Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1893-06-22
DEAR FATHERLAND
GERMANS HAVE A BIG DAY AT
THE FAIR.
THOUSANDS VISIT THE PARADE
IN CHICAGO.
After Splendid Pageant the Thou
sands Take Possession Of Jackson
Park and Enjoy the Day-Neyer Be
fore Was the Crowd So Large-Pro-
gram of Exercises

VI I<ASlSlSCS.
CHICAGO, June 15.-There must be
nearly 30 30 Germans here and If
they dill Lot all get INTO Michigan
Avenue ihls morning it was pcc4 use
Mlchi, all Avenue between Park row
anu MUnro5 street won't hold that
many people. There Is no thlng meek
Rnd lowly about these 800. O0O either.
When they once wrenched a day from
the week for their own uses they made
ali Chicago recognize 1t whether it
wanted 10 or not. They closed
up their own shops and factories,
the courts and the pub. Offices in
dulged them in many cases nd finally
they turned the downtown st1 eets
into writing tangle in which ordi-
nary traffic was trampl I'd like a fly in
a spi.er's web. There was no
getting about anywhere within
five block6 OF the line of
march. As for Michigan Avenue,
where the fun conferred, the Germans
had got fixed as firmly as logs in
jam before 10 o'clock, and unless you
wanted to duck under the hoofs Of the
horses you had no business trying to
make your way up that street.
The police had to use their clubs all
the time to keep the crowd from burst
ing over the Gu, and tangling up the
processionists who were hurrying
along to get into the park before the
line should start.
1t was merrymaking crowd and a
bolster Gus one that formed the pro-
cession. First the marshals came
through wearing plug hats and riding
boots and smoking cigars. Every body
in line smoked and it was startling to
see a crusader sitting on top of a
wooden horse in beer wagon pulling
away at long black cigar.
Then the turner's, as fine
looking regiment of broad.chested
young fellows as ever gets
9&t in Chicago swung through at
company front with their little walk
Ing sticks on their shoulders. The
German veterans followed in Grand
Army blue-and- brass. Some of the old
fellows were mixed up in that AS
affair which sent Carl Schurz across
the border and made Judge Brentano's
father embark for this ,ountry. They
were cheered as they went up to get in
line and as they came back marching
behind the carriages.
Then there was lot of floats.
Young fellows in masquerade clothes
rode in caravels and talked German to
Christopher Colum bus, fat man with
a beard which fell off four times on
the way to Park row. A pyramid of
pretty girls with yellow hair of their
own anu gauZe wings of the costumers
stool DIT the 1eet of a buXom Germania,
guarding her against all foes,
and holding on to her so she
wouldn't be jolted off the wagon. A
Bayarian windmill led by man with
bag of meal across his saddle was
cheered by all the Bavarians, and
when the Emperor William the old
kaiser) went by sitting on throne and
SURF ounded by Unser Fritz, Bismarck,
staff, the united Germans along
the street roared unanimously.
The Emperor seemed to en-
say he recognized many people in the
crowd and bowed to them. At Har-
rison street he leaned out and said
affably, 'How-de do, Lena" to u girl
in front row. Nearly all the people
who rode in open carriages with the
flags of America and Germany on the
horses heads and pink and green roses
on the doors sang songs, and the sharp
shooters and canary bird raisers
stopped long enough to serenade the
Bavarian windmill.
1t was a great parade. Many saidit
equaled the civic demonstration last
October in honor of the dedication of
the Exposition. Headed by SQUAD of
Central detail policemen, under the
command of Lieut.. Rehm, Chief Mar
snail Frank Wenter, with his numer-
ovs staff, rode proudly in the van of the
winding procession. The brass band of
the Guard du Corps, looking stunning
in their white uniforms and daZ-
cling helmets, burst into a storm of
music when the column got fairly in
motion and tontinued to play until the
Auditorium was passed. There was a
chorus of ordinations from the ad-
miring multitudes when Director
Herolds musicians passed, and not
even the sight of Gen. Lieb on horse
back at the head of the first
division could displace the i'm
preston they imprinted on the spec
Iators. A cheer went up all along the
line at the next detachment. 1t was
the veterans of the Twenty-fourth and
Eighty-second Illinois Volunteers
They were old men, most of them bent
with toll as well as years, but
they waved their canes in glad re-
Spouse to the hearty recognition. Be
tween their ranks walked three women
abreast, wearing badges of the
Woman's Relief Corps.