The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-03-18
AMERICANS AT BANQUET
PAY TRIBUTE TO C0NN0R
Continued From Page One.

lreverently they looked upon him. and
when at last. serene and unfaltering. he
passed on, In their sorrow they sold he
was saint: In the soft air they thought
they dlscerncd through their tears the
light which was reflected back when his
spirit took It's fight they said, 1t marks
the way up which our souls will fol-
low"
Ever since their descendants have held
| his memory as sacred. and every year
they bend before their affairs and send
all halls to his soul In glory, This is the
anniversary. The honors paid 1T are a
| certain proof that 1t is possible FOR an
| humble and devout man TO so Impress
| his influence upon the world that neither
the mutations OF time nor the darkness
| OF the grave can obscure IL.
Counor's Birthday.
This is another anniversary. On that
some beautiful island where st. Patrick
| lived and died, ninety years ago today.
| in County Kerry, up near the tair lakes
OF Killarney Patrick Edward Connor was
born. While but child he comprehended
the sorrows of his countrymcn, how ham
pered by cruel conditions. how barren of
opportunities. how hopeless were their
| lives He read, too. of q land beyond the
| sea where men were all free: where every
avenue 10 fame and wealth was open to
all alike; where what earnest life
might achieve WAS limited only by the
courage TO try and the ability to accom-
plsh. While yet a lad, when with his
| father he sailed from home for this new
land. every breeze that made the shrouds
| n harp on which to play. to him awak-
| encd trumpet calls Of liberty. and when.
after weary buffetings at sea, the tired
ship pulled into her pier In New York
| harbor, he was II vastly more intense
| American than arc thousands and tens OF
| thousands who arc born upon this soil.
He proved IL while yet Il boy. The
nation was at war with a savage roe;
he volunteered ard fought until that foe
and he left the ranks Of lighting men and
entered upon business career. But two
| years later another war note was sound
| ed and he was among the very first TO
respond, Then quickly came the sharp
battles of Palo Alto and RcsaCca dc In
Palma, and the long-drawn battle that
ended with the capture OF Monterey.
few weeks later, on crisp morn
ing. the anniversary OF Washington s
birth. that marvellous battle Of Buena
Vista opened where: from early morn
ing until night came down. that little
army, facing odds Of four 10 one. fought
through the slow-rnoving hours Connor
was n captain then and was the first Of
ficer wounded upon that red field, but he
needed not the wound. All day long he
held his place McGee and Clay and
Harding and Lincoln were killed; SO was
many another officer. and there was a
fearful destruction Of men in the ranks
but the gaps were closed and the thin
front remained firm. until as the night
came down and the sullcn guns grew
STILL and the commander of that little
army. when asked about dispositions for
the next days battle, swept the field
with his glass; then, with a grim smile,
replied: ''There will be no tomorrow's
feated." and wrapping his gray coat
around him, lay down upon the ground
and slept undlstuvbed. But Captain Con-
nor had been bleeding as we'll as fight
loss OF blood, that a soldier lay on either
side of him all that night to supply the
warmth 10 keep him alive.
Went to California
When the war closed, Captain Connor
made his way across Mexico and reached
San Francisco In the first month OF 1850.
Soon news OF a great gold strike on the
Trinity was reported. and, no one know
ing the geography Of the country, but
believing the Trinity emptied into the
expedition TO go up the coast. find the
mouth Of the river and found a town.
Half the party were drowned on the
Humboldt bar and Connor himself
upon the shore. Later he made a second
attempt. only to find that the Trinity
cmptied Into the klamath. Then he tried
shipping lumber TO San Francisco: he fol-
lowed the Cold Bluif excitement. but
finally settled In Stockton, Cal In the
next ten years he held several honorable
offices and carried on a successful bust-
ness.
But during that ten years California
was going through a transition state. The
leading men In the southern states were
Northern and southern men were about
equally divided in California but the
southcrners had most of the offices and
presented vastly the most perfect or
ganization Some of the firecest of the
southerners lived in and about Stock
ton and the sectional bitterness between
men was great. More than once Captain
Connor's life was threatened but his an
swer was that his country was good
enough TO live for. and. II need be. to die
for.
Ordered to Utah.
With the opening of the civil war, Cap
governor OF California and was at once
made colonel Of the Third California in
fantry and stationed at Benicla barracks.
The expectation was that all would be
colonel. with his regiment, was ordered
TO Utah HIS command consisted OF the
Third California infantry and four com
panies Of the Second cavalry in all $50
men. The colonel was much disappointed
in not being sent east, but he had at last
distinct command and a clear field In
which TO establish clearly the stun that
was In him.
First Loyal Cheer in Utah.
The men OF southern sympathies were
aggressive; the Mormons OF that day
made no pretenses of loyalty to the gov
ernment OF the United States. All the
thousand mile march to Fort Douglas
note from Colonel Connor was a full echo
of the loyalty that possessed his soul. OF
the courage that bore him up. and the
day his command marched up the main
street of this city, and, hating i'm front
OF Governor Hardng's residence, with
flags waving, trumpets calling and drums
rolling, gave three cheers TO the great re-
public and It's flag. WAS a date to be re-
membered for ii was the first loyal
American cheer that ever sounded here.
The march was longer than Xenophon's
two years retreat: II was over snowy
mountains and burning deserts. II was
through "a semi-hostile country. and every
day threat of annihilation came to them
II they persisted on their march. When
the eyes Of Xenophon's band from a
height saw the western sea I'm the dis
tance. in their gratitude they built an
altar and offered oblatious to their gods
When the Connor command reached Salt
Lake they lifted up their standard and
gave three cheers for their country and
Its flag.
No More REASONABLE Talk.
Fort Douglas was established and no.
tce was proclaimed that there must be
no treason nor reasonable talk in this
region. The next winter. Colonel Com
nor made his campaign against the hos
tile Snakes and Bannocks. and In the
Bear river battle utterly broke the power