Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1885-09-16
A PICTURESQUE FESTIVAL.
The Annual Assembly at Innsbruck of the
TyrOlese Mountain Riflemen.

Correspondence of the London Standard
The Austrian National Rifle Festi-
val, which is being held this year at
Innsbruck, attained it's eliminating
point with the arrival of the Emperor
Francis Joseph on Saturday from
Gastein. In the morning his majesty
gave audiences to numerous persons
OF distinction now at the Tyrolese
capital, and expressed to the president
of the Central Committee his great
satisfaction at this important meet
ing of rifle volunteers, whose services
were essential to the defense of the
empire. At O'Clock in the afternoon
his majesty entertained q large party
at a court dinner, the guests including
the Archdukes Carl Ludwig and Helm
rich, Prince HohenlOhe and Count
Taaffe, the governor ofTyrol, the bur-
gomasters of many Tyrolese towns,
and the chairmen OF the festival com
mittees. In the evening there was a
grand torchlight procession and sere-
made in front of the palace In the
latter $50 singers took part. all being
members of the Tyrolese choirs. From
the palace balcony the emperor and
archdukes witnessed the Examinations,
one of the most striking features of
which was formed by the great bon
fires, upward of eighty in number,
that lit up the various surrounding
mountains.
Yesterday, amid glorious weather,
there took place the chief spectacle OF
the entire festival. Their assembled
here are no mere holiday rifemen,
neither are they picked soldiers or vol
unteers competing tor royal cups and
prizes as q matter of amusement.
The men at Innsbruck are mostly
peasants, old and young, rich and
poor. They come from the Tyrol and
the other mountain provinces like the
Voralberg, Styria and Carinthia, and
they have left their cottages on the
hills and in the valleys of their native
districts to show that the peasant
militia who once saved the Tyrol for
Austria have not died out, but are as
ready as ever, if necessary, to fight in
defense of the fatherland. Yesterday
the main thoroughfares of Innsbruck
were the scene Of q gorgeous pageant,
formed by these hardy sons of the soil
in the picturesque costumes OF their
several native districts. The process
sion which began at IL and filed past
the Innsbruck Schloss, lasted one hour
and half. Whoever saw the Makarie
pageant as it passed through the
Vienna Kinastrasse in celebration Of
the silver wedding of their imperial
majesties in April, 1879, will never for
get that magnificent spectacle, which
was unequaled as a display OF artistic
taste. But to-day's pageant at Inns
| 81 4 l.
part, was even more impressive and
curious. The grand Alpine scenery
contributed, no doubt, greatly to in
crease the general effect, but the char
acteristic feature was the stalwart
and robust rifemen in their varied,
picturesque and musty old historical
attire, faithfully reproducing that in
which their forefathers had won their
victories of old. The pageant was di-
vided according to the militia organi-
zation of the Alps. Each district had
it's own band in national costume, and
was headed by number of pioneers,
each wearing a leather apron and car
rying an AK. With most Of the divis-
ions marched the village priest and
picturesquely dressed vivandiere,
mostly the handsome daughter
of rich peasant. All the divis-
ions had the very banners and
the war standards tattered our
ing the famous struggle Of the Tyrolese
between 1897 and 1909. A peasant
girl from forest near Bregentz even
carried a standard coming down from
| 1916, when the Bregentz women vic
toriously repealed the Swedes. At the
| head Of the pageant marched the for
eign rifemen, including one Italian,
$50 from Switzerland, 100 from Ger
many and several from Hungary, all
of whom were heartily cheered. Then
came the Viennese, over 500 strong,
who were likewise enthusiastically
greeted. Next marched the men of
Lower and Upper Austria, and finally
the great BODY of peasant rifle volun-
teers in their national uniforms. On
the sides of the divisions walked the
target-markers, dressed in gay har-
| lequin costumes. The most interest
ing group was that from Meran and
the neighborhood, consisting of fifty
horsemen in black and red uniform,
with black and red hat and feathers.
They were followed by the Meran vine
growers, with complete bacchanalian
I1ScdO W1Oc1ULS CO1A1 pISOO VI V 111C-ICCuN CS
and bound up with lamb s skin They
carried red and white silken banner.
Then came the Arlberg men, carrying
their old rifles from the time of the
War of Independence. In the group
from Hall | remarked two girls in
pages dresses acting as drummers, and
an aged man bearing a rifle in one
hand and crutch in the other. The
procession seemed endless, but it was
never tedious, every group being
differently uniformed and all pic
turesque. At the end of the
procession came a huge festal
chariot, carrying a piece of rock
with a pillar and q Tyrolese golden
eagle. On the rock Countess Wolken-
stein was leaning, in the character of
Tyrolis, with the Tyrolese banner in
her hand. On the chariot there was
also descendant ofSpeckbacker, who
organized the rising in 1909, won the
battle in Mountain Isle against the
Bavarians and relieved the seiged
fortress of KufStein A long row of