Bemidji Daily Pioneer Newspaper, May 30, 1910, Page 1

MINNESOTA ISTORIEAL SOCIETY. - THE BEMIDJ I DAILY VOLUMF 8 NUMBER 36. THE LITTLE BRIDGE BURNER. A Civil War Story. By F. A. MITCHEL. ICopyright, 1910, by American Press Asso- clation.] o ELLO! You boy, ther A boy about twelve years old hoeing in a fleld dropped his hoe and came to the rail fence that divided the field from the road. A compauy of cavalry with one plece of artillery was waiting for him, at the head their captai It was he who had called the boy. The little fel- low climbed the fence, sitting on the top rail with a leg on each side of it. His trousers were rolled above the knees, his brown legs were covered with Georgia clay, his forehead pro- truded from a rent in a dingy straw bat, no cont covered his galluses, and there was not much shi One thing contrasted with the rest—an in- telligent coun- tenance and a pair of earnest, restless eyes, “Seen any Con- federates around here today 2" asked the officer. “1? Seen any rebels? No.” “Why do you call them reb- els?" Dunno, onless that's what pop calls "em.” “Your pop’s Union?” “Yes; so 'm 1" It was a sum- mer afternoon. A mild breeze was 2 blowing over the plantation, not yet disturbed by war. The officer, un- mindful of the peaceful scene, sat on his horse thinking of some matter evi- dently of great importance to him, “How far it to the bridge?’ he asked the boy. *"Bout five mil “Straight road? “Waal, to go thar from hyer you uns "Il have to foller_this road that a-way” —pointing— a matter o' ten min- utes, then eross The branch by the ford to the left and through a smart stretch o' timber. Then you"— “Come along and show us the way. Get up here behind me.” The officer lifted the boy to a seat behind him and gave the order, “For- ward!” “Haven't heard of any soldiers be- ing at the bridge, have you?’ “No. “How long since you have heard from it?” “Pap must ‘2’ come across it yistiday on his way from the postoffice. He didn’t say nothin' about sogers thar.” These bluecoats were the tip of the right flank of Sherman’s foremost ad- vance. They had been ordered to de- stroy a bridge provided the Confeder- ates had not guarded it. If they were there the captain bad orders to drive them away to effect his purpose. “Can we see the bridge,” he asked the boy, “before we get to it?’ “Yes; from the top of a hill a couple of miles this side.”” When they reached the crest indi- eated there beueath them in the dis- tance was a wooden bridge. The cap- tain brought his fieldglasses to bear and saw that it was not guarded. But scattered about on the un- dulating ground between him and it were clusters of white tents, He uttered an ex- clamation of dis- appointment, “They would eat up our little force,”” he sald to oue of his lien- B tenants, “1 see no artil- lery, and we've got a gun,” re- plied the other. “The gun will only binder us. If we attack we'll have to “THE LITTLE RASCAL make a dash.” HAS STARTED IT.” “What y' want to do?" asked the boy. The captain made no reply. He was absorbed in thinking of some way to carry out his object even if he lost every man in his command. The lieu- tenant told the boy that they wished to TES 3 TODAY ¥ CAMP OF FRENGHS BRIGADE VIRGINIA 1864. An hour later a light smoke cloud rose from the bridge. “By jingo,”” he exclaimed, “the lit- tle rascal has started it anyway.” “You mean the little herg lientenant. “All now depends upon their not discovering the fire till it Is too late.” A tongue of flame flashed up and was followed by another. Then there was a hurrying In one of the camps, and in a few minutes a dozen men mcunted and rode to the bridge. Mean- while a volume of smoke mingled with flame rose from the bridge and floated slowly away. Then figures, minute from a distance, were seen trying to quench the fire, But they had nothing to work with. The bridge burned on, broke in the middle and fell into the stream. The work accomplished, the captain sent his force back under command of the lieutenant to report the fact to his superior. He remained with a view of getting tidings from the little bridge burner. Darkness was setting in when a spot appeared down the road. slowly. Sudden- ly - the captain started to meet it. The boy bridge burner staggered toward him and fell into his arms. Then he noticed -that the little fellow's FELL INTO HIS ARMS. clothing was cov- ered with blood. A Confederate had shot him, not knowing that he was a child, just as he was disappearing in some bushes after accdmplishing bis work. The little bridge burner