New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-05-07
For Those Who Died at Sea
ia ushters of Veterans Will Strew Flowers on
Hudson/in Memory of Naval Heroes.

tent was named for one OF the most famous
women OF the civil War period-Mrs. Ella
Bxby. of Boston. She was the one who
gave her five sons to the Union and wished
she had five more to give. Abraham Lin
coin wrote her a letter. you remember.
Let me see. ! have a copy Of It, oh, yes,
here It is"
Then Mrs. ITaslins produced framed
facsimile Of tho letter. with a portrait OF
Lincoln az the top 1t read az follows:
the files OF the War Department
statement of the adiutant general of Mas
sachusetts that you are the mother OF
five sons who have died glOriOusly on the
less must be any word Of mine which
should attempt To beguile you from the
grief Of loss 50 overwhelming. But !
cannot refrain from rendering you the con-
ISOLATION that may be found in the thanks
OF the Republic they died to save. ] pray
that our Heavenly Father may assuage tho
you only the cherished memory OF the loved
and lost, and the solemn pride that must
be yours TO have laid so costly a sacrifice
upon the altar Of freedom.
Yours very sincerely and respectfully.
a. LINCOLN.
Mrs ITaskns put the document rever-
entity back in It's position of honor and re-
turned to the Daughters Of Veterans.
Now, here's something else you might
put in the paper" she suggested. 1--WE
have been invited TO march in the Me-
mortal Day parade AS guard of honor to
Morgan Post We're the first women who
ever marched in the parade. so it is a great
honor. We'll all he there even Mrs Mart
ling and that reminds me. you ought to
go to see Mrs. Martling. because she is the
woman who founded the Ella Bixby Tent
She is the daughter OF veteran and the
wife Of a veteran, too. and she can tell you
the whole history of the war. over in
East 1i3d street IS whore she lives. Any
body will show YOU the house. Just ask
for Mrs. Mary Martling."
with these meagre directions. but with a
sustaining faith that a daughter Of a vet
! eran would be q noted parsonage and
! therefore easily traced in The Bronx the
reporter made pilgrimage to East 143d
street. II turned out to be one OF those
quaint old streets. found now only in re-
mote and northerly envrons Of New York,
where every family has a little two story
frame house and every house has a front
yard In one Of those front yards there
was an old man putterng over MS rose
bushes; he had n jolly. round. rosy face
and curly white hair. like the nice old men
i'm Dickens. The reporter made for him at
once.
Mrs Martlng, Ell? Well. 7 guess 7
know her" said he. She's an old veteran.
like me. We're all old veterans around
here"
The rest was easy Mrs. Martling was
at home a spry little creature. somewhat
! Hurried by a series of encounters with red
tape AZ the Pension Office. from which she
had just returned. and quite excited by the
presence Of a reporter. The parlor behind
the vine covered porch was rather dark.
bur the family portraits on the wall made
a heroic showing in spite of it.
That's my husband" said Mrs Martng
proudly. He lost an arm at Gettysburg.
and he was twenty-eght years sick. They
didn't take care of his shoulder on the
held-they couldn't, you know-so it never
healed. Ali. yes. It was hard, but Well,
now you wait and I'll show you some
| thing"
She hustled off to find her relics, and
then vivacious granddaughter took charge
of the situation.
We're going to he in the Memorial Day
Parade" she said. and have float.
Everybody has to wear n white skirt and
a MILDLY blouse and a blue paper cap
Yes, Of course. Mrs. IIaskins has to. too;
everybody does and
"Well, I'm going to march, young
woman interrupted her grandmother, re-
turning. land I'm seventy years Old 50 I
guess | won't wear any mildly blouse"
Whereupon Young America took a back
seat and "reminiscences Of war times be-
| gan