Mexico weekly ledger., 1909-09-30
encanpnent.
(BY JAS. e. CRAIG
St. Louis Republic.

(BY JAS. e. CRAIG
St. Louis Republic.
Their voices breaking into ring
ing cheer and their STOPPING shoul-
ders, for the moment, Strengthened,
five hundred delegates this morning
opened the annual reunion Of 'he
Missouri Div, United Veterans, at
the Grand Opera House, when band
struck up the martial air of Dixie"
At the first strains of the song,
which had been their battle call in
the old days, the veterans sprang
to their feet, hats off, erect, their
eyes shining with tears. 1t was
spontaneous. There was no signal
to tell them when to start the dem
onstration. 1t was just Dixie" and
that was all they knew.
A few minutes later they stood re-
spectfully while the band played
"Star Spangled Banner" 1t was an
act OF reverence and allegiance to
the united country and its flag Yet,
while they greeted the national an
them courteously, the spontaneous
outburst when the war-song of the
Southland was raised, told OF the
passionate love they still bear for
the Lost Cause.
Although officially the convention
began before this, 1t was Dixie"
which actually started It. All that
went before was preliminary. Yet
there was not wanting something oi
fire and much of pathos in the pro
cedure outside the convention hail
while the delegates we're assembling
Crowds Of the veterans poured in
to Mexico last night, and the streets
were full of them, most of then
wearing insignia of some kind, ant
many Of them displaying the gray
uniform of the Confederacy. They
gathered in little knots and greet
I
ed each other as only old comrades
in arms can. There were reminis
cences and, occasionally, the men
tion of a name which would caust
the speaker to pause sadly and thu
listener to avert his eyes. More cor
rades we're absent than they coult
ever again hope to greet.
A little while after o'clock, Mis-
Ruth Fonville, the official trumpet
er, blew the assembly call Ther
was quick military command, an
the veterans, with something of tn
discipline of their youth, fell into liz
by twos. Major General Hallibul
ton, of Carthage, Commander of tn
Division, placed himself at tn
head and the march to the oper
house began.
Inside the theater, a large sect o
had been reserved for the vete
ans, and, upon the stage, were th
band, General Halliburton and hf
staff, the Matron of Honor, chapero'
and Maids of Honor. The hall wa
decorated with Confederate fag
while over the presidents desk, So
by side i'm amity, were the sta
and stripes of the Union, and Il
+ stars and bans of the Confederacy
the galleries, boxes and in the dre
/ circle we're crowds of spectators.
d There was a moments pause
y General Halliburton stepped to q
e center of the stage, in front OF
(. great cluster of golden-rod, a.
raped for order
Comrades the General sa
simply, "the Convention will beg
with our favorite hymn"
Then it was the band struck
/" "Dixie," and the first great demo
stration occurred.
" When the chaplain, the Revere
Thomas M. Cobb. arose to make {
% invocation, the veterans sto
So with bowed heads. 1t was the pra!
l. of a devoted man of God, simple, {
~ vent, concerned more withethe spil
ual welfare of his hearers than WI
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