recovered. He was too young to enter the Union army, but the government educated him to command men in its next war. POULTRY IN HIS BASS DRUM. Unlucky Drummer Had to Share His Prize With the Colonel. During the latter years of the war the armies were frequently obliged to make rapid marches without their pro- vision trains and at other times were obliged to pass through devastated re- gions, where (here was not the slight- est prospect of obtaining anything in the way of food. As a result of all chis the men were constantly devising ways and means of obtaining, secret- ing and transporting food about their persons. On one of the marches of the Army of the Cumberland the soldiers had orders not to forage, but as their ra- tlons were rather low it took sharp watching on the part of the officers to prevent the men from foraging when- ever the chance presented itself. On one occasion the bass drummer of one of the regimental bands managed to secure fwo turkeys and six chickens, which he secreted in the interior of his bass drum. When they reached camp that evening the band was or- dered out to play for a review that had been arranged on the spur of the moment for a distinguished officer who had arrived on a visit. All this hap- pened before the bass drummer had time to remove his live poultry from the inside of his drum, and, of course, when he struck It it gave forth no sound whatever. This exasperated the colonel, who shouted repeatedly to drum harder. Finally, in a great rage he came down fto where the latter stood pounding for dear life and sweat: ing like a field hand. “Why in blank, blank, blank don't SHORT OF RELIABLE HELP IN BEST STATES Plenty of Work in Minnesota And Good Wages Paid for Laborers. Spokane, Wash., May 30.—Rail- way construction and irrigation com- | panics, grain and dairy farmers and |orchardists throughout the North. west are again confronted with the problem of obtaining sufficient help, and the shortage of servants and maids in Spokane is greater than at Employment agencies here have orders for more than 10,000 men for railroad, irriga- tion and farm work in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana and Minne- sota the wages ranging from $2.50 to $2.75 a day. Orchardists in the Spokane country are in need of several thousand men and fully 500 1b: moyed l)“t“immediate employment in Spokane at wages of from $30 to $40 a month and roomrand-board in good homes: M. R. Arnt, manager of the free employment bureau maintained by the city of Spokane, placed 856 men jand 49 women of 912 men and 67 women registered in his department during the week ended May 24, while Mrs. C. S. Raymer, head of the employment department of the Young Women’s Christian associa- tion of Spokane, was able to fill only 75 per cent of the calls for domestics. She has places for 150 girls in first- class homes in this city, also for more than 100 laundresses and sew- ing women and household servants. Other employment agencies placed between 6,000 and 7,000 men during the last 30 days, besides filling ser- vants’ position in 1,500 homes. The greatest need for men in the grain and fruit districts in eastern Washington and Oregon, north and central Idaho and west- ern Montana, where, the state in- spectors say, the crops this season will be larger than at any previous time 1n the history of the country. It is predicted that the wheat crop alone in the four states will be fully 65,000,000 bushels this season, and to harvest this will require the services of more than 40,000 men, SPORTING NOTES | Standing of the Glubs American Association Won Lost Pct Columbus..... IS LARGEST IN YEARS Company K, tllo Bemidji Band and Boys of 18617 Make Splendid Showing. The morning parade in observance of Memorial day was formed at: the city hall, and was made up of old soldiers, Company K, the Bemidji band, and the ladies of the G. A. R, circle. The members of the local Elks lodge who have automablies were in evidence and the old soldiers were transported, in their cars, to Green- wood . cemetery. Bemidji citizens with rigs made up the greater part of the crowd and the procession moved to Green- wood cemetery, where the rest of the morning was spent in decorat- ing the graves of the solider dead. CHARGED TWO DOLLARS FOR A CHOIGE WIFE Arrest Man Who Conducts Matrimonial Bureau.