The Ione independent., January 30, 1931, Image 4

.1 , . . . v. v.
TWO J3UatZuZsS tti,o
By ELMO SCOTT WATSON
IlKSS dispatches from
M If Chicago rei'entV'- carried
fcL f a s,or? aol't famous
IV i Civil war regiment of
i 3" hff which there are now
-...i ii - :
of an original total of
1,184. The story reads
as follows:
-Three are all that's
left to form a company
that's what they called
them In the old days even In the cav
alry but you can't have much of a
reunion of the Eight Illinois cavalry
with only three to answer roll call
ven In Memorial hall at Randolph
street and Michigan avenue. Since
Comrade George Ferry, ninety years
olddied last summer at his home In
Sycamore, there isn't going to be any
ixty-fifth annual reunion.
"Not that the glorious old Eighth Is
actually disbanded, but the gaping
rows of vacant chairs and the too
generous spaces of the hall that now
toss back at them the quavering
echoes of their odd voices lifted In
the songs that once roared lustily up
to the rafters waken too many memo
ries. Too many gentle ghosts walk
there.
"So the faded old flags have been
furled for the last time. The records
will remain closed. Finis Is being
written to the gallant regiment that
on October 13 back In ISfil rode up
Pennsylvania avenue In Washington
past the White House, where the
troops halted to give three- rousing
cheers for Abraham Lincoln. The
regiment that the President watching
them dubbed In his own q'la'nt phrase
ology, 'Farnsworth's Pig Abolition
Regiment
"They were eleven hundred and
eighty-four strong that day, mounted
but without carbines or sabers. John
F. Farnsworth, who recruited them,
largely from Chicago and Kvanton,
at Camp Kane, St Charles, 111., was
elected first colonel of the regiment,
lie had reason to -look upon them
rlilefully.
"Those who remain of the regiment
that was mustered out of service at
Penton Parracks, St. Louis, In June
of 1S03 and returned to Chicago for
final payment and discharge are .1. It.
Dult of Dundee, Henry Elchfleld of
Milwaukee and C. W. I'.iatlierwick of
Chicago. Comrade Duff was captain
of the vanished post"
Such a story could be written about
almost every regiment which inarched
away to war 70 years ago, for of more
than three millions who wore the P.lue
or the Gray In 101 to lir, only a
handful remain. Last summer In Still
water, Minn., there took place a dra
matic scene which symbolized strik
ingly the passing of "the rear guard
of the Civil war." It was the last
meeting of the now-famous "Last
Man's Club" a meeting attended by
only one man. He was Charles Lock
wood, eighty-seven years old, now a
resident of Chamberlain, S. I)., but
once a member of a group of young
men who responded to President Lin
coln's first call for volunteers.
It was on Sunday morning, April 21,
1S01, that a company of gay young
men marched from Stillwater after a
night of dancing at the Sawyer house.
They went to Fort Knelling, where
they were formed Into Company Ii,
First Minnesota Volunteer infantry.
Then came Hull Run, battle of Fair
Oaks, Antietam and Fredericksburg.
They built the Grapevine bridge, sal
vation of Keyes corps at Seven Pines
In '02. After Pickett's charge at Get
tysburg only a few of the gallant Com
pany 15 remained fit for duty.
In 1SS5 several of the veterans de
cided to form an organization of their
comrades. They met on September
17, 1885. The ranks of the company
had declined from 8!) to 31. Louis
Hospes, father of AJ IJospes, known
as the "baby" of the company, gave
the organization a bottie of P.urgun
dy wine, and It was decided to form
a "Last Man's Club," and the last
man was to open the wine and drink
a final toast to his departed comrades.
Each took a pledge to do this. The
purpose of the, organization was to
keep "alive the memory of the fallen
comrades."
"I think the boys got the Idea of
th Last Mau's club from reading
1 1
- ,V , s - J .W
t-;
.. . j. v -f 'Jf V ;
some story of French soldiers," says
Lockwood. "They used to have those
wine suppers every year." It was d
clded to hold the annual reunions
on July 21, the anniversary of the
Rattle of Bull Hun. Each year on
that day the veterans would assemble
at the Sawyer house after a group of
them had gone to the first National
bank and taken from Its vault the old
bottle of, wine which was kept In a
case along with a poem written by the
late H. E. Ilayden In 1S7. The poem
was entitled "The Last Survivor to
Ills Dead Comrades."
