Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1873-11-14


FIREWORKS, BANNERS, BoNFIREs, NC.
-ENTHUsIAsM OF THE PEoPLE-ILLU-
MINATIoNs ALONG THE ROUTE
SPEECHES AT THE COURT HOUSE.
&C.. &C., &c.
Staunton can now lay claim to be the
banner city Of the State in the way of
demonstrations. She is far ahead of Rich
mond, in proportion to her population, in
the way of noisy, blazing, tumultuous vic
torious exhibitions of political rejoicing
=, The Conservatives had fixed for Friday
night but the rain induced them to post
pone it. and the Executive Committee is
sued programme for Monday night, which
contained a paragraph, most creditable to
their good feeling and good sense, impress
ing .tupon all the obligation to see that
nothing unpleasant shall occur upon this,
which is intended to be merely an occa-
sion of innocent and inoffensive rejoicing,
without i'll feeling to those who have lately
been our opponents. :" Long before dark
the county people commenced coming in,
and the stalwart young fellows who rode in
made it look like a big court day.
THE GATHERING
was dense in Court House st. where the
procession was to form, and the air was
filled with cries of s'fall in LIST ward club,
ssfall in I'd ward club,'' ''get in here Wolf
club, - s'fall in men. of the Irish Brigade"
Marshals' horses galloped wildly up and
down the street, and torch bearers fitted
about with oaths and entreaties getting
4sthe boys' into line. Men from the coun-
ty were hurrying about looking for the
club they wanted to march with, and the
sidewalks were thronged with spectators
waiting, as they said, for the thing to
start Every township was represented,
and the crowd was too dense to separate
them. At last start was made and
THE PROCESSION MOVED.
The scene was brilliant beyond anything
that has been seen in Staunton. The
column 1900 strong was headed by til
umphal arch formed of number OF colored
lanterns, and behind it for three blocks
was train of men bearing torches, some
of them large enough for small bonfires,
and transparencies of all imaginable de-
vices.
The most noticeable devices in the line
were a Eslife size'' Parrot gun made OF tin,
and platform on which was a colored
man seated on coffin supposed to contain
Hughes drawn by two mules, the whole at
fair made of tin. In the line was ''car-
pet bagger'' with an empty carpet bag IL
Illuminated from within by candle. The
devices on the transparencies were count
less. One immense one - feet long borne
bv the Wolf Club had inscribed on 1T
sswhen Virginia called we rallied to her
rescue.' The Irish Brigade bore one in
scribed s'Old Ireland's Virginia Sons true
to both our mothers - ''Erin go bragh,
and s'our mothers sons and daughters
ARE saved" On one banner was whisky
barrel with etwhisky gaugers below proof,
and sick man on the ground saying II m
so sick-Frenger. Along the line of trans
parencies were the following inscriptions
SPORTY acres and dat mule gone up Gle
spout Petersburg gain 700 - " Brooks
Gap to hear from;'' "a masters gone up s.
-'Top rail on top - "Virginians will rule
Virginia ;''"Peace, good will to all 'ssan
Domingo Hoax - Moderation, tolera-
ton. forbearance and equal justice to ALL
ssThe thinking men aroused - ''sherando
bully - Grads badly shrunk ;" A man
looking up at the Virginian newspaper OF
flee and saying, elbows the tidal wave ="
for white traitors "1616-bully for Rich
mond.' A whisky barrel with man tum-
bled in with Done up Brown-Let Herr
rip and good bye Krane inscribed on 1t
in compliment to the government officers.
There was one with drawing of soup on
the shelf referring to the late indepen-
pent candidate. One 1--WE had an cleo
lion lately.'' On the corner Of Main
and Beverly sts., was suspended large
TRANSPARENCY on one side delineatlon OF
Hughes in 1861 trampling on thenegfo,
and in 1873 hugging him and calling HIM
brother; and on the other side steamer
going upstream, with the inscription,
ssTime's up-all aboard for Salt river. =
MANY of the devices excited mach mlrth,
and shouts of laughter from the Sidewalk
spectators were mixed with the ceaseiess
cheering of those in the line. Standing at
the head of Gospel Hill as the procession
came up.
THE SCENE
was surprisingly beautiful. The brilliant
moving arch of colored lanterns heading
the line. the bright transparencles, the
flaming line Of torches reaching away
back into the darkness, rockets shooting
into the air FROM all parts of the line, and
bursting with many colored fires hlgh In
the sky. the houses Oh each side OF the
streets sparkling with thousands OF llght,
the enthusiastic women in their porches
wildly waving their handkerchlefs to the
nrocession. the fire balls flung up at points
along the line reddening the heavy clouds
overhanging the city, and the never end
ing cheering from the populace on the
streets made a scene not soon to be forgot
ten.
ALONG THE ROUTE
q. large number of the houses were illumi-
mated making the streets as bright as day.
The Augusta Female Seminary was bril-
Aiantly illuminated, and the young ladies
gathered in the portico, cheered the pro-
cession with will which was returned
with interest by ''the boys At the Viz
ginia Female Institute which was likewise
Illuminated, there was similar welcome
for ssthe troops.'' At DIR. Reese's hand
some residence en- Main street where Col.
Mills, MIC. from Texas is staying was a