Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1881-09-20
LOCAL INTELLIGENCE.
THE TOWN IN MOURNING.
LAST NIGHTS SAD NEWS Al HOME.


Mr.. Robert Clark, of the INTELLIGEN-
GER, Mr.. ]. L. Lyte, of the Examiner, and
Samuel NJ. Sener, ESQ.,, were seated in the
depot office of the Western Union tele-
graph company last night waiting for news
from the sick-bed at Elberon, when, about
five minutes before eleves, the operator,
Mr.. Edward Kress, heard Philadelphia
calling" the Lancaster Office over the
wires and, remarking to his companions
that he presumed there was bulletin
coming, picked up blank, answered Phil
adelphia's call and prepared to receive it.
The two newspaper men and their legal
companion peered anxiously over the Op-
orators shoulder as the instrument re-
sumed the clicking sound, and kress
wrote, "The President is de-" when an
exclamation in which horror and incredul
ity were mingled burst from the lips
of all three, and the operator vas re-
quested to ask again-there might be 4
mistake. ''No use." Kress answered,
''he is repeating it now," and again the
mournful message Of four words, I" The
President is dead" came sounding over
the wires with a click that found its sad
echo in the hearts Of the four gentlemen
who heard it. Now it has swelled
into whirlwind of grief, comprising in
its scope the whole civilized world, but
falling with especial severity upon the
loyal American people. who, hoping
against hope for period of SO many long,
weary weeks, are thus made sick at heart
in the bitter realization Of the worst fears
with which those hopes had ever been
mingled.
The three watchers, upon the confirma.
ton of the sad intelligence, hurried down
street, informing every one whom they
met that the end had come-and that end
death. The rapidity with which the news
spread was almost incredible. Within
few minutes after the fact of the presi-
dents death became known in this city,
crowds of men began swarming towards
the central part Of the city. Where they
came from was a mystery; they seemed to
rise up from the ground, and from
tho garb of many Of them it was
plainly evident that they had been
aroused from their slumbers. The INTEL.
LIGENCER bulletin board, as it was first to
make public proclamation of General Gar
fields nomination at Chicago, was first
also to announce the message of death,
the fatal result of the assassin's bullet.
Within half an hour also after the recep
ton of the news, the INTELLIGENCEI'
building was heavily draped and the flag
hung at half.mast, being thus first
to don the habiliments Of mourning in this
hour of calamity that has Overtaken the
republic. By this time the courthouse
bell was tolling forth the sorrowful intel
ligence and was soon followed by that on
the Empire truck house, Trinity Lutheran
church and several others in various pOr
tiOns of the city. The whole city was
reused by these tokens of mourning, and
many persons as they lay in bed
or were startled from their slum
bers by the solemn tolling at ono, divined
the significance of the unwOnted cOmmO-
| ton. Groups of men stood around Centre
square and the newspaper offices discussing
the event in awe struck voices and 4 man.
| ner that allowed no room to doubt the
sincerity of the grief occasioned by the
tragic and untimely takingotf Of the chief
| of the land. 1t is safe to say that
| no event that has occurred in a great
many years has produced such 4 striking
effect upon our local population and by
| natural inference upon that of the whole
country; and the truth Of this assertion
was most aptly illustrated in the rapid
assembling of so many of the citizens OF
Lancaster, of all conditions, at an unseasaa
| able hour of the night Scores and hun
dreds of them fingered about the telegraph
and newspaper offices, hoping doubtless
| for contradiction of the sad news that
| never did and never can come. The local
aspect of last nights mournful event will
long remain vivid memory in the history
| of the community.
While hundreds Of people were hurrying
| from different parts of the city to the
| newspaper and telegraph Offices to learn
the intelligence from Elberon, the nature
of which they correctly apprchended from
the tOlling of the bells, thousands of other
members of their families at home anxious
| ly awaited their report. AS predicted
| in the afternoon press advices, the
government had exclusive use Of all the
| wires to and from the centre of inter.
est and information, and it was impossible
| to learn more than tho brief tidings of the
dispatch above referred to. This was con.
veyed by midnight to the residents Of the
! city generally and created general sorrow
and discussion in the homes of tho peo
| pie far into the small hours Of the morn
ing.
Early this morning the citizens of Ian
caster were astir and anxious to hear the
news, and the proprietors Of nearly all tho
public buildings, offices, stores and some
private dwellings were engaged in drap
ing them with black stuffs, the main
streets by 0 a. M. presenting .
very funereal aspect, and groups of people
in every quarter were engaged in discus
sion of the tragic incident and prOgnOsti-
cations of the future course Of events,
national and political.
The postoffice, court house, revenue col
lectors' office, the city hall ard Masonic
hall, are conspicuous for a prominent dis
play of mourning emblems. The soldiers
monument on Centre square, under direc-
tion of G. A. r., has been draped with
flags and black goods from top to bottom,
and every street shows very general dis,
play of the habiliments Of sorrow.
Action of the Court.
Court met at 0 o'clock Il. H., Judges
Livingston and Patterson on the bench,
and most Of the members of the bar being
present.
Samuel II. Reynolds arose and said :
While We feel quite sure that your
honors would of your own motion take
official notice of the sad news that has
thrown this nation, nay the whole civilized
world, into mourning, it has been
deemed fitting that ], member
of this bar, make a formal ali.
nouncement in open court Of the
death of His Excellency James A. Gar
field, President Of the United States, which
took place at Long Branch at 1885 last
night, September -. And now, in order
that the conrt and bar may be afforded an
opportunity in the quiet Of Their respective
homes to give expression to their grief,
~, tho mo of &ho har I runvo fy,at th:,.