The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-04-22
OLD 69TH BACK
AND!GREETINGS
FIT ITS GLORY
Famous Regiment of Irish
American Fighters Gets
Tremendous Welcome.
PAGEANT DOWN THE BAY
War Scared Heroes of Many
Battles Get FOretaste of
Better Things to Come.

Dis Dono, the best little fighting
dog that ever peeled upper lip and
nipped the heels of the Prussian
Guard, came back from France
Yesterday, accompanied aboard the
transport Harrisburg by the main
strength of the 165th United States
Intantry-the old Sixty-ninth, to give
the regiment the title of honor and
affection which no edict Of the War
Department could ever erase from
the minds of New Workers..
Not soul went. down the bay or
travelled over to the debarkation piers
at Hoboken to greet Dis Done except
ten or fifteen thousand of the best
known men in his home city. includ-
ing dignitaries of the Catholic Church,
Justices of the Supreme Court, the
Mayor and scores of city and state
officials.
No conservation portion canine that
ever gnawed bone or barked for the
glory of the Irish race ever had such
n greeting or a reception. Naturally
the fact that the fighting outfit. or the
greater part of 1t, that New York loves
so much was with Dis Done had
something to do with the splendor of
the welcome; but 1t is going to be said
right here that Major Chaplain Fran
els p Duffy's bull terrier deserves as
much honor as many men that wear
shoulder bars and did their duty over
seas.
stood Right with Colonel.
FOR the little fellow, all fun and frolic
where his pals are concerned, but bad
actor when his and the enemies OF his
Irish comrades are infesting the seen
cry, carries a wound stripe earned in a
bitter battle. and wears, like most OF
his soldier friends, the three gold stripes
that mean eighteen months service with
the American Expedtionary Force. AL
though Blue Eyed Billy Donovan. Colo
rel of the regiment, managed TO keep
Father Duffy himself out of the first
Inc Of fighting. out Of the actual rush
and charge and bayonetlng and hand
grenading, there was no way TO stop
Dis Done when the order came TO plunge
forward, and that Is why Father Dufty :
pet and the regimental mascot got shot
l:p at the Ourcq. where Blue Eyed Billy
himself and many another fine fellow
Of the outfit suffered the bite Of Ger
mo lead and shrapnel.
-srlt nj lr
Done ir the middle of the shining after
room of yesterday. when the old Har-
lisburg (for she is almost old enough
10 have brought over from Ireland the
daddies of the lads that arrived yes
ierday) laid up against Pier at Ho-
poien. for the terrier stood with Col
Donovan squarely upon the roof of the
pilot house Just aft OF the bridge, both
silhcutted strongly. and one about as
ioyfully excited as the other, the pair
r.pnaoling the three tiers of happy,
eager troops that crammed boat. ooserva-
lion and main deck. And little later.
when the roaring confusion subsidized a
trife and II was possible to back Col,
Billy and Father Duffy up against the
ships rail and n coil Of rope and lure
them into talking about the deeds Of the
regiment, Dis Done couldn't be kept
out of the chat for his yap-yap-yap Of
10Y as the bands blared from sea and
shore punctuated the whole epic.
so it is merely fair to Dis Done as
we'll as a matter of accurate reporting,
tat he should lead this story of the re-
turn of the Sxty-ninth. a return which
proved thrillingly that the edge has not
been worn off the welcoming OF Amert-
can fighting men.
welcome Fleet Moves out.
The whole ceremony began a little
after noon. when the fleet of committee
boats moved down the bay on the news
that the Harrisburg mad passed Sandy
Hook and was on her way to quaran-
tine. 1t lasted until +. NJ. for the
So officers and 1850 enlisted men of
the l65th had been sent on their way
to Camp Mills and the various casual
troops which brought the total number
Of the Harrsburg's passengers up to
2.766. including the wives OF twelve
soldiers and two children, had been
routed for their various rehabilitation
catsps. And the whole gorgeous uproar
radiatpd a very real thrill which was
felt along the crowded west shore OF
Manhattan and. indeed. wherever the
hundreds of thousands of spectators
were gathered on land and water from
quarantine to Hoboken. Every shout
OF welcome meant that the great deeds
of the banner regiment of the Rainbow
Division the regiment which sailed away
so privately on October rs, 1917, which
lost in killed Gas officers and men on
six fighting fronts. whose wounded num-