"The camp fire smolders ashes fall,
The clouds are black against the
sky;
No taps of drums, no btle call;
My comrades, all goouby."
Ry 1020 there were only three of
the 34 left Lockwood, John S. Go!T
of St. Paul and Peter IlaJl of Atwa
ter, Minn. Within the next year both
GofT and Hall had died, so when July
21, Y.O), came around it fell to the lot
of Lockwood to hold the last meeting
of the "Last Man's Club." So he
f-toftd alone among the 33 empty
chairs, black-draped, set about a
table In the Lowell Inn, which stands
on the site of the old Sawyer house
"a tired old man, pridWess winner of
a race against death," press dis
patches of the time d-scribed him
raised Ms gJas In salute "to my com
rades!" took a sip of what had once
boon sparkling Purgundy wine but
which had by this time turned to
vinegar, and repeated the words of
"The Last Survivor to His Dead Com
rades." Then with his promise ful
filled he turned away and the "Last
Man's Club" had reached Its destiny
of dissolution. ,
When the Grand Army of the Re
public went to Portland, Maine, for
Its annual grand encampment in 1020,
two veterans attracted much atten
tion by the Insignia which they wore
on their hats. The ornament was the
tail of a deer, for these two men, Wil
liam A. McKay of Utica, pa., and liar
ley Drips of Derby, Pa., both of the
Samuel p. Town post of the O. A. It.
In Philadelphia, are among the few
survivors of the famous "Rucktail"
regiments of Pennsylvania. There
were two regiments of ''Rucktalls" In
Civil war days the First Pennsyl
vania Rifles and later the One Hun
dred Fiftieth Pennsylvania Rifles.
So far os Is known the last survivor
of the original "I!iicktall" regiment,
the First Pennsylvania Rifles, died In
1927. An Issue of the potter County
Journal at Coudersport, Pa., during
that year contained this news story:
The recent death of Charles W.
Dickenson, aged eighty-eight,
marked the passing of the last
member of the original Rucktail
regiment, famous for Its record
during the Civil war.
The regiment, organized In
1SG1, through the Influence of Gen.
ThomaHfL. Kane, founder of the
city of Kane, was made up large
ly of hardy mountaineers of this
section of the country. On April
18, 1801, representatives from Me
Kean, Elk and Cameron counties
mot ut the Smethport courthouse
In answer to summons sent out
by General Kane. Three com
panies, the McKean County Rifles,
the Elk County Rifles and the
Cameron County Wild Cats, were
organized and formed the nucleus
of what later became the Rucktail
regiment.
It wus nt Smethport that the In
signia by which the regiment
t : 1
enme to be Known was adopted.
The day the recruits assembled
at Smethport. April 2.", Ton,
James I-andregan, member of the
McKean County Rifles, while pass
ing a meat market where a deer'
carcass was on display, cut oIT
the animal's tail, stuck It In his
hat and proceeded to headquar
ters. Thomas I- Kane, who later
became a general, observed the
buck's tall and seizing upon the
Mea, announced that the force he
was recruiting should be known
as the Rucktalls. Within a short
time the deer's carcass was di
vested of Its hide which was cut
Into strips to resemble buck tails
and attached to their caps.
After marching over the moun
tains the McKean and Elk county
troops Joined those of Cameron
county at Emporium and contin
ued their march to Driftwood on
the Slnnemahonlng, a branch of
the Susquehanna river.
Rafts had been constructed of
lumber for their Journey down the
Susquehanna to Lock Haven. And
on April 27, 111, the forces num
bering 313 men embarked end at
Lock Haven boarded a train for
Harrisburg where they were mus
tered Into service.
