The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1919-09-19
The Contests and Sports.

The Contests and Sports.
The following is the list of contests,
games and sports with the winners:
Baseball games: Fats and Leans
6 TO in favor of Leans
Mems walking contest; First price,
ID. Olson, Elysian; second prize, Glenn
Allyn.
Tug of war between jamestown and
Madison Lake; Jamestown won.
60 ~'-.'-'-r 100. First nrize
George Wondra; second prize. Amb-
i.Se -Lurpny.
Ladies' walking race: First prize,
Ruth Lang; second prize, Mankato
girl. name unknown
Egg race: First nriZe, Marie Lyons;
second, Beatrice Oney.
Watermelon eaIlng contest, Baton
Casper.
Watermelon eating contest: Grace
Miller and Capitola Oney.
Small boys race, Raymond Evans
and Melvin Madigan.
Ladies' running race, Rosetta Moore.
Fat mans race, Emil Rosenow.
Cracker contest, Baton Casper
Welcome in it's fullest sense was
the keynote of the home coming at
Madison Lake yesterday, and the key
note vibrated through the throng with
glad. glad heart throbs of people
rejoicing that the conflict is over, that
the bows are come home again. Wei
come resounded through the talks Civ
en- by the speakers of the day, an
mingled with the people who gather
ed to pay homage to the returned
boys, who in their generosity and true
spirit of America offered their best,
that America might as always reign
supreme. t
Due TO the inclemeEt weather the
crowd was not as large as it would
have been, but even SO, great many
assembled for the programs. The
mornings program consisted of con-
cert at ten o'clock by the Fifth Regi-
mental band, an airplane fight, ex-
hibition drill and at noon sumpti-
GUS chicken dinner was served the
returned boys in the Wandra hall by
the ladies of the village.
AT one o'clock the crowd gathered on
the grounds of the Catholic church,
where a platform had been erected
and seats for the people. Mr.. j. M.
Barclay called the meeting TO order,
and very ably welcomed The boys,
saying, I'VE are SO happy to welcome
you here, you have represented the
country in the great war, which was
recently closed, and today is a glori-
GUS finale to the receptions we gave
Shen you went away, and we extend
our heartfelt thanksgiving to God that
. nd T
sentiment of the people when / say
is only proper that we give express
sion to the fact that we are grateful
Soldiers, we bid you welcome home. 7
Address by Captain Bowen.
Captain Ivan Bowen very interest
ingly told of experiences the men had
in the way of becoming QUILTED, and
learning the first methods of becom
ing soldier. He also related the re-
markable fact that in five days tht
American soldiers drove the enemy
back from a certain sector that the
French had been trying to get for four
wears. which was only characteristic
of the fighting the Americans did.
But even in the thickest of the fray
ali the man had in their minds was
fighting like mad, that they might the
sooner return to their little homes,
TO their home folks, because the
streets of their own home town look
more beautiful than the most beauti
full and world famed in London Oh
Paris ever dared lock. And the boys
at all times realized that while they
were fighting the bloody battle, the
folks back home were sacrificing and
were doing their uttermost TO make
the burdens of the soldiers lighter
Captain Bowen said that not battle
in the entire war was as interesting
as the battle at Madison Lake about
year ago now, and he said thai
when the account of it came to him
across the water, he handed it Out
among the men, and posted it on the
bulletin board, where it caused much
merriment, and made them realize the
home folks were trying to rid Ameri
ca of Objectionable people. His talk
was exceedingly interesting in that IN
told many of the funny incidents @
the army routine but he concluded by
saving that the only reason why the
soldiers cannot be perfectly happy j!
because they cannot entirely forge
the tiny crosses in France, that re-
mind them Of the fact that some bud
dy is lying over there.
Response BY Soldiers.
His talk was responded to by sew
eral returned boys, including DaviC
Johnson who was an instructor il
rifle shooting at Camp Cody before
going across. In introducing him MI
Barclay disclosed the secret of hi
ability to shoot SO well, saying that i