Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-07-05
SIGNALS OF PEACE
REUNIONS CLIMAX
Flashed by Veteran FIagmen
From Seminary Ridge to
Little Round Top.
GETTYSBURG GATHERING
is BROUGHT TO AN END
Men in Blue and Gray Desert Bat.
tlefield for Their
Homes.
BY EARL GOODWIN.


group of veterans with him. Then
he started to wig-wag with an old time
signal flag. Lieut.. Round was reading
1t through his glasses. as well as every
one OF the veteran signal men with
him. and he set IL down in his dispatch
book Peace on Earth Good VIII to
Men, was what Marcy sent to him.
That was the initial message OF good
bye to Gettysburg from the old time
signal men of the United States Army,
hundred of them today. divided between
Seminary Ridge and Little Round Top,
to watch this signaling in all proba bill
fty the first time that the flashes of
the war code have ever been used to
wave from ridge to ridge the words Of
the angels which heralded the coming
or the Prince of Peace.
Seminary Ridge Answers.
Seminary Ridge then lay down its
glasses and picked up the wig-wag kit.
Glory to God in the highest" read the
signals.
Then from Round Top came the an
swer:
Let US have peace which was Grants
fervent wish.
And in answer TO that, Seminary Ridge
reverently signaled the words of Gen
Lea monument to him is in plain sight
across the field where Longstreet's men
lought-"D Duty is the sublimest word in
our language"
and then from the two heights these
hundred men stepped slowly down. in the
spirit of men who have felt their souls
pray to God in the sanctuary Of heaven
itself.
They were all signal corps men of the
army of day when a wireless field out
mt was not thought of in the wildes,
dreams and who sent their wig-wag code
from mountain peaks at the imminen,
risk of their lives. Their organization
Round of Manassas who did the signal
ing from Seminary Ridge
elimination of the Reunion.
This prayer. tagged over the stretch
OF the battlefield. is the elimination OF
the peace reunion, and marks the end OF
the unparalleled meeting at Gettysburg.
Even while the messages were being in
scribed in the dispatch books thousands
upon thousands Of veterans were board
ing the outgoing specials. totally OBJ
livious of the last words OF the signal
men.
When it began to appear that the re-
union actually is over there was a load
lifted from the shoulders of executive
officers around here that made them
soar to the heights of jubilation. There
was a Saturmalia of turkey trotting around
headquarters. which for half hour made
colonies. generals. veterans. moving pic
ture photographers and Boy Scouts all
mingle together in one common bond, as
if they all belonged to the same church.
To celebrate further Lieut. Saunders.
who has been feeding the headquarters
multitude. hac ordered dinner OF Penn
sylvania chicken. which did much to help
along the general good feeling Every
one of the 5000 or 10000 veterans in
camp also had chicken and ice cream for
dinner, and grumbled only because they
could not take the cream home as a
souvenir.
Washington veterans, as a delegation,
did not share in the chicken dinner
because most of that camp had left. Not
one Washingtonian will be left there by
this afternoon.
The veterans are going around posing
for photographs with their new-found
friends, the regulars. They like the idea
of the Photographic combination of the
blue of '63 and the khaki of ID: and
the regulars don't mind it a bit. There
is veteran named Hull from somewhere
in New York who wears the most mag
nifcent set of whiskers in camp and
who is getting all the auto rides. Nov
ing picture men and photographers have
been hauling him and his whiskers about
in high-priced automobiles Just for the
sake OF having him and his patriarchal
beard right there somewhere in the fore
ground. He is a real veteran. too.
Make-believe Vet. Hooted.
On the other hand. there is an en-
terprising moving picture firm which has
prepared a Gettysburg reunion moving
picture film drama, taking the scenes
here. 1t has imported a German actor
with gold teeth from New York to play
the part of the Union veteran There
being 5000 real veterans in camp, the
pay actor veteran is greeted with loud
outlaws wherever ne appears. in his wig.
Now that the reunion is over the humor
is coming to light The thing that strikes
every one right in the face today is the
enormous number of men who fired the
first shot at Gettysburg There are about
5000 of them. each one assuring you that
he was il and willing to take you to the
spot Should you be down town in the
dusty city square. veteran will ask You
for a match.
It's been long time since 1 was
here he'll say. as he pulls reluctant
fame through a corn cob Yes, a long
time. | fit it all over this town. Yes.
Yes 1 guess I was the fellow that fired
the first shot Yes. Yes Leastways. /
haven't heard any one dispute it,"
Up the street at Tipton's place. where
a Cal iodd VI SOuNChiiS - being SOLD To-
day. you will find man in blue looking
at the bullets they made into paper
weights.
Young man. how'd you like to have
one of them things buzxing after you?
Hey? Well. l fired one o. them things
fifty years ago. l guess I'm the first man
that ever fired snot in the battle At
any rate, amt ever heard any one dis
pute il.
Claimant From Scotland.