Visitors to the state capltol nt liar
rlsburg. Pa., can see In the cnsei
which hold the tattered ensigns of
the Keystone state regiments that of
the One Hundred Fiftieth Pennsyl
vania Ritb-s, a flag which has an In
teresting history. During the battle
of Gettysburg the "llucktails" were
forced to abumbm their position on
Seminary Ridge and fall back Into the
town. During this retreat the wound
ed color-bearer became separated from
his comrades anil the flag Ml Into the
hands (if the Confederates. Later It
was presented to President Jefferson
Davis, and was found among his effects
when he was captured In 1st;.",, nd in
D'iO It was restored to the state of
Pennsylvania.
In the city of Alexandria. Va., lives
the sole survivor now of the or
"' Alexandrians w ho fought with the
Confederates. He is Edgar Wartleld.
a member of Company 11. Seventeenth
Virginia regiment, known ns the Old
Dominion Rifles.
Last year also saw thp passing of
an even more famous "last survivor"
of the "Lost Cause." For when MaJ.
Charles M. Stedman died on Septem
ber 23, 1030, the Congress of the
United States lost Its sole survivor
of the Civil war serving our national
legislature. Up until recent years
there were a number of Civil war vet
erans, both those who wore the P.lue
and those who wore the Gray, In both
houses of congress. Rut the last
decade saw the number cut down
steadily until 1023 when there were
oidy three left. In that year Gen.
Isaac Sherwood of Ohio retired to
private life nt the age of ninety and
his departure marked the passing of
the last Union veteran from the
house of representatives. In 1020
Senator- Francl Warren of Wyoming
died and the last Union veteran was
gone from the senate. And last year
the death of Major Stedman of North
Carolina removed not only the last
Confederate veteran but also the last
Civil war veteran on either side from
both houses.
Major Stedman was born January
20, 18)1, In PitUdmro, N. C, and en
tered the University of North Caro
lina nt the age of sixteen. He was
graduated ftrirn the university In 1 HOI
and received his diploma, but before
the commencement exercises could be
held he had responded to a call for
volunteers and enlisted as a private
In the Fayettevlllo Light Infantry
company which was a part of the
First North Carolina (or Rothel)
regiment. Upon the disbanding of
this regiment he Joined a company
from Chatham county, rose to the
rank of lieutenant, then captain and
finally major. He served In the army
of Gen. Robert B. I-ee throughout the
war und was present at the historic
surrender nt Apparnnttox. Major
Stedman was wounded three times
during the war but survived his
wounds to become a lawyer and to be
elected from the Greensboro district
of North Carolina to the Slxty-seconJ
congress 20 years ago.
iCc) by Wuatra Newipaptr t'alou.) 4
1 TI1E ' Pi
I CLOVEN
$ hoof l
I 8B 88
) By FANNIE HURST Vij
tn McClum NvKiAur 8vi:ill t.)
SOMETIMES neither the manage
ment nor a largo part of the
audiences which crowded the
kind of variety theaters where
this attraction appeared, knew what
Cloven Hoof meant.
Rut seldom did they miss Its con
notation. Even to the Ignorant and
the unenlightened, the term "cloven
hoof" suggested the pagan, the fan
tastic, the unrestrained, the naughty
and forbidden.
The Cloven Hoof act did not dis
appoint It consisted of a series of "Solo
Pallets" as the programs put It, per
formed by none other than the Faun
himself, a rolo that had for years been
successfully Impersonated on vaude
llle circuits by ItenoKI Renobls,
There was n stage name for you.
Renold Rcuolds. It Intrigued the
fancy, It made girls who had stood
on their feet all day In shops ami fac
tories thrill with surmise.
Renold P. 'Holds did not fall them,
lie was as straight and as fleet as a
young god; or. Indeed, us the naughty
faun he portrayed. It might be said
that his face was molded In the form
of a satyr's. Lean, pointed, with leap
ing arches to his brows, a dipping, full
lipped mouth, quick eyes and hair that
grew naturally Into forelock anil side
burns. Even his fingers were full of
quick, lili;h movements, as If they
were about to lift a pipe of Pan.
Renobls was an old timer of success.
It was sahl that his performance
had once Included a stirring trapeze
act that had yielded him over twice
the salary he now enjojed, but Mini
his bride of two weeks hal fallen off
the bar and broken her back and that,
since then, the Cloven Hoof act had
consisted merely of the Solo Pallet.
