HURRAH FOR THE 45th

Armory, Syracuse, N. Y. 1890's.

Cortland Evening Standard, Thursday, March 16, 1893

HURRAH FOR FORTY-FIFTH.

OUR SOLDIER BOYS BRING HOME TWO OF THREE TROPHIES.

A Tremendous Crowd at the Syracuse Armory to See the Athletic Contests—Cortland the Favorite From the Start—Royally Entertained by the Forty-First Company.

   The Syracuse armory was packed with a great crowd of people last night to see the indoor athletic contests of the military companies and other organizations of Central New York. There were teams present from the Twenty-sixth company of Elmira, the Forty-fifth company of Cortland, the Forty-first company of Syracuse, the Forty-eighth company of Oswego, the Syracuse Athletic association, and the Syracuse Y. M. C. A.

   Twenty-four members of the Forty-fifth company went to Syracuse on the 4:30 train last night, and were met at the station in that city by a delegation from the Forty-first company by whom they were escorted to the armory, where lockers were provided for them in which to store their belongings. They were then taken to the Clarendon hotel and were entertained at supper. During their entire stay in the Salt city they were the guests of the Forty-first company, and the boys are loud in their praises of the royal manner in which they were treated. The boys took with them as one of their trainers, Mr. David Jackson, Jr., better known since last evening as "my lit'e boy." A number of people not members of the company also went up to see the sport.

   At 8:20 the contests began and lasted until 11:30. The first thing on the program was the tug of war. The first heat was to have been pulled by Cortland and Auburn, but the team from the latter place forfeited the heat to Cortland. The second heat was between Syracuse and Oswego, and was won by Syracuse by a few inches. Then Elmira and the Syracuse A. A. pulled, and the result was a tie. Cortland and Syracuse pulled and the former won by seven inches. The next heat was to have been pulled by the S. A. A. and Elmira, but just before the drop the clerk of the course, Mr. Charles A. Huck of Syracuse, discovered that Elmira was using an illegal belt, having a ring in it which gave them an unfair advantage. He protested at once and the protest was allowed by the referee. Cortland then offered to allow Elmira their belt, but the offer was refused. Syracuse likewise offered theirs, but Elmira refused to pull with any belt except their own, and they were accordingly ruled out, and the pull was declared to be forfeited to the Syracuse A. A. Elmira had used this same belt in the previous pull, but the ring had not been noticed.

   The next pull was between Syracuse and Syracuse A. A. and was a tie. The same teams pulled again and the Athletic association won by three-quarters of an inch. The last pull was between Cortland and the Athletic association and was won by the sturdy Forty-fifths, making them three heats in all, and the winners in the contest. The prize was an elegant silver water set valued at $75. The team in the order in which they pulled consisted of Corporal Monroe as anchor, Privates Head and Townsend, and Sergeant York.

   The relay race was a quarter of a mile run with four changes, best three in five heats. The runners from the Forty-fifth company were Messrs. Reagan, Gaffney, Harkness and Mills. The first trial was to have been between the Pastime Athletic club of Syracuse and the Syracuse Athletic association. It was forfeited to the latter, as the former declined to start. The second heat was between Cortland and Elmira and was won by the former in 58 seconds. The third heat was between Cortland and the Syracuse Y. M. C. A., and was won by Cortland by a distance of five or six rods. The fourth heat was between Cortland and the Syracuse A. A. and was won by the latter in 56 seconds. The fifth and last heat was between the same teams and was won by Syracuse A. A. in 57 seconds. This made three victories for the Athletic association and they were declared victors.

   Gaffney and Reagan of the Cortland team were unfortunate enough to have pitted against them two of the Athletic association's most famous sprinters, and the manner in which they held their own against them drew from the crowd repeated cheers for Cortland. Prof. McCormick, the director of the Y. M. C. A. gymnasium, who was referee, and who is considered the best all around athlete in Syracuse expressed his surprise at the way in which the Cortland boys flew over the track. In the last heat Harkness had a big gap to close up and he was making a great effort and was doing splendidly, when in turning a corner he spiked himself and fell. He got up and hastened on to be relieved at the end of his part by Mills, but he had lost too much ground, and though Mills did excellently, and closed up much of the space he was defeated by a single yard. Another lap would have given this contest too to Cortland, as things seemed to be going [well.]

