Omaha daily bee., 1895-09-19
FOR SOLDIERS AND CITIZENS
Six Thousand Men March to the Music Of
Thirty Bands.
MILITARY AND CIVIC SOCIETIES IN LINE
Crack Organizations OF Il state
and Western Town Turn out to
he Admired by the Multi
tudcs Along the Streets.

tuucs Along the streets.
Duty, pride and fraternity, represented by
the national troops, the militia and the secret
societies, united last night in furnishing the
third attraction Of the series in the carnival
week festivities and giving Omaha the larg-
est parade Of men and features that was ever
witnessed in Nebraska.
There are no better disciplined troops in
the army Of Uncle Sam than are found in
the ranks Of the Second infantry; there are
no handsomer or drawer boys in the world
than are found in the ranks Of the Omaha
crack military companies; and no city on the
continent, of its size, has as many or as
prosperous f~raternal organizations as Omaha.
Unite these different organizations in a COM
petttive effort to show what numbers they
can muster and what features they can con-
jure up for the entertainment Of a multitude
and start them marching to the music of a
score of bands on brilliantly illuminated
streets, thronged with more people than
were ever before congregated in the states
metropolis, and you have a faint idea of the
showing made in the military and civic pa
rade that passed over the streets Of Omaha
last night.
Long before the time set for the starting
of the parade the people began to gather
on the streets along the line of march. A
day Of hard work, sightseeing at the fair, in
a september heat that would render anything
but sightseeing at a Nebraska fair intoler-
able, had apparently no depressing effect
upon the crowds. There We're points of van
tage from which the parade could be best OBJ
served, and the visitors from the rural dis
tricts had them spotted. The citizen of
Omaha who ate his 6 o'clock dinner lelsurely
and then came down to pick out a nice spot
from which to view the procession, found
himself sidetracked and compelled to take a
place far out on the line Of march, or fight
for a peep at the beauties of the entertain
ment from some of the overcrowded streets
along the line. The grand stands in the vicir-
ity of the court house and city hall were pre-
empted very early in the evening, and holders
Of seats took the wait as a matter of course.
There were the Nominations to study, and
they were worth studying, and then there was
the pleasure Of watching that throng of hui
manity that arrived just a few minutes too
late to get a seat.
SIN THOUSAND MEN IN LINE.
The big crowds were naturally located
at the corners of Farnam and Seventeenth
and Eighteenth streets. Every inSh of space
in those localities allotted 10 spectators was
occupied, and the police had their hands
full in keeping the crowds from taking
possession of the space reserved for the pass
ing of the parade. But that WIS only a
small part of the crowd. Farnum stree;
was literally packed all the way down to
Ninth, and Douglas street could not have
held another man under any circumstances.
sixteenth street fromNDsuglas to Lard xSgas
filled by throngs of people, who packed the
pletely stopped and there wasn't room
enough on the street to allow any progress
that would not interfere with the participants
in the festivities Of the evening.
30 ~ n lnN~ 80, t,A-z C.N -
lizard to Eighteenth and Douglas by way of
Ninth and Farnam streets and the people
who saw the parade were not all on the
streets. Every window In every building
along the line had its quota of spectators
and the roofs of one and two-story buildings
were jammed with people, all in the best
of humor and in full accord with the spirit
Of the occasion.
The parade was fully two miles in length
and there were, at a conservative estimate
5000 men in line. The civic societies made
a great showing, from the Odd Fellows in
their rich costumes and sober bearing, the
Elks in their full dress suits, down to the
Hoo-Hoos in their suits of solemn black that
covered a lot of guys who were full of fun
and made more noise than the organized
street laborers with their blue barrels. The
procession was the longest that ever passed
through the streets of Omaha, and when the
head of the parade arrived at Sixteenth and
Douglas, after passing the reviewing stand,
the line was still coming up Sixteenth street
and extended down Douglas, across Ninth and
up Farnam to the city hall.
The parade was formed on lizard street
and was started at a few minutes after s
o'clock. 1t was headed by a platoon of
mounted police under ommand of Sergeant
Her. Then followed the regulars of the
Second infantry, with Colonel John G. Bates
as marshal Of the parade. He was accom-
panied by Lieutenant W.. NJ. Wright. The
regulars were led by the famous Second In
fantru hand Thprn \vnrn f0lr potrnaniec nf
the troops, under ommand of CSptain
Dempsey. The companies were A, B, II and
E, commanded respectively by Lieutenant
Macarthur, Lieutenant VanLew, Captain
| Webster and Lieutenant Pickering. The
| Second infantry is always in favor with the
citizens of Omaha, and their appearance
last night was a special attraction to the
visitors from other parts of the state who
are not so familiar with the army.
Following the regular troops marched the
Omaha Guards, under Command of Captain
| milford and Lieutenant Wilson; the Thurston
Rifles, commanded by Lieutenants Foye,
Hayward and Stockham; the Dodge Light
Guards of Council Bluffs, commanded by
Captain w. r. Aitchison and Lieutenants
Pryor and Edison, and the gatling gun sec
ton of the Omaha Guards, in charge of
Gunner A. A. After. The soldier boys were
all in fine form and were the recipients OF
a great deal of complimentary attention
from their friends and from strangers all
along the line of march.
HERE WAS MUSIC GALORE.
The second division, comprising. as it did
some Of the finest of the uniformed civil,
| bodies of Omaha, together with many hand
somely uniformed bands, naturally attracted
a lions share of the attention all the way
from lizard street to the grand reviewing
stand at Eighteenth and Farnam streets
1t was under the immediate direction of As
sistant Marshal w. r. Bennett, assisted by
Aides VIII H.. Thomas, C. f.. Skidmore, II
II. Hart, Luther II. Tate, J. G. Colt and e
L. Vaughn. The division formed at the in
tersection of Nineteenth and lizard streets
the various sections extending north on Nine
teenth and west on lizard TO
many blocks. So admirably wer.
the plans of Marshal Bennett
and his aides executed that when the bugl'
sounded the advance the division swung int,
line with as much precision as If the mel
had been especially drilled for this particular
parade.
At the head of the division marched tn,
First Regiment band Of the Nebraska Ma 10 a
Guards. under the leadership of Prof. Her
man Schunke. The band of twenty-eigh
pieces was handsomely uniformed in full
military dress with white helmets ant
plumes. This band marched ahead Of tn,
Omaha High School cadets, who were com
manded by Captain Ralph Connell, FRS
Lieutenants George Stebbins and Austin Col
lett. The cadets were in the familiar uni
form Of cadet gray blouses and trousers. wit