The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1889-05-11
A CENTENIAL DISGRACE.

New York, May 2.-lAssociated
Press. THE World says:
Now that the centennial ball is over,
people who paid from $40 to $25 a
piece to participate in it, and whose
fun was represented by the figure 0,
are taking out the balance in criticism.
The tongues of the ball goers were
blistered with fault finding yesterday.
On all sides it was conceded that the
Centennial ball was the biggest execu-
tive failure of the century. People
who were most competent to speak
were loudest in declaring the ball a
monument of ineapacity and vulgarity.
As Mr. Ward McAllister read his pri-
vate dispatches in his Washington re-
treat, complaeent smile overspread
and softened his features.
The scenes in the supper rooms can
not be described safely in newspaper.
Never since the palace of the Tuileries
was invaded in 1873, by the Sans Cou-
lottes of the Seine department, have
such startling contrasts been witnessed
in similar circumstances. When II Is
said that the walters. policemen and
messenger boys drank most of the free
champagne, the situation at mid
night may be suggested. Justices ofthe |
Supreme Court, governors, staff Off
GERS, clubmen, lawyers poets, Million
aires with beautiful and refined women,
crowded blankly along the supper
counter and demanded in vain the at
teHtion they were accustomed to re-
ceive. The functionaries around the
palace showed undisguised contempt
for the "Free Lunch Fiends.n Walters
who did not have to account for the
unlimited wine, took occasion to neg
lect guests and to eat, themselves.
The excellent supper was largely
wasted. There was no responsibility
for anything to anybody. The "gen-
tlemen's dining room" idea was shown
to be fallacy. BY 1890 u. m. the
supper room had been given over to
people whose idea of enjoyment had
been learned in free and easy spots.
Drunken men invaded the ball room,
flourishing bubbling bottles of cham
pagne. In the corridors free fights
were of constant occurrence. Gam
blers, bookkeepers and women dozed
or made merry on the staircases.
Never once did an accredited officer of
the evening interfere to anybody's
knowledge. The policemen who
were sober were helpless.
They could not tell the dress coated
walters from the guests. by o'clock
most of the respectable element were
making frantic and supperless efforts
to get away. Even this privilege was
denied them. A line extending from
the coat room for 500 yard, and made
up of some of the leading citizens of
this town, surged for hours againt the
feeble and inadequate partitions OF
the coat room. Gentlemen grew an
CRY and desperate at the utter made
quacy of the arrangements. With
torn coats and wrinkled shirt fronts
men whose names are known all over
this Union, fought their way toward
their coats under the frequent clubs OF
the police, amid the jeers of the mob
outside, and the pernicious activity OF
the pickpockets. 1t was 8 o'clock In the
, morning before the last battered and
ragged guest joined his family at the
doors and reached his hack.
ain its executive aspects the Conti-
mental ball was the worst Of Its sort
ever known in the history Of the city,"
said a well known man about town
Yesterday. "Thc possibility of letting
the attendants get at all the wine they
wanted, was enough to ruin any plans
which might have been made. | left
at 8 a. m. without my hat or coat.
Two of the checkers inside the cloak
room were drunk. got my own UNI
brella by paying 81 for one exchanged
for It in my sight by the fellow who
demanded the dollar. OF the ladies |
met, ones dress was ruined by a plate
of salad thrown over II by drunken
brute, and the shoulder Of another was
cut from bottle which stranger
had broken upon II. | saw more re-
spectable women insulted In the sup
per room than ever saw even accost-
ed at the French ball. knocked down
man who tried TO kiss the daughter
of leading lawyer here"
The ticket takers had no check
placed upon them, and there Is no
question they made lots Of money let
ting in people who never should have
been there. The policemen lost their
temper completely, and cleared people
out at the end OF their clubs. Hun
dreds of bottles of wine were passed
out of doors and sold by waters and
others. One man, who was drunk,
fell down stairs and was so badly hurt
he had to be carried off in an ambu-
lance.
Many flags and potted plants were
stolen, and some of the boxes were
shockingly soiled after their first occu-
pants had left. The supper room was
cleared by clubs shortly after l o'clock.
The lights were turned out in the ball
room long before the crowd had left
the building.
DIR. John W. Gibbs, said at the Hoff-
man House, last night: II have just
finished letter of congratulation to
Mr.. Ward McAllister. The ball as 1t
went off was about the best answer he
could make 10 those who removed him.
Mr.. Stuyvesant Fish may know some
thing about railroads, but he knows
nothing of how to conduct BALI