Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1881-09-20

| up the echo and between Il and O'Clock the
! tolling became pretty general throughout the
city, from Georgetown to the Navy Yard.
CROWDS OF MEN
were soon thronging the avenue and other
streets; windows were hoisted and anxious in
quiries made from every house Of the passers-
by, all anxious for particulars OF the sad termin-
| alton of the Presidents life. ''Did he die in one
OF those terrible rigors?" WAS his death sud
den?' ''Who was present at the timer" ''Will
the remains be sent here or sent direct to Men,
tor?' Such We're the character Of questions in
everybody's mouth.
The newspaper offices were besieged for news.
and The STAR office corner was blocked up en-
trely. and thousands We're running to and fro
between the telegraph offices and news offices.
WILD RuMoRs
| were heard of an attempt to be made upon the
Jail to take the assassin, Guiteau, out and hang
MIN; that troops had been dispatched from the
arsenal to guard the Jail, the guard doubled:
thai there was to be no resistance made by the
| jail officials that there were plots ON foot to
blow up the train if he should be smuggled away
from the District to New Jersey &c. &c. These
rumors tended to keep up the excitement. and
thousands in the city kept awake all night ex-
pecting some terrible event TO occur but none
| could tell exactly what.
THE POLICE
The fact was learned that all the police had
been ordered to be kept nreserve at the station
houses. In the fifth precinct the drinking
saloons were closed up at once by order of Lieut..
Arnold, and not minute too soon. as quite a
number OF drunken men were about the
corners. During all the din and excitement ex-
preSslOns of sympathy for the wife and family of
| the deceased President could be heard on all
sides, and words OF disgust and hatred for his
assassin and any who sympathized with him.
THE HOTEL. LOBBIES
were thronged with their guests. many of whom
had retired for the night. but rose from their
beds, utterly unable to rest. The published dis
patches and last official bulletin in last night
STAR seemed to have revived the hopes Of many
that the end was not SO near. and the tidings of
death was surprise to many who could not be-
HeVe the correctness of the reports from ElberOn
and not until dispatch after dispatch had been
received We're they satisfied AS the night wore
on the crowds on the streets began to diminish
and scatter to their homes the bells giving
mOurntul midnight pealS.
THE DISTRICT MILITARY.
Colonel William G. Moore, commander of the
Washington Light Infantry has made arrange
ments tor the military companies of the District
to act promptly should there be any necessity by
undue excitement or otherwise anV call upon the
companies of the District A moments notice
Is all that is necessary to call them together at
their respective rendezvous.
SUDDEN AND UNEXPECTED.
After all, the news Of the Presidents death
came suddenly, and when least expected. Nearly
everybody was abed and asleep when the noise
broke on the air that the President was dead
The news reached Washington at 1850 but was
not bulletined. There were very few people on
the streets. 1t was 12 o'clock before the note of
death had reached the ears of the people of
Washington. Early i'm the evening there had
been large crowds OF people on the streets. In
the vicinity of THE STAR Office the crowd was
the greatest. After the issuance OF the last
STAR extra the crowd began to disperse and by
O'Clock only handful was present reading the
latest bulletin placarded on TIE STAR window
up town. around the Western Union office and
the drug stores in that immediate vicinity the
crowd remained the longer
VERY LITTLE NEWS
was received there. and while it was of an any-
ious tenor it was not of a kind to cause imme-
date alarm The conviction which had takd
strong hold upon the people that the Presid.nt
could not live many hours was mistaken out
none thought that during the night lie would
breathe his last.
NE WILL NOT DIE TONIGHT"
At half-past nine the drugstore at the corner
of New York avenue and 18th street put a bull
letin against the glass of its Illuminated window
to the effect that Dr. Bliss regarded the Presi-
dent as better at that time than for the preced-
ing forty-eight hours. "He vii not die to-
night. said all. and homewarG went most of
them. That bulletin cleared tie crowd from the
uptown places. Only about twenty men fingered
i'll that vicinity. All was very quiet. when the
word began to go round thai the President was
dead. A small bunch OF men was in the West
efn Union Office. The newspaper correspondents
came in now and then. but beyond the.s it was
fully 12 O'Clock before anything like cls.yd had
commenced to gather The people were very
CfIpt. the nipit was still. the cry of tha news
boy was the only noise that for while disturbed
the city. Then the people began to move about
Lights appeared at windows. doors opened and
men who had made hasty toilets began to walk
or run to the Western Union telegraph Office
and to the offices d the morning papers.
THE TOLIING BELLS.
At a quarter to one o'clock the bell in All
Souls church s.eeple-the first to lift its voice
broke on the air and told it's tale of sorrow
st. Matthews chimes caught up the dreaded
sound and passed it on to the New York avenue
and Epiphany churches. In a few minutes bells
were ringing out the nations loss i'm all parts of
the city. Ladies appeared on the streets, and
with escorts walked around in search of detailed
information. None was to be had. The people
who had come out began to go home at half
past one this morning. and by two there was no
one on the streets except few late men and
the driver of the night liner whose horses hoofs
seemed TO beat the pavement as in time with
FUNERAL DIRGE.
In the public buildings the news became
known slowly. Its only effect was the appear
of one OF two additional lights and the gather
ing of the watchmen in knots to talk over the
calamity.
AT THE WHITE HOUSE
only the watchmen and one or two Of the ushers
were there when the tidings of death came over
the wire. In short time all of the employees
who are in the city had gathered in the house.
and lights in the public part of it were turned
up. There was a long wait there for instruc-
tions from Long Branch. One or two kilograms
were received from Mr.. Brown, directing the
sending OF certain articles to Elberon. These
We're packed up and sent to the express Office
without delay. The stir about the house died
away by two O'Clock and all was then as fmiet
as it had been before the word of death reached
its portals. There were but few people in the
city who did not know last night that the Presi-
dent had passed away. AS those who had been
down town late went home people could be seen
with white back ground and heard calling from
windows and making anxious Inquiries. But
though the fact of the death was generally
known there was
NO NOISE OR EXCITEMENT.
The sorrow was deep and still. When STAR
reporter went home at o'clock this morning he