
of a freight car broke four windows on
one of the Nebraska special cars de-
veloped today from the visit of two
excited veterans at the newspaper of
fee. They reported as the train was
about 20 miles from Toledo yesterday
Afternoon a bomb was thrown through
the window, the interior of the car be-
ing badly damaged. Investigation
showed that there was no bomb but
that the door of a passing freight car
+ had swung out and when the passen-
ger train passed the door hit the side of
one of the passenger coaches. No one
was hurt.