St. Charles Republican intelligencer. (St. Charles [Charles City], Iowa) 1856-1857, 1857-07-09
The Fourth Of July in st. Charles.

The Fourth Of July in st. Charles.
The celebration in St. Charles on the
Fourth passed off quietly and pleas
antly, excepting a single accident.
The weather was remarkably fine. At
early morn the work of preparation
could be seen going forward, and in a
short time our infant city, Of scarcely
two years growth, fully indicated that
the great gala-day of the Americans
had arrived.
The stores of Messrs. John Fergu-
son & Co., and Cheney & Bracket,
were ornamented with banners and
trees and shrubbcry. The lntelligen-
Ger building had printing press set
out upon platform in front Of the
upper story, bedecked with the stars
and stripes, and from the tympanum
Aoated a pendant marked Free
dom's Sentinel" A large and beauti-
full United States flag was flung to the
breeze from the top of the building,
and numerous smaller flags hung out
at every window. In one Of the lower
front windows was a banner marked
Esprit of '76," and in the other, one
marked "July 4, 1851" while over
the front door was third, marked
1.-THE Day we Celebrate In addition
to this, the whole building was deco
rated with wreaths of oak leaves,
trees, shrubbery, &c. A fine national
banner foated from the top of the
flagstaff upon the public square, and
all things presented cheerful and
pleasing aspect. Nature and art con.
spired to give beauty and hilarity to
the scene.
At an early hour the people from
abroad began to come in-men, wo-
men and children-all attired in their
Sundays best, clearly, and many most
fashionably dressed-till by ten o'clock
our streets were thronged with large
numbers of the denizens of other
villages, and the farmers, the sturdy
yeomanry of our fertile prairies,
their wives and little ones.
At twelve o'clock the people assem-
bled in the grove, above the Square,
where the divine blessing was implor-
ed by Rev. G. F. Brayton, the Declar-
alton read by w. B. Fairfield, both of
St. Charles an grafton was delivered
by D. w. Poindexter of Mitchell, sue.
ceedcd by remarks from Moses Cong.
er Of Floyd, and by Mr.. Fairfield. Mr.
Brayton closed the exercises by pro.
nouncing the benediction, when the
audience repaired to the handsomely
spread tables bonntifully loaded BY
Mr.. Martin of the St. Charles hote
with the viands of the season, which
were arranged in the grove near by
Here the ediblcs were discussed, and
after that toasts and speeches were
had. The exercises were then sus-
pended till evening.
Opportunity was now afforded for
cultivating the social affections, and
many were congratulating each other
that the day was passing off orderly
and pleasantly, when suddenly it was
announced that Mr.. John Hill, who re-
sides some two miles above town, had
met with a serious accident while fir
q sledge-hammer. He charged the
eye of the hammer with powder aftel
placing it upon an anvil, and thel
placed two or three other anyils OF
top of it. On applying the match t.
the powder, the hammer burst into
several pieces, one of which struck
his leg between the knee and ankle,
tearing away some two or three inches
of the tibia, or shin bone, and much
of the flesh but leaving the calf OF
the leg and the fibula, or smaller bone,
apparently sound. Doctors Smith.
Parsons and Fessenden dressed the
wound, and though in critical condi.
ton, hopes are entertained that Mr..
Hill will save his leg and recover. AT
ter this accident the firing ceased for
the day, and cloud of gloom and
sadness seemed cast over all.
In the evening there was fine dis
play of fireworks, which appeared to
afford great pleasure to the specta-
tors, many of whom had never wit
messed an exhibition Of the kind pre-
viously. After the fireworks there
was a ball at the hall of Cheney g.
Bracket, which closed up the exercis-
es of the GLORIOUS Fourth" in st.
Charles.
We understand that one of our
neighbors had the aid of number of
swine to dig the entire crop of pota-
l.