The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1919-05-14

persons were on the roofs OF store
buildings, and every place that
afforded view was occupied.
There were not many cheers, but
the applause was constant along the
line OF march.
At each street |, tersection there
were pretty girls with flowers which
they threw on and at the marching
soldiers.
The men marched with the snap
whatever could get their eyes to
turn from straight front. They wore
helmets that had protected them
from Chateau Thierry to Argonne
forest and all along the Marine, and
carried rifles.
The column in parade marched to
Twelfth street countermarched to
Seventh street, and then turned
north and into Blondeau and to the
Elks' club house at Sixth and Blon-
deau streets.
To the Historic Elks' Club.
Thousands of the crowd had rush
ed there from Main street, and the
paving was filled with people for a
block in each direction, one point of
vantage being the steps of the post
Office block away.
As the column marched down
Blondeau street, it halted so that
Company d and the Keokuk men
were down almost a block below the
Elks' club. There was rush in that
direction as soon as the company
halted, and relatives and friends got
the really good chance TO greet and
talk to their heroes OF the 168th
Stirring scenes occurred there, as
relatives and friends grasped the
hands of their loved ones who had
braved so much SO courageously for
their country.
Equally stirring things happened
at the union station when the train
arrived and stopped there.
Our Own keokuk Men.
The train had scarcely stopped
when an onlooker called to a carload
of husky doughboys with the cues
ton, How does it feel to be back
in old Iowa?"
Great" and You can't imagine!"
there was no doubt about the SIN
certify of the words.
And their beaming and weather
worn faces reflected better than any
words their joy at getting back to
their native state.
One of them spied one OF his bud
dies of former days who had been
invalided home before him. There
was a shout of, Hello buddy! You
old r,lnt, how are you anyway" But
during his welcome he scarcely saw
the khaki clad hero he was greeting
for his eyes were on the crowd OF
people about him.
..Where is mother?" was his next
question. And in that question was
voiced the one thought most on the
mind of every man.
And the mother was there. When
ever one of them would catch sight
If her bow it seemed that the crowd
would by some unexplainable
nsychology give way to let her reach
him.
The Lee County Soldiers.
MANY of the Keokuk and Lee
county boys were in the battalion
There was Tommy Stack. He had
inst stepped off the coach and was
adjusting his belt when he caught
sight of his mother, and the belt had
ia wait awhile for its adjustment.
There was l.. G. Vermillion whose
mother and a half dozen other women
relatives spied him as he was leaV-
ing the train.
Merwin vanAusdall from Mont
rose was another one of the Lee
county boys, whom the reporter
caught sight 1of.
When Clyde Semones was hrst
seen he was hanging out OF one OF
the car Windows while below him
were a dozen relatives and friends
A similar occurrence might De
seen in the case Of every Lee county
how had the newspaper representa-
five been able to be in hundred
nlaces at once To sum it up. keo-
Suk individually and collectively
went Wild with Joy.
Met Their Home Folks.
There were about twenty-five OF
+he Keokuk men altogether.
Among the meH from Neon"A -
the famous regiment who were III
line here today were Louis -. Mcken-
zie Ed w. Larson, Charles f. Han
cock. William J. Johnson, Floyd
Ssmones, John Hammerick, Louis X.
Ewing Arthur E. McDaniels, Thomas
p stack. Louis G. Vermillion, Ray
mond n. Bossler, Ray Y. Hewitt.
William Herbner, Henry r. Bird, Ray
Cassidy. William CulTans. Francis
weber, Gibson Hedrick, Alvin Burch.
Oscar Klapprott, Leonard R. Cochen-
our. Thomas O'Neil, Roy Butcher,
Ray Bland.
The Formal Speeches.
yxrt4I,out a minutes delay, Mayor Ed