Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1885-08-22

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A dispatch describing the funeral Of
General Grant says it seems that the
last height attainable by human hands
in imposing and majestic display was
reached when the grandest military and
civic pageant Of modern times, perhaps
of all time, swept slowly and solcmnly
across the broad spaces of Madison
square, the heart and centre Of the city.
At that moment Madison square was
the centre and nucleous Of the greatest
aggregation of people ever known in
America. The throng was simply in
calculable, vast beyond comprehension
by number of units. You might as well
speak Off prairie wheat field by the
number of heads of wheat as to speak of
the throng of to-day by individuals. In
and about Madison square every place
that a person could staEd npon crouch
upon climb upon, or cling to was occu.
pied, and one could feel the weight of
the presence of the other hundreds of
thousands that one could not see. For
nine miles the narrow channel OF the
procession ran through two vast, crush
ing, crowding and clinging masses of
human beings. From the street edge
maintained by the police the compact
crowd took all the space. They packed
the pavements, covered all steps, stoops
and balconies, and filled all windows.
They hung upon iampposts, and tele-
graph poles were black with them.
Swarms Of people covered the roofs,
some of them looking down from a
height Of from ten to twelve stories.
Windows along the line of march were
eagerly rented at enormous prices. Bal
comics and temporary stands sold at
prices that were simply amazing. and "a
chance to stand upon II fight of steps
was worth from 81 to So. Some single
Windows brought $75, and one balcony
capable Of holding Twelve or fifteen peo-
pie, near the Hotel Brunswick, brought
$500. The approach of that food of iiu-
manity and its northward progress with
all It's surroundings and effect, was IA
tremendous sight, constituting itself the
chief feature offs spectacle never to be
forgotten, ranking alone in our day and
generation. A living river, it swept
into the humnn line of Union square,
passed on resistlessly around Eighteenth
street, andfrom Fifth avenue emptied
itselfinto the ocean Of life in Madison
square, and owed on northward as the
blue waters Of the gulf stream sweep
through its Atlantic borders. The
crowds infringing upon the hardly pre-
served marching spaces were swept back
bike reeds before the floods. Men were
Thrown down and women Elinted, and
policemen franticully struggled to
preserve the open ground, protec.. the
people, and save themselves at the same
time. There was little appearance of
the funeral while the regulars were
passing The food had come unexpect-
edly, and there was turmoil and conten-
ton, and mad rushes to and fro and
fighting for points of advantage, and
overwhelming curiosity to see the
regular soldiers and sailsrs. The parade
of these branches Of the defenders of
the country was the greatest ever made
in a time Of peace, and probably in any
OTHER time. There were about $50
soldiers, 400 marines and 1000 sailors
The latter were from the Tennessee. the
Vermont. the Omaha and the Minnesota.
AT l0:45 the state troops began pouring
into the square, and the, handsome
TwentySsecond, In white coats and
tunics and helmets, swung into place,
and the great march began again, to be
most sunbrok Ell for six hours, during
which time nearly or quite sixty thou
sand peopae in movement passed through
the hundreds Of thousands massed in
Madison square. Hour after hour the
moving mass dashed, regiment after
regiment, brigade after brigade. ,regi-
ments in white aud regiments in blue
and regiments lin gray-csps,f hats.
helmets, turSans, ~shakos and hussars.
The uniform Of America, Of England, Of
Germany, OF France the baggy scar.et