The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1910-08-12
MECHANICS CAMP

SOLDIER BOYS FROM LACKA-
WANNA AND LUZERNE WE'LL
DRILLED, FINELY DISCIPLIN-
ED BODY-DAYS FULL OF IN
TEREST WHILE THEY REMAIN
AT LAKE LODORE-TO BREAK
CAMP SUNDAY.
When the special correspondent
of The Citizen, drawn to Lake Lo-
dore Tuesday by the proximity of
the big Shoemakers' picnic and the
! American Mechanics camp from
Lackawanna and Luzerne, dropped
| over to see Gen. Riskei and his Off
GERS and men under canvas, he was
struck most forcibly by two things.
In the first place, he noticed that
the camp under the generals COM
mand was the equal in cleanliness,
order and practical arrangement of
any camp it ever has been his for
tune to visit-and this correspond
ent, by the way, has seen 8 years
| of soldier life, including six in the
regular army. And he soon discov-
cred that these uniformed boys from
A-oNhu " anna anu are Iuduy
of them fellows connected by for
mer residence or marriage or blood
with the good folk of Wayne coun-
ty, and that the visitor properly ac-
credited to any town or hamlet in
Wayne is going to get warm, rous-
ing welcome the moment he let's
them know who he is and where
he halls from.
For instance, there is Major A.
E. Hagar, the very vigilant and at
the same time very affable and COM
panionable surgeon of the camp.
Major Hagar gets his mail at Tay-
lor now and his shingle has for
some time hung in that town, but
he was not always a Taylor citi-
zen. The majors folks all came
from Wayne county-from Goulds-
boro, to be real explicit about it.
And the heart of Major Hagar-he
is quite willing to be quoted in this
matter-is just as much in Goulds-
boro, the scene of early days and
young friendships, as it is in Tay-
lor, for all Taylor turns him in his
bread and butter now. Candidly,
as soon as the major found he was
being interviewed by a Honesdale
man for a Honesdale paper he
couldn't do too much-though
Gouldsboro, to which he time and
again alluded, is SO miles from
Honesdale, away down in Lehigh
township, smack up against the
Lackawanna line, and Gouldsboro
folks go into Scranton to do their
trading. He admitted he had not
been to Honesdale much of late
years, but he is coming this way
between now and Sunday, the day
the Mechanics break camp.
Just tell them I'll be over" he
said. Il want to see how the beau
tiful town looks in her full August
attire. OF course, you understand
that it can't beat Gouldsboro. That's
to be taken for granted all the time.
But Honesdale is a beautiful place
and I'm going to run down and look
'em over"
The major is immensely popular
with the boys. He is aggressive,
jovial, democratic. They say the
camp wouldn't be a real camp with
out Major Hagar, and he admits it
is the finest vacation in the world
to him to pass 10 days under can
vas with such completely congenial
spirits. The majors father, as
everybody almost will remember,
was Hon. S. S. Hagar. member of the
legislature from Wayne county from
1883 to 1892. The elder Hagar
was also Republican county chair
man for some years. The major liv-
ed in Gouldsboro with his people
from 1872 to 1892, when he went
to Philadelphia to take up the
study of medicine at Jefferson.
Then there is Gen. Riskel. The
general is a remarkable man. This
, Mechanic camp is his particular Joy
and pride. He gives time and mon
ey to the preparations for it, and
the sacrifice of both is, no doubt,
considerable; but he is willing to
make it, He speaks of his army
Just about as tenderly, just about
as enthusiastically as Col. Roose-
welt talks about his Rough Riders
the gritty boys that rode up San
Juan hill with him. He won't talk
much about himself, but he will
talk about his army. He has been
a worker for 1t for years, and moth
ing makes Gen. Riskel feel better
than to know his boys appreciate the
interest that is more brotherly than
fatherly and that the undisputed
credit for the present fine condition
of the army is laid at HIS door.
Col. Hall is another excellent Of
fcer-cleyer, soldierly and attentive
to the duties of his post. He wants
no higher encomium than the simple
observation that "Col. Hall knows
his business" And of the correct
ness of that observation there can
be no question. A quiet but firm
disciplinarlan, who has the knack
OF getting things done without fuss
or friction, Col. Hall is valuable