New-York tribune., 1916-07-11
Old Irish Songs Greet the
Call of the Bugle for
Duty on Border.
FIRST NEW WORKERS
WITH MACHINE GUNS
Private Cone Seeks Fight, but
He Is Quickly Suppressed
by Comrades.
From . stan Correspondent, Of The Trbun'1

IFrom 4 star Ccrrespcndsn, Of The Tribuns1
Camp Whitman, Beekman, n. Y, July
1O.-The Sixty-ninth is bivouacking In
pup" tents tonight. Sprawled on the
grass around leaping camp fires, they
are singing all the old Irish songs in
the regimental repertoire. They are
hanging Villa a thousand times over
in improvised ditties. And they are
reassuring one another that it really
is not as hot as reports make 1t out to
be at Pharr, Tex.
Colonel Conley's mon had just
finished mess this afternoon when from
headquarters tent the bugle sounded.
Dishes clattered to the ground. Hands
were wiped on khaki trousers. From
1900 throats came a roar that was
thrown back by the hills.
"Tents" shouted the men.
At each guyrope q militiaman tugged
TO release the canvas. Laughing and
cheering, the fighting Irishmen pulled
out the stakes, rolled up the canvas
houses that had sheltered them for
three weeks and stacked their guns.
Through the streets rumbled the
wagons. The bundles we're tossed from
man to man. The wagons were rapidly
filled, the whips were applied TO the
mules, and in a few moments the
emptied carriers returned from the
railroad station for other loads.
Ready for the Start
The call for supper found Colonel
Conley's men sitting on huge heaps
of their personal effects. Where the
conical tents had stood there had
sprung up a growth of pup" tents.
Tomorrow morning these will be
rolled up, too, and then the fighting
Irishmen will begin the first lap Of
their journey to the Mexican border.
They will entrain at noon in three
sections. The second section will
carry Colonel Conley and his staff.
There will also be a Pullman on the
third section. With the 69th will go
700 recruits of the 7th, 18th, 14th and
23d Regiments.
The following routing will be ad-
hered to: Central New England to
Maybrook, y. Y, Lehigh Valley to
Buffalo, Nickel Plate to Continental,
Ohio; St. Louis & Western TO st.
Louis; Iron Mountain to Texarkana
Tex, and Pacific to Longview; Inter
national & Great Northern to Hous-
ton; st. Louis, Brownsville & Mexico
to Pharr, Tex.
With Colonel Conley will travel a
large number Of newspaper CORE
spondents
81 believe we should be in Pharr in
eight days." said Colonel Conley this
afternoon. My men certainly feel
relieved by the fact that at last they
are on the way Look at them. Have
you ever seen them any happier? They
have been praying for three weeks for
this day of days and now it's here"
In front Of every captains tent had
been stacked huge bundles of uniforms,
mess wares, guns, ponchos. blankets
and shoes.
The grinning militiamen stepped
into line and waited their turn for the
outfits. Each company commander was
required to fit the feet Of his men with
shoes. The rockies of the other regi-
ments sorrowfully surveyed the fitting
process and then looked at their own
shoes.
Mr.. Cone Starts Row.
"Wait until we get to Brownsville"
they sighed.
Only one incident marred the happi-
ness of the 69th to-day. Private Henry
Cone, of the 18th, wanted to see if the
fighting lrishmen were as scrappy as
reputed. He chose an unfortunate day
for his experiment.
But it was not the 69th that put Cone
in the hospital. His own companions
in the 18th fell on him, held him, pun
melled him until he cried for mercy,
and would have inflicted grave injuries
had not members of the 69th interceded
in his behalf. Cone was taken TO the
field hospital.
Captain +. F. Dillon, veteran Of
the Spanish sh-American War and com
mander OF the machine gun company Of
the 69th, this afternoon announced that
his request for four Lewis machine
guns had been granted.
expect to find them there when we
arrive" said Captain Dillon. "The pos
session of those guns makes the 69th
the only regiment in the state thus
equipped"
Former Mayor George b. Mcclellan,
of New York, visited headquarters to-
day. He came up as a representative
of the New York branch of the Amer
lean Red Cross. He offered the ser
vices of the organization TO the Ma
tional Guard of this state
Mrs. Rupert Hughes, wife Of the
writer, who is commander of Company
II, 69th Regiment. visited her husband
this afternoon. Mrs. Hughes will leave
for San Antonio in about week. In
case of necessity she expects TO serve
as nurse at the front.
Chester. Tracy and George Ainsley,
Of Company c, Sd Infantry, left for
home early this morning on receipt of
a telegram that their mother had died.