—Decoy Letters Locate Man. Spokane, Wash., May 30,— Nels Olson, 27 years of age, until several months ago- a resident of St. Paul, who sought to commer- cialize the art made famous by Dan’ Cupid under the name of Natienal Correspondence Club of Spokane, run amuck the police at his headquaters in a second-class hotel and was_arrested on the charge of vagrancy, Nis partner, whose name the police will not give out, made his escape. . The :police found-a|- bushel of lettes. -Olson’s plan was to supply lonely bachelors in the Northwest with wives for $2, which charge was also ' made to find western busbands for lovelorn maids, spinsters and widows in the east and south, He declined to register: minors without the consent of their par- ents, He started the matrimonial bureau less than two weeks ago, when he advertised in the personal columns of eastern, southern and western newspapers, using a blind address. Decoy letters were sent | before I took my recent trip to west.| That bighly interesting hero, the by the police and in replying Olson |ern Canads,” said Ole Nelson, a| continues to bob up serenely now and invited the writers to call at a small|farmer of Shotley township, who | then. He seems to be almost if not hotel. His partner handled the correspondence, HAS BEMIDJI 6288 - .+ POPULATION TO-DAY Unofficial Report Says that the popu- lation of this City is Over the 6000 Mark. - How big is Bemidji? It is the|the last four years. one question that is of interest to| '‘That section of the country gets citizens in this county that as yet|a little rain in the latter part of| ing in another part' of Greater New can not be decided. To place the|May and during June, and the rest| York lving his birth date as Jan. 31, TEN CENTS PER WEEK. GRANT BEFORE VICKSBURS. : An Incident of the Late War Be- tween the States. By J. H. ROCKWELL. [Copyright, 1910, by American Press Asso- clation.] N the latter part of 1862, when I General Grant was preparing to make a movement by land to reach the rear of Vicksburg, in accordance with the plans he had made for the capture of that city, he saw ‘that he did not have a sufficient num- ber of men to command success and that it was imperative that he should _bave 8,000 or 10,000 more. His plans had been sent to Washington and ap- proved, but to his request for men the 'answer came that he must go ahead with the force already under his com- mand. In response to this Grant in- formed the president that he could not 3 ! do it, that the attempt would end in failure and: that the expedition would By ROBERTUS. LOVE: better be abandoned than attempted 1861. without re-en!oreeme_nts. Determined Ab, there was thill in that the war de- day: n;ym "fl” partment should “To st i fully understand Tmlmm}‘fi,vér the situation, he o o —to strife of sword ordered a former member of his = ) staff, General M. was the call of the D. Leggett of F Ohio, then com- manding one of his brigades, to proceed to Wash- ington and lay the whole matter before Mr. Lin- coln and the sec- retary of war. General Leggett had a personal ac- | LISTENED WITH THE q\m.lnumce with CLOSEST ATTENTION. Secretary Stanton GRANT A“I‘ THE FRONT, 1863. Juhe 11. The train will run through e o2 b to Kootenai Landing, making direct A MEM""ML BAY HEFLEGT"]"- connection with the steamer across . the lake to Nelson B. C., where the party will arrive at 7 o’clock p. m.| At Nelson a short stay will be made. Leaving at 9 p. m., for West Robson the teachers will leave at 11 p. m. by boat over Arrow lake, arriving at the head of the lake at 2:30 p. m., the following day, and proceed to Revelstoke by train, where they will arrive at 4:55 p. m. The party will stop over night at fray by the Revelstoke to view the beauties of i ml’l'h'"“k s the Canadian Rockies. Leaving at ‘We were young and erect 8:40 o'clock on the morning of June N "W':'";LH"”‘ 13 the party will go to Great Glacier, arriving there at 11:45 for lunch at the hotel. The party will then stop at Field, Laggan, Banff aud other points alone the Columbia river, and * * and knew there was little hope of then east to St. Paul. £ changing his mind when once made The party will disband at St. Paul. 1910, 1 and accordingly declded to. galn ac. cess to the president before the secre- tary of war should forestall him by the presentation of the war depart- ment side of the case. He therefore called upon the secretary at 8 o'clock in the morning of the day after his arrival and said to him: “Mr. Stanton, T wish you-would take me to Mr. Lin- coln, introduce me.to him and let me do the talking. I don’t want you to ruin my case with objections.” “All right,” was the response, and the call was made. General Leggett was permitted to present General Grant's idea as fully and