Pe that as it may, the performance
still retained sutllclent vigor and tiov
tdty to Insure Renobls steady and
long term bookings.
His scene consisted of a grotto, imm
grown, lichen grown, woody, tropical
and full of strange under and over
growths of fern, mosses, orchids anil
climbing plants. The effect of a wa
terfall was achieved by lighting. P.lrds
of strange plumages sat In the trees,
a red moon rose slowly out of a clump
of Jungle. Owls booted. A nightin
gale tinted Its half finished miles. The
beholder was transported from his
consciousness of city streets, banging
cars and day of moll and toll. Into the
1 curious, half rank, half fragrant mys
teries of tie Jungle.
Renobls entered In a loin cloth of
leopard skin, vine leaves In his hair,
bis strange pointed head thrown back
and the pipes of Pan playing eerily
along his lips.
He was god like, all rigid. Tan were
his limbs, ban and long, his torso full
of flexiiosities. His soft soled sandals.
! made of finest kid, were fastened
j with thongs that wrapped nronnd his
j legs and across the Insteps and lent
j him silent footed grace,
j It was said that PcnoMs' "fan let
j ters" amounted to hundreds n week.
; At any rate, every month be sent a
1 packet of them to the he:iilqua'-t"rs of
I his management In New York lis evl
deuce of the continuing arid hardy sue
cess of his act.
There were those who said th" sue.
ces of that act was not Renolds him
self, but his animals. During nil three
of his Solo Pallets there appeared
upon the stage, birds, dogs, cats, a
small trained leopard, n pair of mar
mosets. Two lovebirds Jit on the faun's
shoulders and picked cherries from
his lips. A tiny poodle dog ran Into
the scene on rear legs, carrying a doll
baby In Ids fragile paws. The tame
leopard walked out of n moonlit
clump of trees and permitted Renobls
to turn double somersaults across his
beautiful back. The marmosets staged
a chase up and down the long, slim
flanks of the solo dancer. Three pale
gold angora cats played ring around a
rosy. A flaming maenw flew across the
scene and alighted on the branch of
a tree.
It was quite an net, ending with
Renolds? surrounded by his menagerie,
birds on his arms, leopard nt his side,
the dog standing on the back of one
of the angoras, the marmosets ehlt
terlng, the macaw waving lis trl col
ored, widespread wings and the lights
causing the waterfall to leap In glory.
This final tableau was posted In
lithograph all over the lobby and
along the billboards of the town.
It gave people pause, Especially he
young girls whoso feet could ache so
nt night lilted to gather before the
faunal figure In Its Jungle selling.
Pagan beauty. Fleet, clean limbs be
fore the wind. Release from pave
ment hound fallgue. All these, and
more, were ground Into the colored
lithographs.
Small wonder that the letters con
tinued to stack up on the table In
Renolds' dressing room. Girls flecked
to bis act. Women, especially the
tired, earth bound ones who Mood on
their feet behind counters all day,
wondered about him.
There was an ecstatic sort of mys
tery about the man who can be won
dered about, What was Renolds' life?
Fantasy, Indulged In by the meager
girls In their meager rooms, ran wild.
Actually his everyday real life was this:
There was truth In lh riiitior thai
the two-week old bride of Rotinhls
hail fallen from a Hying trapeze, The
short, blunt facts were (hat she had
broken her back, cracked her skull
and met with tortuous Internal Inju
ries, She was a frail beauty of a
girl who had danced before a row of
footlights most of her life, and, with
the tioinet lines aslotilshlug endurance
and vitality of the frail, had weath
ered the horrllileuess of the accident
and had nt least won her life, Precious
llllle more than that. The back healed,
hut kept her flat on It The skull
healed, but the mind could bend and
flicker like n lamp In n gale, lnlerual
displacements sometimes (ore at I'ma
dle and made her frantic with pain.
And yet Ihe mystery of III The
eternal mystery of the will to live!
Roth Renolds and Emudlo fought for
that life, clung lo It, struggled to keep
It going.
