Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1865-03-15
NUMBER 219. :

Il carriage cloak. At least dozen ladies
wore bonnets more or less inappropriate to
the festive scene. Several gentlemen ell
bowed their way through the crowd with
stove pipe hats in hand, and wearing their
winter overcoats, as though they expected
snow storm in the Arctic regions. There
were gentlemen with all manner of scarfs,
bright and fancy colors, as well as dingy
black, displaying glittering pins of all
manners of devices. Andy Johnson's plebe-
ians outnumbered the aristocrats at least
twenty to one. They threw shoddy and
petroleum completely into the shade. The
, dancing of these people was marvellous.
The men threw their legs around like the
spokes of a wheel; the women hoped,
skipped and jumped about in q manner
which would have made French dancing
master commit suicide. They introduced
the figures of quadrille into the Lancers,
and breakdown into a quadrille. They
appeared to think that every other dance
was waltz, and acted accordingly. The
galop, the shottische and varsovienne, the
danish and the redowa were all Greek to
them. They understood nothing but o
plain waltz and plain quadrille, and APP
peared to think that they were exhibiting
the greatest science when they were kick
ing up the most dust. Those of the blebe-
ians who did not dance gathered around
the doors of the supper rooms, and remain
ed there from nine o'clock until the time
that the supper room was opened. This
gives pretty accurate idea OF their calibre.
COURT SET.
The President and Mrs. Lincoln did not
dance, nor did the grave Secretaries trip
the slight fantastic" There was court
set, however. Vice Admiral Farragut,
nip o., ,l., n,
and an Gttqche of one of the legations,
danced the Lancers together. Miss Bucll-
anan, daughter of Commodore Buchanan,
of the Boston Navy Yard, and Miss Wilson,
of Chicago, were in this set. An admiring
crowd surrounded the party, and they
danced with grace and spirit unequalled
by any others of the large company. The
notabilties did not keep together or dance
together, but mingled freely with the crowd.
Some of the distinguished people were
conspicuous from their absence. Neither
Secretary Stanton, Chief Justice Chase,
Senator Sprague nor Mrs. Sprague, were
present. These absentees were noted, and
the political bearing of the fact discussed.
Indeed, every incident had its political sig
nificance in the opinion Of many. Because
Senator Sumner escorted Mrs. Lincoln, it
wasl presumed that the President had in
dorsed his reconstruction theories. Be-
cause Captain Robert Lincoln escorted Miss
Harlan, it was supposed that Senator
Harlan is to go into the Cabinet. People
said that Chase and Sprague stayed away
because Surveyor Wakeman had been con-
firmed. Politicians now catch at such
straws. A nod from Mrs. Lincoln is con-
sidered equivalent to an appointment.
SUPPER READY.
Just before twelve o'clock the President
was notified that supper was ready. The
Presidential party then retired in the same
order as they entered, and a rush was made
to follow them. Policemen kept back the
crowd and the party got safely out of the
ballroom and were ushered into the supper
room by a private entrance. Then the
doors were thrown open to the guests, who
dashed in pell-mell in dreadful confusion,
ladies being crushed against the walls, or
dragged half fainting through the crush.
Men tried to tear down the temporary door,
way. The table was cleared almost in a
moment and alter tine first ten minutes the
walters could bring nothing except for a
fee. In an hour there was nothing left to
bring. AT least half the people went away
hungry. There was no attempt to keep
order. The committee men were not to be
found, and the policemen were insolent
and inefficient. 1t was impossible to get
in or out of the supper room or near the
table. No wines were furnished with the
supper, and but little water. The coffee
room was shrewdly located at the other end
of the building, where nobody could get at
it till supper was over. The floor was COW
cred with the debris of the supper. All the
dresses which escaped spoliation below
were spoiled here. The ladies were very
angry-so were the men. Some bullied,
some bribed the walters, and some ate the
remains of other peoples suppers. The
mass surged to and fro like sea. Plates
were broken by dozens. There was gen
eral mess.
THE PRESIDENTIAL FEAST.
The Presidents party feasted at the up
per end of the hall, and, having finished,
attempted to pass out. But Andy JohnsOn's
plebelans were savage with hunger, and
would not make way for anybody. The
Presidents party were thus forced to en-
ter an alcove between the cases of models,
climb up stairs, and emerge upon sort of
balcony above the heads OF the crowd,
where they could look down upon the
struggle for viands. Nobody cared to fol-
ow them now. The President and others
disorder. Mrs. Lincoln said it was "a
"Well," said the President 'it
appears like very systematic scramble."-
This was his only little joke during the
After that he grew serious, and
wanted to go home. The party crowded
along the balcony, descended another stairs,
md passed out quietly, without being no.
iced. They at once proceeded to their
lressing rooms, without re-entering the
and without being attended bya
single outsider. In ten minutes they were
dressed, and at precisely one o'clock they
eft the building by side door. Their de-
Darture thus unceremoniously excited no
comment among the ravenous throng in
tide.
END OF THE SHOW. ftf.t.
Andy Johnson's plebeians paid no more,
attention to the other distinguished people
lfter supper time than they did to the ePresi-
lential party. Most of the aristocrats had
zone home, and only the commoners re-
NAMED in force. Gen. Banks stood solitary
or quarter of an hour. The Vice Ad-
niral, his smiles gone, roamed about dis
ontentedly, and soon stole away. The ball
lid not close, it fizzled out, like poor piece,
# fireworks. After two o'clock the people
we're still eating off of plates which had
,een used before, and drinking from others
ups.
aH II n r F Ey9