clearly as possible, while Mr. Lincoln listened. ‘When he had concluded the presi- Returning the teachers will meet at Ah‘lhmll- dlrsu‘n:hh: St. Paul and will return to Spokane Mm“&si by the ‘“‘southern route” in ample “Death, oh, death!” time for the opening of the fall is the bugle's breath 2s the music melts school term. 5 5 dmm—cnme into the IS MUCH DISGUSTED o ~ WITH WESTERN GANADA| ~"frbacieei wld:en nmmhlmu We are old and bent as we marshal now in Kelliher Farmer and Companions Find ‘hfi days of our na- That Country Too Dry and I no more dent took him in hand and gave him = ohhecmnnnuou, the most severe and critical cross ex- Cold for Farming. but of stri amination he had ever undergone as to life’s surcease. the situation in the west, Grant's pur- —_— -poses, etc. Mr. Stanton added several 48 ¥ | questions of his own, and when he had MORE YOUNGES'T VETERANS. ended the president quietly remarked, “Well, he must have the troops.” “But where will you get them?” ask- ed the secretary. Turning to General Leggett, the pres- ident said, “How many men must he have?” A “Sixteen thousand,” General Leggett responded. Turning to the secretary, the presi- dent asked a series of questions as to the disposition of certain forces mnot then in the field—how many were at Cleveland, how many at Detroit, how many here and how many there— untll he had gone over the available force in the west and had demonstrat- “‘Beltrami county is worth twice; o A * Recent Discussion Brings Forward as much in my estimation as it” was Two Under Sixty. “youngest veteran” of the clvil war, < quite as numerous as the last survivor recently returned much disgusted | of the charge of the Light brigade from a land-seeking trip through | 8t Balaklava. The surprisingly large number of men still living who enlist- Alberta and Saskatchewan, and who| g Gyen mere lads helps to uphold the was in the city Saturday. Mr. Nel-| statement frequently made by indi- son did not think favorably of that| vlduals and proved by the records of ch-ad tsed ties the war department that the great muchal vm‘“h coun 'yd' W conflict was fought and won by boys— In getting homesteads out there| young fellows who enlisted in their I cannot see where the men are get: | teens. The records show a preponder-| &1 that 12,000 or 16,000 troops could be t to Grant. 5 & . ance of such early enlistments. sen ting anything. The country is too Last March a New York paper print- Then Mr. Lincoln asked General Leg- dry and too cold for farming. Dur-| ed a brief obituary of the ‘youngest f:;:o:“"‘“ be intended to leave Wash- about 1,300 miles and found many 3. 06 b7, o it eations From clatm =~ W[fill. II want you until then,” said of the farmers who reported that| ants to that distinction. One modest | ME: Lincoln. . ] .| A carriage was ordered and the two they had had only one good crop in | Teteran o, Brooklyn, Slgning LM | entered it and were riven to the Sob two years and six months and am not | 41€TS’ home, where the president was w0, _| then. living. Of all the questioning yet ERiytnot - Then . Blemly, 1y and close examinations General Leg- gett had ever experienced those of that day were the most severe. 1849, came forward with this state- figure in round numbets at 6,000 of the summer is dry. Only once| ment: “T served under Sheridan and| It Mmust be borne in mind that the some believe is a very conservative|during the last four years have they estimate. Some, who have figured |been favored with rain enough to it out systematically and base their [produce more than one good crop. conclusions on a strictly business| ‘I was accompanied on my trip| Youngest Veteran Blemly was check- g‘;;itw?tmxpg: basis, say that Bemidji will not reach{ by Axel Asp ‘and. Laritz and Sieg-| M2ted by Charles Carr of Brooklyn, the 5,500 mark. As yet we have no official figure|the mail carrier dt Shotley and I| 13,1849, nearly six weeks later than but an unofficial report has it that|think he will be well satisfied to the population of Bemidji is 6,280, _ Itis also said of Bemidji that its|that I have seen western Canada I| From New Jérsey came the clatm of | 10 the later days. enumerators were - far -above the(am glad thatI live in Minnesotas David W. Ryan, only fifty-nine years Grant who was then planning so great and important a move as the re- duction of Vicks- Custer in the Shenandoah valley until the close of the war, and I have a year yet to hang on to the saddle be- fore I reach sixty-two.” mattox, but only of Donelson and Henry, and known . then to_ neither