There Is an old Hindoo saying that,
"No one but God and I knows what
Is In my heart." Well, no one but
God and Renolds could quite have
known the quality of love, endurance
and forbearance that licnolds poured
Into those long years that were after
math to Ihe Ilk lit his crushed 11 ad
broken bride had lain writhing at his
feet after the hurt from the trapeze.
licnolds gave himself to the rem
nant of this life that had I n left
to him with a zeal, with an Intensity
that were nothing short of fanatical,
and with the sometime tendency of 11
mind that Is tortured, to vent Itself
against the one most loved, Emadio
literally pirated off Ihe quality of mer
cy that was licnolds', She was exact
ing, she was Jealous, she was dicta
torial and. In the frenzy of her palll,
poor creature, was often abusive be
,oud the telling.
Even her doctors sometime forgot
forbearance, reminding her that there
are limits is -n to the tyrannies of the
afflicted. Put no so Iteiiolds. It was
as If he bared his neck, bowed his
head and said: "Strike, strike, strike,"
And strike Etnadle did. For fifteen
jears Renolds had carted the poor
little ruin that was his wife from
town to town with him. He had In
vented beds, carring chairs, spine
rest devices, mat tresses, especially
designed for berths, cold water bottles,
hot water bottles, traveling medicine
kits, that might. If patented, have
made him a rich man. Not a step hud
lietiolili taken In all those years with
out the litter that bore his wife, at
his hisds.
It was u matter of transporting the
frail body, establishing It In hotel
quarters, nsemtilng his menagerie,
rushing off to tho theator nod home
ii.mIii wllhollt removing bis inake-up.
The leisure of Relields, If It might
so be called, und about which the hun
dreds of wistful eyed girls womb-red,
was spent ministering 'to the broken
doll he called wife, 11 ml attending the
needs of a menagerie that was rapidly
grow ing old. For nine years tber had
not been a break In those animal
ranks. The birds, marmosets, dogs,
cats, bad managed to survive Intact.
Some said It was the marvelous care
that Renolds lavished on them. Some,
the few who knew, sahl It was that
same Incredible quality of devotion
that he lavished on Elllilille, which
had kept her alle.
I'.e that as It may, when the faun
iinllioi'eil his sandals that were soft
as panther skin, ungirdod bis loins of
the kln of a leopard, and hastened
Into Chilian clothes, no matter what
the town i,r what the season, his des
tination was the same.
Pack to the hotel, Into the room
where lay the querulous Invalid, sus
picions of his slightest delay. Never
a meal would Emndlo eat without him
there to feed her spoon by spoon. No
one could touch her pillow, ease her
position, massage her aching head,
read her the dally newspapers, or min
ister to her capricious I Is, hut
Peuolds.
Her deinnnds, her commands, were
without limit. She loved him with a
frenzy that made her Insane where
he was concerned. She tortured tho
thing she loved to limits that were
Incredible.
pet ween the demand of his menag
erie and the demands of Emadle, pen
olds' time was crammed to It limit.
In n way bis animals had come to
depend upon him Just a surely and
Just as oxaelliigly 11 s Eimnlle. The
french poodle would only eat from
Retinitis' bund. The macaw would let
no hatitl but his place him on hi
perch at night. The marmosets pined
ami would not eat unlit Reiiolda per
sonally administered lo thorn. Count
less times be had sat up the night
through with one of the orange an
gora cat wdio was subject to asth
matic smothering spells.
If ever n man had two worlds en
tirely dependent upon Mm, that man
was Renolds, The world of hi wife,
the world of hi animal, lie wa their
sustenance, their all. HI time was
their, hi life devoted to their crea
ture comforts, and to the exacting
task of keeping the rough places of
life out of their sight.
Ills night and his days were full
of Iheiii. Eau de cologne for Emadle,
A toy to amuse her on the (lays when
her back wa particularly bad. Sugar
for the poodle, A new asthma medi
cine for tho cut. A bit of n sweet
for tho leopard' A tiny oil burner for
the cage of the marmosets. A new
device of an alr-plilovv for Emadle.
Sweet. Soda I Ives. Service.
