Evening star., 1895-04-16
EMANCIPATION DAY
The Occasion Fittingly Celebrated
in This City.
TIE PARADE an IMPOSING one
Military and Civic Organizations in
ina -
MANY INTERESTING SCENES


It has been the day we celebrate-that Is
to say. large section Of US. Emancipa-
tfon day. a clear sky, splendid weather for
a parade-what more could any one wish
for who desired to commemorate the eman-
ciration Of the colored people of the Dis
trict of Columbia?
And such celebration as 1t has been!
1t is still in progress. and there is no tell
ing when it will really come to a close.
There are to be speeches appropriate to the
occasion at Lincoln Park this afternoon,
and in the evening there are to be an eman-
cipatfon concert and entertainment at
Ebenezer African Methodist Episcopal
Church. and grand emancipation ball and
cake walk at the colored Grand Army Hall
on M street.
The Usual Delay.
For some reason OF other Emancipation
day parades are never able to get off in
time, and this was most certainly the case
today According to the program issued in
advance, the line was to form promptly at
1880 o'clock this morning, with its right
at M street and its left at I street. At II
O'Clock there was not uniform on the
scene and no forerunner of the great turn
out beyond a couple of small colored boys
and peanut vender. A half hour later a
dash Of color was added to the landscape,
when the marshal in charge of the forma-
tlon OF the line came up, mounted on a
horse. Across his bosom from right to left
ran heavy yellow sash, and beneath 1t his
proud heart beat the faster for the honor
which attached to his proud position.
About the neck of his more OF less pranc-
ing steed was hung wreath of artificial
flowers He conlided to the two newspaper
men who were gathered on time-the only
ones who were-the fact that his wife had
sat up all last night to complete that
equine ornament.
The marshal was accompanied by
couple Of his aids, and there he sat on his
horse for over two hours waiting for his
procession to materialize. The trio were
the cynosure OF all eyes. for of course
crowd had begun to gather long before the
parade was ready to start. Small boys
were In their element, and colored young
ladies. gotten up regardlessly, were there
to g'vo welcome to the brave men who
were to march through the streets of the
capital to celebrate the holiday.
The man upon whom devolved the duty
OF organizing the parade was Capt P H.
simmons, the secretary to the chief mar
shall. He told The Star reporter that he
was going to start that line promptly at
II o'clock If he was the only man in 1t.
But the old story Of the mutuability of
human plans was exemplified once more
At II o'clock a corporal could not have
made up full guard out of the material
at hand.
BaltimOreans' Deceit.
Shortly after that hour another, a mar
shal's aid. rode up and brought the dire
news Of q detection in the ranks Accord
Ing to the story he told he had been with
his Grand Army Post to the depot to es-
cort contingent from Baltimore, made
up OF soldier company and some war
veterans. but that the Baltmoreans, se-
duced by the beauty of the day and of
washington parks. had decided that they
,did not care very much for marching any,
now and had broken ranks He said that
they We're bivouacking in Green's Hall, and
suggested the advisabihty of sending an
aid to invite them to the place of meeting.
Capt Simmons vetoed this proposition with
did not Of themselves appreciate the
solemnity of the occasion it was not his
place to enlighten them. Then there were
rumors that the boat from Alexandria was
failed to catch it altogether.
At 1880 the eyes of the waiting marshal
were gratified by the sight of float which
would be great addition to the beauty of
the line. 1t was big sailboat mounted on
wheels and drawn by four horses. 1t was
manned by several colored sailors and was
given prominent place in the procession.
OF mt Last.
1t was after l o'clock when the parade
actually did get together at last It seems
that the bulk of it had assembled at the
armory of the Butler Infantry Corps, and
the whirl Of martial music announced its
approach. There were soldier companies
and civic associations of all sorts. Among
the organizations in the line were the fol-
lowing: The Butler Infantry Corps Capt
Young: the Capital City Guards. Capt. Abe
Beckwith; the Alexandria Zouaves, the AL
exandria Industrial Guards, the Eastern
Star Twilight Cadets. Capt Henry Jack
son: Tournament Company, No. S, Capt.
Ruben Burnett; the Hillsdale First district
Emancipatfol Club. G. w. Turner, presi-
dent. and ]. M. Goodloe. superintendent,
and the Hod Carriers Association.
There were bands of all sorts, regimental
bands, Grand Army bands and fife and
drum corps, making music of all sorts, but
unfortunately they were close that they
frequently interfered with each other and
made it difficult for those marching in be-
tween to keep in step.
But the plans of the marshal were knock
ed into a cooked hat when the discovery
was made that the, line was entering 18th
street from Massachusetts, avenue coming