   It will be remembered that in the contest at Cortland some months ago Elmira refused to run in the relay race, but declared that she could have easily beaten Cortland, if she had tried. In the race with Elmira last night Cortland won by nearly one quarter of a lap. The Forty-first boys were much tried last night by the repeated "kicking" of Elmira, and the Forty-fifth knew well how to sympathize with them, because it was only the same old story last night that was heard here in Cortland on the previous occasion, only last night it seemed as though Elmira was bound to give Syracuse a double portion of her spleen. The result was that she was repeatedly hissed by the audience.

   The other contest in which Cortland took part was the half-mile run. There were four entries: Robert Mills of Cortland, Plumkin of Syracuse, DeLamb of Elmira and Treadwell of Oswego. At the end of the first lap Mills forged ahead and held that place to the finish, winning in 2 minutes and 1 second. This trophy is an elegant silver goblet gold-lined. The two prizes won by the Cortland boys are now on exhibition in one of Beaudry's windows.

   Cortland was not entered in the pole vaulting contest, but that was won by C. Fred Ackerman of the Syracuse Y. M. C. A. who broke his own and the world's record by two inches. He vaulted the bar at ten feet.

   The Forty-fifth team was under the management of the athletic director, Dr. E. M. Santee. The officers of the contest were referee, Prof. C. H. McCormick; judges, F. R. Hazard, president of the Syracuse A. A., Capt. John G. Butler of the Forty-first company and Sergeant E. M. Santee of Forty- fifth company.

   The Forty-fifth has received an invitation to send a team to Buffalo, March 25, to take part in the athletic contests of the 74th Regiment, N. G. S. N. Y. [National Guard, State of New York.] It will probably accept.

   The boys came home this morning highly delighted with their success, as well they might be. Hyatt & Tooke this morning took a photograph of the teams with the trophies.

Gen. Henry Slocum.

FRAUDULENT ROLL.

GENERAL SLOCUM SPEAKS ON THE PENSION QUESTION.

Says the Pension Roll is a Fraudulent One—Both Parties Have Been Guilty

in Swelling the List—Bounty Jumpers, Deserters and Men Who Never Were in the War at All Should be Cast Out. Will Not Accept the Office.

   BROOKLYN, March 16.—General Henry W. Slocum has been interviewed upon the subject of the recent dispatch from Washington which intimated that he would have been offered the position of commissioner of pensions if he had been physically able to perform the duties of the office.  The general said, "If I was 20 years younger I would be glad to accept the position, but at my age I do not feel called upon to take such heavy work upon myself as would be required by any man who successfully administers that office. A young man could take hold of it and make a reputation for himself, That pension roll is a fraudulent roll.

FRAUDULENT NAMES.

   "There is no mistake about that. There are deserters and bounty jumpers on it and other men who were never in the army at all. I would like to go through it and find out the names that should not be on the books at all. It can be done as easy as turning your hand over, but it would involve a great deal of labor. I do not need the office or the salary, but I would accept the office if I were a younger man for the sake of getting at the fraudulent names on the pension roll and casting them out.

BOTH PARTIES GUILTY.

   "The Democratic and the Republican congressmen have been equally guilty in swelling the pension list and the pension agents have contributed their share to piling up the cost. Here it is 30 years after the close of the war and we are paying this immense sum for pensions. It is wrong."

   General Slocum said further that the few years he had to live he wanted to spend as comfortably as possible and that he would not take upon himself anything so vexatious as the work of the commissioner of pensions. He thought a young man and an active man should be appointed who had nothing to with the business of procuring pensions.

Railroad Purchase Completed.

   NEW YORK, March 16.—The board of directors of the New York Central and Hudson River railroad yesterday completed the purchase from J. Pierpont Morgan of the New York and Northern railroad and the property will be formally turned over April 1. The terms of the transaction are withheld, but it includes the delivery of a majority of the preferred and common stock and the second mortgage bonds.