And every night, as ho bounded on
stage Into hi Jungle and the water
fall begun to flow silver, and the shy,
sweet sound of the forest began to
emerge, the rows of girl with the
tired fret Mat feasting their eyes and
heart on the beautiful pagan mys
teries of the young god with the cloven
hoof.
MM
AWY GRAHAM DOMNtR
PRETTY
My name Is Pretty," the dog said.
"My name I Will Whippet," said
another dog. "You see, 1 am tan In
color, thlu In size, with it long nose,
pointed ears ami a funny, skinny tall,
which 1 like to have. between my legs,"
"I am a Shetland collie," Pretty
ialtl.- She had Huffy while hair which
was very well combed and beautifully
kept
"I really make quite a lot of
money," she sahl, after a moment "I
don't know that It makes much differ
ence, ami I don't want to boast.
"Put stilt, I thought you might be
Interested,"
"I am Interested," said Will. "And
1 am not one to despise money.
"I know it buys liver and meat
hone and dog biscuits, etc,
"Yes, ami It bus milk and warmth
anil rugs and cushions, I really like
money- that Is, 1 like what It can
Itet."
"1 know," said Pretty, "und I am
going to ttdl you somelhlilg now,
"You know we both can act. We
can d all sort of frbks. My mis
tress has me perform on the stage.
"A violin will play - it's something
which makes music by having some
une pull a bow across strings nnd
press down Utile notes.
"How they really make music out of
It I don't know, but they do, am It Is
something In this way such as I have
described.
'lt Is then that I sing, tlf course,
rvcnoim might not rail what I do
mm
if
mmms-
"It Is Thtn That I Sino."
singing, but I make a noUe ami folks
like too ami clap, and I make money
"t sit up ami wave our nation's flag
and the flags of all the other tuitions,
and that ulwnjs gets a great ileal of
applause.
I ''I'm the 'only one of my kind
I around, find I win many prizes. , They
I always seem to take to my while hair,
! which my mistress keep ery white
by putting blueing In my hntli water.
"It's nlwajs silky and soft. And
people like my brown nose and eyes
ami ears.
"They seem to think they go well
with the white, soft, way. Huffy body.
"I have been all over the country
and I have been abroad, too. I'.ut ymj
hae noted a great deal, too, ami you
do some Kplemlld counting tricks.
"nly now I bine some news f.-r
you. We're going to perform on New
Year's Eve, which is Just about to
be here -for home Very Splendid lllld
worthy cause, and the money Is to be
given to help others.
"Isn't that a splendid way In which
to begin the New Year?"
"Marvelous." Hah Will Whippet,
"Well, n happy New Year, ami may
we earn lots of money !"
"The same to joq ami many of
them," said Pretty, who had traveled
so much' she was quite familiar with
specrhcH made by people.
Ami the dogs did a great, great deal
to help the special entertainment, so
that afterward Pretty said to Will:
"That was a good way of beginning
the New Year."
"Couldn't have been better," agreed
Will.
Bobby Loved Puppirt
Our springer spaniel had twelve
puppies. Each day Pobby, a live year
old neighbor, came to see them. He
liked them nil, but centered his devo
tion on one beautiful Jlltle black and
white fellow he called Spot.
However, Spot was the first one of
tho Utter to be sold. nm when the
day came for him lo be shipped, Rob.
by cried a though his heart would
break.
For several days after, Rnbby did
not come to see ih puppies, n't all.
Rut finally he again appeared at our
door.
"Well, Ps Vhled at last to tnakn
the best 'bout Spolly," be announced
Willi n sad Jlltle smile, ".an' Ps eomu
to get 'qualnled with another one." '
Milk by Cowfult
Raby Dorothy visiting In the coun
try took an abnormal liking to milk.
When her aunt thought slio had
enough, sho stopped her.
"Well, I don't see why you should
be stingy with your milk, you have
two wholo eowful out In tho burn."
Tongue Twiitert
Petty buy baby blue bonnets will
big bright blue ribbon bowH.
Great green grape grow grandly,
geiierou Kctillemen graciously gl'vi
grape.
Peter Padd picking plies of pale
pink petals ; preparing pretty jmslua