The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1922-02-16
MIR. BLYTHE Is
so YEARS OLD
BIRTHDAY CELEBRATED TUESDAY
Grand Army Comrades and Members of
Family Join in Birthday Reun-
ion at Twin Oaks

comrade, S. +. Blythe, dean of north
western printers and pioneer edIto
and publisher of the Hood River Gls
cier, to participate in reunion Dime
in celebration of his 80th birthday
The meal was sumptuous banquet
In the center of the long table at Twi
Oaks Farm, the Blythe Frankton cour
try home, was an enormous cake, bear
ing so tiny American Flags. The cak
was baked by Mrs. Blythe and he
daughter, Mrs. ID. T. Marlor. f. N
Blythe, prominent Portla nd newspape
man, and Mrs. Blythe were here fo
the birthday celebration. George Fin
ley Marlor, grandson of the veteran. a
the end of the meal gave recitation
that brought applause.
The following is brief biography o
the veterans present: Judge Geo. Il
Castner, native of New York, aged rs
who served with Company H, l2tI
Michigan Regiment; C. A. Williams
of Gladstone, aged n, commander o
the Department of Oregon, G. A. r.
native of Vermont and served in Com
pany, 18th Vermont Regiment; Thorn
as Goss. Company H. l4th Wisconsin
Regiment, aged SO. native of Bucking
ham, Eng. S. Copple. Company e,
llth lllinCi, Infantry, native of Hi
nois. aged 70; Sanford Smith. Company
d, 26th MISSOURI Regiment, native OF
Caldwell county. KY, aged n; N. w
Hardman, native of Indiana, 4th Iowa
Regiment, aged II; A. II. Jewett, OF
White Salmon, 132nd and l53rd Illinois
Regiments, native of Illinois, aged rs
H. b. Leonard, native of Ohio, agec
78. 41st Missouri Regiment Jonathan
johnson, 18th Iowa Infantry and 9Th
Iowa Cavalry, native of Ohio. aged az
j.. r. Cash, 34th Indiana Regiment,
native of Indiana, aged rs; j. X. Jar
ratt, Company +, 18th Kentucky Vol
unteer Cavalry, aged n years. and X.
+. Frasier, Company G.. ll2th New
York Regiment, native of New York,
aged 75.
Except for Mr.. Goss, Mr.. Cash,
Commander Williams and Mr.. Jewett
the veterans were accompanied by
their wives. Mrs. j. Williams and
Mrs. John A. Wilson, widows of prom
inent post members, were present.
MIR. Blythe is past commander of
the local q. A. X. Post and the State
Department.
Letters and messages of regret were
received from g. l.. Aggers and fam
lily, of White Salmon; James Z. Shaw,
past state commander, who is winter
ing at Garibaldi Beach, and Mrs. Alma
H owe and daughter, Miss Hester, who
are visiting in Portland. Bishop X. l..
Paddock, in rendering regrets, sent
Mr.. Blythe book as birthday gift.
Members of the force of the Hooj Riv-
er Glacier presented the former owner
with gold pencil.
Mr.. Blythe served in newspaper
work in Montana, San Francisco aud
Portland. In days of his prime, before
the linotype machine WAS known, Mr..
Blythe had no equal in his swlftness
and accuracy at the case. At Virginia
City, Mont. in 1867, and in Portland in
later years, working on the old Bulle-
tin, Mr.. Blythe made records that have
never been surpassed.
A native of Pennsylvania, Mr..
Blythe was living in Ohio at the out
break of the Civil war. Answering
the call for volunteers he enlisted in
the 22nd Ohio Infantry. He saw three
years of active service in the Mssis-
sippi valley, having been with the
army of Grant at Fort Donaldson, Shi-
Ion and Corinth. He participated in
the siege and capture of VicksbuTg.
When the army was stationed on. the
Tennessee river, MIR. Bylthe was or
dered to take charge of print shop at
Trenton and make up quantity of
blanks for the quartefmaster' depart
ment.
while was engaged in this work, "
be saws, "a new regiment that had
just joined us became engaged IN
battle at a crossroads. One of the
boys. fred with enthusiasm over the
new and thrilling experience, was
inspired to poetry. He wrote many
stanzas descriptive of that battle.
He came to me and we struck a bar.
gain, agreeing to print his work for
81. so per quire. We obtained the pa
per from the sutler, who kept a supply
of writing tablets, which were bought
by soldiers when they wanted to write
home. AS fast as | delivered the
poems he sold them for 25 cents each
to members of bis regiment. He and
| were fast acquiring the small change
of that regiment when orders came TO
march.
while | was working at Trenton a
southern girl brought me a copy Of
1.-The Bonnie Blue Flag" and made a
number of copies of il for her. In re-
ply to this bit of wartime southern
sentiment a Kansas officer wrote
poem, and | made copies for him. /
would like to get a copy Of that Kan
sans inspiration. In sentiment, it
called TO minds Of Confederates that
the Stars and Stripes would again
wave supreme above the North ana the
South, and that the soldiers Of both
armies would again be brothers.
Toward the close of the war. Mr..
Blythe reenlisted in Hancock s Veteran
Corps. During the trial Of Mrs. Sur
ratt. convicted as an accomplice in the
assassination Of Lincoln, the CORDS was
stationed in Washington. The regi-
ment had charge of the execution Of
the prisoners.
My unit was stationed Just outside
the enclosure where they were put 10
death, says Mr.. Blythe. we stood
there IN solid ranks, with charged bay
Onets, while thousands Of people
surged up against us. One man, he
was very drunk, tried 10 exchange a
handful Of greenbacks for my gun as
he was pushed up against me.
No sooner was Mr.. Blythe a private
citizeE again than he determined 70
take the sdvice Of Horace Greeley and
start west. He crossed the plains with
a train Of OK wagons, settling near
BOzeman. Mont, where members Of
the party filed on claims and begarf the
Of irrigation systems.
TO gain money with which TO buy
supplies. says Mr.. Blythe, Il hired
out to an old German farmer, working
10 his harvest fields 9or s. a DAY and
board. had never bound grain. and I
thought ! would die the first few DAYS,
bat | stuck 70 the JOb. and finally be-