Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1895-06-07

+ YS%XSfYT ! morning of April 5
NJ MEH i word was received
M Al|Hlp 2 Jx in Washington
WWtKMSA "a from President
~ QMm-S7 4 Lincoln at City
Point that that
city had been evacuated, and that our
army was pushing into it, sweeping
around it, and pursuing the flying
squadrons of Lee, says writer in the
current number of one of the maga-
zines. At quarter to eleven in that
forenoon came dispatch to the war
department from Gen. Weitzel, dated
at Richmond, announcing the fall OF
the confederate capital 1t was not
many minutes before the news spread
like wildffre through Washington, and
the intelligence, at first doubted, was
speedily made positive by the circula-
ton Of thousands of newspaper ex-
tras" containing the news in bulletins
issued from the war deparement. In
moment of time the city was ablaze
with an excitement the like of which
was never seen before, and everybody
who had piece of bunting spread 1t
to the breeze: and from one end OF
Pennsylvania avenue to the other the
air seemed to burn with the bright
hues of the flag. The sky was shaken
by grand salute Of 800 guns, fred by
order of the secretary of war-300 for
Petersburg and 500 for Richmond. Al
most by magic the streets were crowd
ed with hosts of people, talking, laugh
ing, hurrahing, and shouting in the
fullness of their joy. Men embraced
one another, treated" one another,
made up old quarrels, renewed old
friendships, marched through the
streets arm in arm, singing and chat
ting in that happy sort of abandon
which characterizes people when un-
der the influence of great and uni
versal happiness. The atmosphere was
full of the intoxication Of joy. The de-
par tments of the government and
many stores and private offices were
closed for the day, and hosts Of hard
worked clerks had their full share of
! the general holiday. Bands Of music,
apparently without any special direc-
ton or formal call, paraded the streets,
and doomed and blared from every pub
lie place, until the air was resonant
with the expression of the popular jubi-
lation in all the national airs, not for
getting Dixie" which, it will be re-
membered, President Lincoln afterward
declared to be among the spoils OF war.
The American habit Of speech-making
was never before so conspicuously ex-
emplified. Wherever any man was
found who could make speech, or
who thought he could make speech,
there speech was made; and great
many who had never before made one
found themselves thrust upon crowd
of enthusiastic sovereigns who de-
| manded of them something by way OF
! jubilant oratory. One of the best OF
these offhand addresses eXtorted by the
enthusiastic crowds was that of Secre-
tary Stanton, who was called upon at
the war department by an eager null
titude clamorous for more details and
for speech. The secretary then read
Grants despatch, announcing the cap
ture of Richmond, and the fact that the
city was on fire, upon which the secre-
tary asked the crowd what they would
reply to Grant. Some cried, Let her
burnr others, Burn it! burn it!' but
one voice shouted, Hold Richmond
for the Northern mudsillsw which sal
ly was received with considerable
laughter. Mr.. Stanton introduced to
the crowd Willie Kettles, bright Ver-
mont boy about fourteen years old, an
operator in the telegraph room OF the
War Office, who had been the fortunate
recipient of the important despatch an
nouncing the capture of Richmond. OF
course the crowd wanted speech from
the lad, who discreetly held his tongue,
and bowed with modesty. The day of
Jubilee did not end with the day, but
rejoicing and cheering were prolonged
far into the night Many illuminated
their houses, and bands were still play
ing, and leading men and public Off
cials were serenaded all over the city.
There are always hots of people who
drown their joys effectively in the flow
ing bowl, and Washington on April 3
was full of those Thousands besieged
the drinking saloons, champagne
popped everywhere, and more liquor
ish crowd was never seen in Washing
ton than on that night. Many and
many hian of years of habitual sobri-
ETY. seemed to think it a patriotic duty
to s'get full" on that eventful night, and
not only so, but to advertise the fact of
fullness as widely as possible. saw
one big, sedate Vermonter, chief Of an
executive bureau, standing on the COR
ner of and Fourteenth Streets, with
owlish gravity giving away fifty-cent
"shin-plasters" fractional currency to
every colored person who came past
him, brokenly saying with each gift.
Babylon has fallen!" On the night of
April A. in pursuance of recommends
ton by the secretary of state, the city
was Illuminated. All the public build
ings and a great proportion of private
residences and business houses were
alight with fireworks and illumina-
tions of every description. The War
Department was gorgeously decorated
with mass of flags, the windows were
filed with lights, and huge transpar-
ency of patriotic devices crowned the
portico. The same was true OF the
Navy Department, the Winder build
isg occupied by the goyernmenD, the
bite House, and the State and Treas-