   The New York, New Haven and Hartford railroad is to have the right to participate in any addition to the New York Central facilities in New York which the New York and Northern will furnish. A reorganization of the New York and Northern is proposed.

Blown From a Train.

   Frank Green of Cortland, a brakeman on the E., C. & N. R. R. was yesterday afternoon blown off the roof of a moving freight train as it was approaching New Woodstock. The train was No. 11 eastbound, which left Cortland at 2 o'clock. It was about 5:30 o'clock when a strong gust of wind carried Mr. Green off the walk on top of the car. He lost his footing on the icy inclined roof and fearing that he would fall between cars jumped to the ground while the train was still under a good rate of speed. His fall was discovered by the lookout in the caboose and he was picked up and taken to New Woodstock and a physician was called. He found no injuries except bruises about the body and face. He was brought to Cortland on the passenger train which leaves New Woodstock at 6:49 arriving here at 7:55 and was immediately taken to his home on Clinton-ave. Subsequently it appears that his wrist was sprained and that his side is very sore from severe bruises. The injuries to the head may prove to be more serious than at first believed. Dr. A. J. White attends him.

BREVITIES.

   —The Hitchcock Hose Co to purchase a new horse.

   —Regular meeting of the Hitchcock Hose Co. to-morrow night.

   —Notwithstanding the snow, both the D. L. & W. and E. C. & N. are running on time to-day.

   —The D. L. & W. paycar in charge of Conductor Henry Darling made the boys happy this morning.

   —The C. M. B. A. have added to the attractiveness of their rooms at Empire hall, by putting in a fine cabinet grand mahogany upright piano from Mr. A. Mahan's warerooms.

   —Meetings are being held at the First Methodist church every night at 7:30 o'clock. Last evening the prayer meeting room was filled almost to the doors. Much interest is manifested.

   —An error in last night's STANDARD in the votes credited to William Corcoran for police justice in the second ward made his total 839 votes when it should have been 877. This reduces Mr. Bull's majority from 135 to 97 votes.

   —Mr. C. S. Bull opened his three year administration this morning by discharging two vagrants giving their names as John and Tom McMahon, The two beings were lodged in the county jail by Sheriff Miller last evening.

   —Mr. R. W. Walsworth passed away Tuesday morning after a long and painful illness of sixteen months at the home of his daughter, Mrs. E. H. Wilson, 81 Lincoln-ave. Funeral services Friday at 11 A. M. at his late residence. Interment at McGrawville.

   — Police court looks a little as if Mr. Charles S. Bull, the re-elected police justice, was running an opposition to our local cigar dealers. On a table are spread cigars which will suit every taste strong, mild, light, dark, large, and small, in fact everything but "Virginia sheroots." "Shell" is kept busy "setting them up" to his friends.

   —James H. Kellogg camp are preparing to give a series of four social entertainments this spring at their new rooms in the Union Hall block. The first one to be given is a "Phantom Party" and "Web of Fate" on next Wednesday evening, March 22. It will be public to spectators but only invited friends of the society will take part in the "ceremonies" which will be unique and novel and very amusing.

   —A meeting of the Woman's Christian Temperance union will be held in their rooms Saturday, March 18. Consecration service at 2:30, after which the subject of "Sabbath Observance" will be considered, and special information bearing upon the subject will be presented by Mrs. Bentley, the county superintendent of this department. Sunday morning prayer meeting at 9:45 in the same place.

   — Professor D. L. Bardwell of the Normal school lectured in the Y. M. C. A. rooms last evening to a large audience although the people had to face a blizzard in order to attend. The professor's lecture, "Nature's Greatest Sculptor," was highly interesting from beginning to end, impressing upon the minds of his hearers by his word and the stereopticon scenes from the Hudson, Watkins Glenn, Niagara Falls, and other countries than our own the work that is being wrought by the Great Sculptor. When one looks upon these great master pieces he is impressed with the littleness of man, and even the sculpture of Michael Angelo, Antonio Canova, and Adolf Doundorf fades with insignificance.