The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1917-09-22
Crowd of 1900 Gives Big send-oH
(By P. Caspar Harvey

Three men looked at their watches
whispered a word or so, and glanced
at the mayor. "Wait a minute, those
two ladies haven't finished eating
Mayor George Philip, Jr., said. Two
mothers with shawls covering THEN
heads were making a pretense OF eat
ing Their sons sat opposite. Every
one else in the dining room was wait
ing. The two silent women who were
offering their boys to the flag which
was to make the world safe for de-
mocracy soon laid down their forks.
The mayor looked at County Clerk
| Brown, who in turn nodded across
| the room Thayer, in command of
the selected men, arose self-cons-
ciously and stood awkwardly behind
his chair.
CAN right boys, let's co. he said
| clearly. A few scattering hand
claps greeted the significant, if un-
military command. In stern reality
it represented democracy at war. The
dinner which Hays gave the new SOL
| diers of Ellis County, Thursday, was
over and the march to the railroad
station begun.
On the day before, Wednesday, the
patriotic citizens of Victoria and
| vicinity in twenty-six automobiles
had accompanied to Hays the boys OF
that community who had been
| called to the colors of America to
see them on the first lap of their
journey to France. When one Vic
tOria citizen was asked about it, he
threw out his chest and held his head
| erect, before he answered. ''To bring
our boys along of course" He said
it proudly despite the quaver in his
voice. To be given such a send-off
will make every Victoria boy a bet
ter soldier of Uncle Sam.
For three hours before eleven
O'Clock there was a peculiar expect
ant air noticeable down town. A
group OF women talked among them
selves in front of dry goods store;
a bunch of young men hung around
the grocery store on a corner. When
DIR. Middlekauf drove his Ford road
ster north on Chestnut with his old
est son in the uniform of the medi-
cal corps all eyes followed him up the
street. Here and there young man
with white badge was the center of
an earnest group of friends
The Hays Chapter of the Red
Cross gave each soldier a pocket
knife. Each of the boys was given
cigars, and chewing gum for the trip
to Camp Funston. The mothers,
sented with bouquet of cut flower:
by the town.
Thayer brought his men from the
last meal in Hays until they return
to a similar banquet in celebration
of peace at exactly II :O4 a. m.
Parade Marshall Charley King sent
the Hays College boys with their big
flag to the front of the parade The
Hays and Normal bands came next.
Then followed the three quiet men
whose work as members of the To-
cal draft board had met with such
approval. Although the people were
not talkative, Alex Weltz, George
Brown, and DIR. Middlekauff were
even less communicative. The fact
that they were not conspicuous made
their position all the more signif-
cant.
After the draft board came Fred
]. Leiker bearing the flag of the sol
diers followed by the thirty-six in
whose honor thu parade was held.
Then came the school children, the
Fort Hays Normal students and fac
ulty and the town people and the
folks from all the smaller towns of
Ellis County.
All the business houses had been
closed. While the band played and
the departing boys held an informal
reception on North Main, George
Brown went to his vault to get the
transportation for the thirty-six. The
only organized yell was that of the
boys OF Hays College.
During the wait for the train-and
all over the country similar crowds
were waiting for similar trains-a
bow herself to Sheriff Weltz Pulling
his coat she asked if a certain name
was on the list today. Weltz shook
his head As the girl slipped back
into the crowd her companion asked
her if it would be another day and
the girl said proudly, eyes"
A strangely silent crowd with
barred heads listened to the strains of
the Star Spangled Banner as the thir-
ty-six lined up ready to board the
train. The train came and left On
ly sporadic cheers bade the boys God
speed and goodbye. The 1900 peo-
pie began to melt away.
Another little girl was overheard
to say in the dispensing of the crowd, !
The train was the saddest thing
about it all"
Hays will never be the same again. |
There is new spirit here now. The
reality of the struggle has been
brought home. The kisses of moth |
ers and sweethearts and sisters, the |
hand clasps of fathers and brothers |
and friends took up the time the |
train stopped. Then with the sight |
OF the last two boys, Cleve GardeIs |
and Jesse Humphrey, gone, that eve
that was not moist was hard to find. |
The thought of everyone centered on |
the one other thing that will bring |
Hays closer together and which no |
one mentioned aloud
One big six foot four fellow with |
iron in his hair grasped the hand of /
ms twelve year old son and walked /
down the street toward dinner.
Neither said q word. The eyes of the |
man were only moist, but his heart |
was touched. None Of the men were /
from his family. But he had made |
arrangements TO gamble six thou |
sand dollars on an Ellis County wheat |
crop for next season He had cursed |
out a series OF vehement oaths when |
he learned that some farmers in an /
adjoining county had telegraphed |
Washington to protest that the price /