The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1889-05-03
4HR REPORTS CONFIRMED.
Scenes Of Drunkenness at the
Centennial Ball,
DECENT AND REFINED PEOPLE
Insulted, aud Ladies' Treated Out
FagcousIy-Tho Only Shameful
Incident Of the Otherwise
Magnificent Celebration,

New YoRE, May 2,-The World says
Now that the centennial ball is oyel
people, those who paid from $40 to sea
apiece to participate in It and whose fun
was represented by the figure 10" are
taking out the balance in criticism, The
tongues Of the ball.goers were blistered
with iault'andlug yesterday, On all
sides 1t was conceded that the centennial
ball was the biggest executive failure Of
the century, People who were most
competent to speak were loudest in de-
Claring the ball a monument Of inca.
pacity and vulgarity.
As Mr., Ward McAllister read his pri.
vate dispatches in his Washington re-
treat complacent smile ovenpread and
soitened his features. The scenes in the
supper room cannot be described safely
In q newspaper. Never since the palace
Of the Tuilerres was invaded in l779 by
the Sans Cul0lteS Of the Seine department
have such startling contrasts been Wit
messed in similar circumstances, When
it is said that the walters, policemen and
messenger boys drank most OF the free
champagne, the situation at midnight
may be suggested,
WOMEN INsULTRD.
Justices Of the Supreme Court, Gov.
ernors, staff officers, club men, lawyers,
poets, millionaires with beautiful and
refined women crowded blankly among
the supper counters and demanded In
vain the attention they were accustomed
to receive. The iuuCtiOnaries around
the place showed undisguised contempt
for the free lunch lends." Walters,
who did not have to account for the un.
limited wine, took occasion to neglect
guests and treat themselves, The ex.
Cellent supper was largely wasted. There
was no responsibility for anything to
The 'gentlemen's dining
room" idea was shown 10 be IN utter
iallaCy. BY 1880 p. III. the supper room
had been given over to people whose
idea OF enjoyment had been learned in
free and easy resorts, Drunken men
invaded the ball room, Aourishing bub.
bling bottles OF champagne. In the cor
ridors free fights were OF constant occur
renee, Gamblers, bookmakers and
women dozed or made merry on the
stair Cases. Never once did an aCcredit-
cd officer OF the evening interfere, to
knowledge. The policemen
ul,n tvnra unbnr u,arn hntn1aua Fnhn,,
tell the dress coated walters
from the guests.
BY o'clock most Of tue respectable
element were making frantic aud sup.
PEERLESS efforts to get away. Even this
privilege was denied them. A line ex-
tending from the coat rooms for 500
yards and made up OF some OF the lead.
ing citizens Of this town surged for hours
against the feeble and inadequate parti-
tions Of the coat rooms. Gentlemen grew
angry and desperate at the utter made.
quaCy OF the arrangements. With torn
coats and wrinklGd shirt fronts, men
whose names are known all over the
Union fought their way toward their
coats under the frequent clubs OF the
police, the jeers OF the mob outside and
the perniCiOus activity OF the piCkpock.
cts. 1t was 8 O'Clock in the morning be.
fore the last battered and ragged guest
joined his family at the the doors and
reached his hack.
THE GROWING DISGRACE.
"In the executive aspects the Centen.
nial ball was the worst OF It's sort ever
known in the history Of this city," said
a well.known man about town yesterday:
"The possibility Of letting tho attend.
ants get all the wine they wanted was
enough TO ruin any plans which might
have been made. | left at 8 a. IN. with.
out my hat or coat. Two Of the check.
ers inside the cloak room were drunk. /
got my own umbrella by paying 81 for
ono exchanged for 1t in my sight BY the
fellow who demanded the dollar. OF
the ladies' met, ones dress was ruined
by plate Of salad thrown over 1t by a
drunken brute, and the shoulder Of
another was cut from bottle which
stranger had broken upon 1t, saw
more respectable women insulted In the
supper room than l ever saw even aC.
costed at the French ball. knocked
down man who tried 10 kiss the daugh.
ter Of a leading lawyer here"
The ticket takers had no check placed
upon them and there Is no question
that they made lots OF money letting In
people who never should have been
there. The policemen lost their temper
completely aud cleared people out at the
end OF their clubs. Hundreds OF bottles
OF vine were passed out OF doors and
sold by walters and others. One man
was drunk, fell down stairs and was so
badly hurt he had to be carried OF In
an ambulance. Many flags and potted
plants were stolen and some Of the boxes
were shocklngly sOlled after their first
occupants had left, The supper room
was cleared by clubs shortly after |
o'clock. The llghb.%ere turned out In
the ball room long before the crowd had
left the building,
DR.. John W. Gibbs said at the HoG.
man House last night:
II have Just finished a letter Of con.
graduation 10 Mr.. Ward MCAllister.
The ball, as II went oil, was about the
best answer he could make 10 those who
removed him. Mr.. Stuyvesant Fl.h
may know something about railroads,
but lie knows nothing Of how 10 conduct
q ball."
'Ilhrs Centennial IIslio.
- -