Typed as spelled and written
Lena Stone Criswell

THE MARLIN DEMOCRAT
Thirteenth Year - Number (Missing)
Marlin, Texas, Thursday, May 29, 1902
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DECORATION DAY.

       The decoration day services held at the court house Wednesday afternoon were begun by the invocation from Rev. J. A. Montgomery.  Next on program was a song from the choir accompanied by Prof. Ernst on the organ, Jim King on the trombone and Charlie Springer on the flute.  Next Hon. J J Swann was introduced by Captain King and made a magnificient talk.
       At the close a clipping from some newspaper was read about Isom Gamble, the colored honorary member of the Willis Lang Camp.
       Isom served throughout the war with his master and was in most of the important battles such as Bull Run, Wilderness and Shiloh.  He likes to speak of them when it were the Union troops that were forced to leave the field and not the Confederates.
       Next on program was a beautiful solo sung by Prof. Ernst, with the choir accompanying him on the chorus.
       Captain King then made a short talk giving the reasons for holding the services in the court house instead of the cemetery as the ground was not in a condition.
       He also urged that the business men should give the decoration day services more attention as it did not come but once a year.
       The benediction was given by Rev. I C Underwood.

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Copyright permission granted to Theresa Carhart and her volunteers for printing
by The Democrat, Marlin, Falls Co., Texas