The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1909-11-04
Big RALLY OF
old SOLDIERS
JERRY RucK POST AND RELIEF
CORPS or ToWNER ENTER
TAIN POST or MINoT.

NO. ~ entertained Abraham Lin
coin Post. No. IS. and their auxiliary
corps OF Minot, at dinner in Towner,
and the citizens turned out in large
numbers A delightful dinner was
served in the w. r. C. hall from till
.. m. The toast list was well and
ably handled by Mr.. Kupl, banker, and
the programme begun at .. m. and
lasted till 10 p. m. Then the young
people danced
Who would have imagined that vet
Grams of the sixties would have tripped
so lightly, but they were escorting the
girls who sewed their suits in those
days and are still sewing.
About midnight the inspiring strains
of the Towner orchestra filled the floor
with grayhaired people who had been
enjoying watching the gay youths who
were chasing the glowing hours with
dying feet"
There were seven corps women down
from Minot, and six were still in the
hall, when the writer slipped away.
All the old boys were there but two
and they had gone reluctantly, because
their hostess needed an escort, but
oh, how longingly they looked back!
Who says $4,000 veterans answered
the last roll call In 1908? Well there
are 100000 yet, and the business men
of Towner may tell, in their loving
greetings and affection, of a limit at
three-score and ten, but the veteran
responsible for the idea of the dinner,
and its generalship, celebrated his 18th
birthday least September, and means
to celebrate SIS many more as the law
allows. Fargo knows e. G. Stevens
well, and , do many readers of The
Forum.
In telling OF conditions in war time,
he, an old railroad man, told Of the
two short lines then west of the Mis-
sissippi; OF the distrust of telegrapny
in running any railroad; of the total
lack Of daily papers; Of the $12 paid
yearly for the New York Tribune and
the three weeks age Of it's news by the
time it reached Illinois and Wiscon-
sin.
He described the disbelief of all his
neighbors in war as an issue, until
the lieutenant governor of Wisconsin
received a telegram from President
Lincoln stating that Fort Sumter mad
fallen, and ealing for $4,000 men to
meet the emergency.
Wisconsin's share was one regiment
(and four were Immediately enrolled
and offere6).
The telegram came to Elkhorn, a
village of 1900 people in WaIworth
county, wisconsin, Sunday forenoon,
April Is, 1881, was Immediately copied
and copy sent to each church.
Services were in session: most OF the
ministers had reached the sermon.
Eacil minister read the telegram.
The people looked at each other and
,, with one accord walked out to the
village green. This was a square of
three acres around the county court
house.
There men addressed their neighbors
and a man of the name of Hardness
said: Here am /, send me-" One nun
dred twent, five men stepped forward
and enrolled.
These men were mustered In Camp
Utley. And this fall, 1909, their cam
to cali on Comrade Steven, two old
ladies, Mrs. Bagley, mother Of County
Court Judge Horace Bagley of Nc
Henry county and Mrs. Burns, mother
of Mrs. ] d. O'Connell. What was
the amazement of the three to learn
that they had all been in Camp Utley
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those first volunteers.
But Comrade Stevens was too hoarse
and tired to add the Hugnenot picture
story of the two sweethearts who
would not let their lovers go, ut the
lovers said, my country first" and
the girls said Choose" and those fine
lads, uncheered, never came back.
Wives said, "Get your gun and go,
john. Ruth viii mind the oxen and
will mind the hoe"
1 Comrade George III. Soule told of his
two weeks in Libby prison, his year
( in Macon prison and his sleeping under
/ the trees at Savannah while the bombs
a of his own Federal comrades went his
' sing over their heads, puffs of flame at
D night and puffs Of smoke by day.
And his lonely return, on his ex-
8 change, to Petersburg to find out OF
E fifty-nine rank and file captured with
him, none returned from Andersonville
to service. though some seven return
: ed to the north, broken In health. OF
the officers captured, he alone return
ed.
a But ne records gratefully the kind
ness Of sisters of charity down there
who fed as yanks, too.
The grim detail of the men ex-
changed who accompanied him on the
boat north from Savannah, screwed uI
with nips Of whiskeY TO enable them
:, : to pass by the exchanging officer. And
: they were still wearing the same
7 clothes in which they had been cap
! tured eighteen months before, but
! these worn to rags, hardly covered
J. their nakedness.
Hair and beard long and unkempt
:, bones barely covered with skin, anG
then he drew a. veil over his memories
! WIN any OF the young people evel
4 for get that war Is hell2
The war song paper Of Mrs. Frances
!, @. Webster was very fine; and it was
! pathetic in the extreme. She, lonely
+ widow. whose only son was wounded
i on san Juan nil in 1898 and died on
4 the way home, remembers az a child
4 of her own father going out as chap
Il lain in the 51st Ohio, and our tears fel
d fast as she recited
Q Grave boys are they
10 Gone at their country's call.
i And yet, and yet. we cannot forget
i That many brave boys must fall
Il And there were the lawyers, bank
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