The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1917-12-22
LIEUT.. BAKER is
HOME ON XMAS ......
LEAVE;ARRIYALE
WARMLY GREETED

Attired in full uniform as first
lieutenant in the United States navy,
Earl A. Barker, executive officer of
the United States battleship Massa-
chusetts, arrived in Bemidji at
o'clock this morning and was in the
hands of his fellow townsmen and
friends. He is home to spend Christ
mas with his family and will leave
to rejoin his ship next Thursday.
The coming Of Lieutenant Bar
ker Is the first since he led the Fifth
division Of the Minnesota naval
militia to the Atlantic coast at the
call for the first line of defense when
the United States broke with Ger-
many in the. world war, and he was
like a little boy with q new sled
drought by Santa Claus" Through
out the day he has held an i'm
promptu reception wherever he
might happen to be. Hundreds of
people have called upon him with
hearty greeting and tomorrow after
noon he will receive his friends at
! the Elk temple at o'clock and the
general public is cordially invited to
greet him. this arrangement having
| been made by the committee appqtHt-
| ed to make arrangements for q Ee-
ception. The band will escort him
from his residence to the hall.
The missing Of a train In Chicago
| delayed the arrival of Lieutenant
Barker and the reception and dem
onstratiCn planned was, In. conse-
quence. disrupted.
Greeted at Depot. .
| The arrival of Lieutenant Barker
was not, however, allowed to lpass
unnoticed. In me gray n6ariy
hour when the late traip stSamed tn-
to the city and stopped, the Home
Guard, under Captain Thomas Swim
son, was at the depot to greet him.
IS were several bushes men. and
prominent citizens He was routed
out from the Car by e. H. Denu,
chairman Of the special recruiting
committee, and Mr.. Barker was
swarmed by the gathering. In an
auto he and his family were taken
! to their home. Escorted by the
Home Guard as far as the corner Of
| Beltrami avenue and Fourth street.
where the guard lined up and pre-
| sented arms. Lieutenant Barker
alighted from the car and returned
the honor, proceeding home while the
guard marched 10 it's quarters and
| broke ranks.
Compliments Guard.
The courtesy certainly made. q big
| hit with the lieutenant and he smiled
like a child with big red apple.
1t was his good friends who had
turned out at the unusual hour and
the surprise was complete.
"Never was more surprised In my
life," commented Lieutenant Barker
today. Il didn't know the guard
had so many business men as MEM
bers. watched them closely and
the Bemidji guard needn't takeIa
back set for any Of 'em and I've
seen lot Of military companies,
too
1--WE don't intend to-" calculated
Harry Reynolds, who was in uniform
in the group.
II want to tell you," continued
Mr. Barker, that Bemidji and Bel
trami county have the best showing
for their population of any of EN-.
I've told those fellows out east about
it and they act as If they didn't be-
lieve it, They just couldn't. Be-
ljeve me, I'm proud of Bemidji and
/
back and see the fellows and Be-
midji certainly has been good to me
since l have been gone. And l cant
say how much l appreciate It.
Samuelsor is Killed; ,
Lieutenant Barker brought WIN
him some sad news, however. and IL
/ is that Ben Samuelson had been KILL
ed on board the battleship Kansas,
the accident occurring two days ago.
He was not Informed as to the de-
tails, and this morning F. G. Hal
gren, manager Of the Gamble-Rop-
inson company, received a wire In
forming him of the death OF sam
uclson, who was former employe OF
the company and until year ago
was in the Bemidji branch. He Is
widely known in Bemidji and pop
ular with all who knew him. At the
time of his enlistment he was travel
ing auditor for the Gamble-Rob1nson
company and was in Ontario, Can
ada, when he received the call to re-
port for service with the Fifth Min
nesota division naval militia, and ne
came to Bemidji and left with the
division for the seaboard, being as
signed to the Kansas His home was
in Minneapolis and his parents nave
/ been notified. The body will be sent
to Minneapolis for interment. The
services will be according to naval
ceremony with the Dunwoody naval
boys doing the honors.
Second Member Killed. ..
His is the second death In the d.
vision which went from Bemfdt, An
drew Halseth meeting death by fall
from his hammock. His skull was