Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1916-06-23
CONTINUED from Page ~

called them out Monday morning. The |
stiff drills they have been put through |
constantly since then have confirmed |
their belief that those in authority in
tend to have them as well prepared as |
time and experience will permit aud |
they were willing to do their share by |
attending strictly to business.
Capt Ernest W. Gibson and Lieut. |
Walter r. Spaulding were carly at the
Armory yesterday and the members |
of the company were under orders to |
be ready to fall into the ranks at 8 |
clock. Not a man was missing when
First Sergeant Roy b. Miner called the |
roll at $50 O'Clock except those men
who were on the baggage detail and
had been at work loading the baggage
of the company into the baggage car.
With their blanket rolls about their
shoulders and in full marching order
the boys, some of whom were standing
in ranks for the very first time, not
having had n drill since their enlist
ment last night, answered snappily and
confidently as their names were rapidly
read off
The last few weeks have been q Sc
ries of pleasant and unpleasant sur
prises for the boys and one of the
pleasant ones was the announcement
of Capt. Gibson that he had received
orders of the promotion of Cd lieuten-
ant Spaulding to q first lieutenantcv
and of the promotion of First Sergeant
Miner to the second licutenantcv.
Hearty applause greeted the announce
ments and the new officers Immediate
ly took their stations, receiving such
congratulations rs could be hurriedlv
extended them in the minute before
the order came to march.
For half an hour before the order
came to march the boys had been
greeted by l6 veterans of the Civil war
who had come to extend best wishes
and to have the honor of escorting to
the station the boys who are to aid in
| fighting the present day battles. Aged
and infrm, those men had climbed the
| long flights of stairs to the Armorv
and had mingled with the recruits,
giving a word of fatherly advice here
and CHEEKY greeting there.
And 81 Spanish American war vet.
Grams were engaged in the same task.
Their experiences were much more re-
cent than the survivors of the DAYS
OF '6l-'65, but they knew the feelings
of the members of Company I for they
had marched from Brattleboro under
| similar circumstances
= The veterans of the two wars left
the ArmOry ahead of the company and
formed at the corner of Green and
High streets in column of twos. Ahead
was part of the First Regiment band.
six of the band men in field service
uniforms as they had been ordered to
report at the mobilization camp. having
| sgnifed their willingness to go to the
l front.
The company followed the veterans
I almost Immediately and once the men
| had all reached the foot of the long
flight of outside stairs Capt. Gibson
l gave the signal to start. The band
f struck up medley of National airs
B. that stirred the blood of every person
= within hearing.
c many persons deep, and Bridge street
:. was similarly lined. Applause in th,
J., form of vigorous hand clapping was
: continuous; first for the veterans OF
!. the two wars and growing stronger a,
+ the boys Of the present day, swingin.
!, along at their vigorous pace, followed
n Women, with tears streaming dow
= " faces and gloves on their hands
t applauded vigorously and. it seemed
l. more generally than did the men, win
showed their respect and admiration
S by the raising of hats.
& Among the boys in the ranks Their
t was no jolllty on that march. The,
/ were not seeking faces in the lon,
l. lines of people, but were attending
S strictly to the business they are nov
o engaged in for Il greater or lessee
f length of time. Considering the mum
g Der of recruits in the ranks the march
ing and alignment were remarkable.
h The crush at the station was some
). thing that could not have been han
r died had a numerous police force been
f on hand The company swung dowI
the east platform, passing the veterans
5. who saluted as the boys swung by
:, them, and then came to halt t,
/. await the train that was to bear then
$ away. Ii was then that many affect
X ing scenes were witnessed. Men wer,
permitted to drop out of the ranks
G and women and girls chung to them an(
n wept unrestrainedly.
Il The tension wore off little in tn,
+ 20-minutes wait for the arrival of tn,
Il regular train, but tears flowed agail
e as the special pulled in to the station
|. and the company was ordered to boart
G the cars The men promptly climbed OF
/. board and scattered through two carr
-
/ order to proceed was given the engi
{ neer. The men remained in the cars
and as the train slowly pulled out
men S hats came off as if by word OF
command, some being held aloft an,
others waved in token of farewell
y Then the crowd began slowly to dis
integrate and in long streams to scat
ter to places of business and to homes
There was no levity. 1t appeared
;. written on every face that This is So
4 rious time and that they had just wit
r messed one of the hardest things i
falls to lot of man and woman to do
!, to leave homo and loved ones to en-
n gage possibly in mortal combat.
o As was to be expected on such al
+ occasion, traffic on the railroad thi'
morning was more congested thar
n usual. When the head of the line
reached the station freight wa'
/ standing on the main line with the en-
CINE and one ear on the side track
With tracks and platforms ovcrrur
with men, women and children, the en-
CINE and ear were run on to the mair
track, connected to the rest of The