Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-08-26
REUNION WAS A
Great SUCCESS
WAPELLO COUNTY'S OLD SET
Tiers AND OLD SOLDIERS
CELEBRATED YESTERDAY.

|
CELEBRATED YESTERDAY.
WAS A GALA EVENT
Sixteenth Annual Gathering Mad,
! Memorable For It's Excellent Pro
aram and the Means Afforded
! Of Meeting Old Friends.
| Adjourning early in order that thu
comrades might attend the funeral O
Charles Bachman, also comrade o
Cloutman Post, G. A. r., the old sol
dier's portion Of the program yester
day at the annual reunion OF Wapellt
county old soldiers and old settlers
association was finished about
o'clock and the day Of celebration
ended. That the day was we'll spent
and happily enjoyed by the huge
crowd present was easily apparent
to anyone present. Prayer, speech
and music supplied the regular pro.
gram, and chief among the enjoyment
supplied. was the social chat and
greetings of old friends who would not
| be denied their one great opportunity
of meeting old friends and living over
again the days when the county was
| but young and life's problems diner.
ent. None enjoyed this meeting OF
friends, nor was anyone more enjoy
ed by others than was w. H. Caldwell
of Topeka, Kan, who thirty-three
years ago left Ottumwa and Wapello
county for Kansas. Yesterday was
the frs. time he had returned to the
old town and county and the home
coming was full of JOY not to him
alone but the hundreds who besieged
him during the day at the reunion.
The same personality that was seen
In the several reminiscent;inspired
letters published from Mr.. Caldwell In
the Courier, showed itself in the flesh
Yesterday and the author of the Cald-
well letters about Ottumwa and Of
tumwans was the lion CT the hour.
Well preserved, despite his encroach-
ing years, he is still stout and SO
CHEEKY of disposition as to fairly ef-
fervesco with good humor. and q few
moments conversation with the form
er old settler who now claims Kansas
as his home, is equivalent to tonic
for the blues.
Major splIman Presided.
The afternoon program was largely
giver over to the old soldiers and
from 2:3O O'Clock on the entertain
ment was presided over by Maj. T. P.
Spilman. Just preceding the old SOL
diers' program few speeches were
made by old settlers and visitors
among whom was w. H. Caldwell. His
remarks were from the heart and
made a hit with his hearers. His
introduction to those who had forgot
ten him came In the many interesting
letters published during the past year
and when announced from the plat
form the audience was wild to meet
him and welcome him back to old
Wapello county Judge Terry OF Abba
was another Of the visitors who was
taken into the hearts of the old set
tiers and he, too, had to make a short
address which was received with
much interest. David Jay Of Blakes-
burg supplied some food for thought
to the assembled pioneers and the
man from old Adams township lent
his part to making the day memor-
able one. A short address Of an ex-
temporaneous character was delivered
by Major Spilman in which the speak
err touched upon the treaty Of arbitra-
ton recently turned down IN the
United States senate. The speaker
deprecated the action Of the senate
and urged especially the old soldiers
to support world peace. One OF the
chief talks Of the afternoon and a
speech replete with his characteristic
humcr was delivered by the well
known revenue officer, SAINT Kirkpat-
rick who came from Greensboro, N. c.,
to attend the reunion and report as
an old soldier and, settler as we'll.
Short Talks Made.
Short talks were also made by
Major Mahon. who said in the course
of his remarks that owing to some Of
the regular speakers being absent, he
was commissioned by the president
to scatter the crowd. He classed him
self as a stop-gap of the program and
said that inasmuch as the crowd had
already begun to move, he expected
they would move more rapidly as he
talked. Such, however, was not to
be the case, for before the major was
through the fire that lay dormant in
the hearts of the boys Of the old brig
sde was stirred up. Capt. W. H. &.
Jaques was called upon and made a
few remarks that recalled days when
the hour was darkest.
He took the position that the treaty
of arbitration was Of less Importance
to the country than the Monroe doc
trine and said that he felt that war
was the creates civilizing force Of the
time. He cited the war of the revolu-
ton and what it accomplished. In
like manner the civil war and the free
dom Of slaves, and said that even the
Spanish war did good, If In no other
way than because 1t cemented the
friendship OF the north and south by
having sons Of those who fought on
either side in the bitter struggle OF
81, march shoulder to shoulder In the
Spanish war.
Major Hamilton Heard.
Major A. H. Hamilton was the hnal
speaker and as the day was the an
niversary of the day forty-seven years
ago when he struck the union lines.
~ ..15 30 hle $h}r%v.fhroo daya in the