Mr. Lin-- coln nor fame, as formerly of Company C, Fourth Ohio fried Anderson. Laritz Anderson is| cavalrys who said he was born March Blemly, and “served throughout the Atlanta campalgn under Géneral Sher- secure the mail contract again. Now| pman» But the president burn the bridge. “1 wonder,” said the little fellow thoughtfully, “if I could do it.” “Colonel,” said the drummer in s |ppo.qoe The captain turned sharply to the| voice husky with anguish, “there's twc | - iadelphia. proposer of this remarkable plan. A | turkeys and six chickens inside this | New York. boy to do what armed troops dare not | drum, and half of them are for you.” |Boston... ou beat that drum louder?” he shout < . B eyd, i e American "e":vg‘“m ¢ pep | 2VETRRE and that there were fewer|and especially in Beltrami county.” 'on 8 Ay e 767 families overlooked in Bemidji than - 667 | in any other city of like size. .548| The census editor cannot give the old, Who served as bugler in Company | W &8 determined H, Second New Jersey cavalry. Young-| o learn all he est Veteran Ryan seemed to have the| C0UId ‘from ' the_ % hael D .| witness then Baccalaureate Sermon at’ A ; pennant, but Michael Donoho-of Au- DrasAES il e burn, N. Y., assaulted his position and Services Well Attended. captured the standard, being still un.| General Leggett K % UESTIONING GEN- — try to do! “Wel, why in blazes aidu't you say |Detroi . /54 final resnlts of the contest undllthe| T T der Bt Do Maj 7, 4], s oy et A CEGGETT. . " How the urchin succeeded in win- | 80?’ the colonel replied. “I*all out at ‘ashington .486 q e baccalaureate services a e [ Donolio join ‘ppenvoll’s Zouaves ning cousent to his plan the captain | once and go back to your quarters.” | Cleveland . .433 Jater.patt. ot June, $hon. the_exact Armory last night drew out the lar-| 32d went to the front in 1861, ~Atter. | Bbeech to his chief and had already bimself, who tells the story, cannot| As a matter of course the colone! | chicago. .. “g33 | count will be given. ket ticadea ward he served with the One Hundred | 1ad & dawning realization ‘;f the great glve a satisfactory account, Combus- | subsequently shared in the repast. St. Louis 208 west crowd that ever attended a ser-| gnq Forty-ninth New York regiment, | figure Grant was to play in the civil tibles had been brought along, and the most flery and compact of these were i . 3 concealed about the boy's person, A Rnnu;s ‘by ane;fll steadnlun. National League R s bundle of pitch pine was also given Wg-er_‘ t'n. line of General Steed- : Won Lost Pt Spokane, W,uh,. May 30.—~Two ject ' Power” an spoke of the man; him, which In itself would not at.| MAn's division of the reserve corps|Chicago.:. .20 11 648 hndredia6kiool (eathers of Spokane problems of life that will require tract attention in a region where pine | WAS Waverlicin the fuce of the leaden | Ny, york .20 14 .585 y T G Efls .I. AKE T lF vice of that nature in Bemidji. * being mustered out at Syracuse Aug. Z‘i“ mls tml)gn!el:ig;f: n:ler:r “;!GM? . # K 19, 1865. Youngest Veteran i point and v D! S EA “ fl j¢ ReverendBiiswell tark atiils apbs| 1 3 thlg: record, ‘w Lincoln as being as true as they were complimentary. “and began to wei fii baggy | General Leggett returned to Lha ‘breeches and the soft sash belt of that| West, and when the Unlon troops . 15 plenty. The captain took his little | hall At Chicknmauga he rode out ‘and | gt 18 13 5gy|Will visit various parts of the pro-|POWer in the coming generation to | "ePCEIAL 8 BT marched into Vicksburg he had the emissary as far as be dared, then set | (00K the flag from the color bearer. | o a0 16 14 .533|vinces of British Columbia, Alberta solve. Reverend Buswell held the| "1; ‘13 highly probable that if this|honor, although suffering from severe / 4 him down fo proceed without attract- | G0 Dback, boys—go back” he ex- 1818 471 .13 16 448 14 20 412 and Mnnitob- and the state of|attention of the audience at allf friendly controversy had extended Minnesota on their lummer vacation times and gave the'graduates g the WEIL there would ve been severs| head o i 1ng attention, gave him a hug and bade | ¢laimed, “but the flag can’t go with St. Louis. . ‘ 5 . 7 I veterans somewhere around trlnted the prlv lege of being the firg splendid lot of advice and informa. i “the| } ] him goodby with a fervent “God bless | You.” He was a man of powerful fig- | Philadelphia you, my boy!” Then the officer re-| Ure. The line was strengthened and |Boston . turned to the hilltop and watched.' SWept on against the foe. Brooklyn,