The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1896-08-30
SPOKE TO OVER 10000 PEOPLE.
The Enthusiasm of His Hearers Came
Near Creating a Panic.

| Near Creating Panlc.
jamestown. Aug 29.-Wm. j. Bryan
| spoke tonight in the convention hall,
| at CeIeron. ON Lake Chatauqua, two
miles from this city.
The determination of twice as many
people as the hall could hold to hear
the Presidential candidate resulted
i'm crush which would
have ended in loss of life
IL the panic. which for an hour seemed
imminent, had not been prevented. The
hall contains seats for 5000 people, but
fully $4,000 were packed into it's frail
walls, fighting for mere standing room
an hour before the speech-making be-
gan.
Mr.. Bryan, Mrs. Bryan, Mr.. and Mrs
Joseph c. Sibley, and members OF the
| local committee. pushed their way
through crush TO the chairs reserved
for them at O'clock. The candidate
was instantly recognized and the cheer
which his entrance kindled was one
more intense and shrill than any which
the has heard since the Chicago conven-
tion. All the people stood on their
chairs filling the auditorium with a
storm of applause. They did not give
orderly cheers but sent up continued
shrek which lasted several minutes.
A choir on the stage started to sing
''The Star Spangled Banner" and be-
fore the end of the first sentence was
reinforced by thousands of voices
making great chorus.
| When Mr.. Bryan was introduced, the
trouble began. The audience climbed
| upon their chairs to cheer and did not
climb down. Mr.. Bryan appealed to
them to be seated, but his appeals were
ineffective. He stood for five minutes
making the endeavor to quiet them.
There We're thousands outside. Viewed
from the platform the whole audito-
rum was a struggling mass, while
overhead men chung like monkeys to
raf fters. Women were shrieling, and
on the platform the few ladies there
sat with white faces. Mrs. Bryan smiled
nervously, for it looked as if the people
below would be pushed on the stage.
Mr. Bryan. Mrs. Sibley and several
committeeman took turns appealing
to those in the aisles and the back of
the hall to go out, but they could not,
although many tried. One man in the.
gallery yelled, "For Gods sake go out;
there will be panic; people will be
killed
IT LASTED 35 MINUTES.
Another in the pit called out: Don't
speak Bryan
Mr.. Bryan said he would not speak
and started to leave. Mr.. Sibley made
the announcement that the meeting
would be abandoned if the audience
could not be driven out. Thirty-five
miutes after Mr.. Bryan had first at
tempted to speak he made the second
beginning, and the speech was pro-
videntially finished without accident.
In the crowds outside, however, many
persons were squeezed until they
tainted before Mr.. Sfbley created a
diversion by speaking from stand
some distance from the hall. The en-
thusiasm of the night, apart from its
troubles, was greater than Mr. Bryan
has seen since the Chicago convention.
His speech was devoted to the financial
question.
On the trip from Hornellsville, where
Mr.. Bryan spoke in the afternoon, to
Jamestown, the train passed small
groups of country people gathered to
see it. Stops were made at Cuba,
Olean and Salamanca.
At Olean Mr.. Bryan spoke from the
platform to- 1000, most of them oil
men who had erected and decorated
platform beside the track and had
band playing.
Mr. Bryan stood bare headed under
the blazing sun at Hornellsvile this
afternoon and addressed the enormous
crowd attending the Farmers Fair.
There was great applause and much
quick repartee upon the speakers part
as the audience asked many questions.
His answers were vociferously cheered,
especially when he told that he had
come so they might see the leader of
the so-called anarchists.
GOLD rs A COWARD.
Mr.. Bryan laid particular stress up
on the claim of the Republican party
that it had struck the shackles from
all the slaves, and he gained great APP
plause by his statement that it was
now attempting to fasten the fetters
upon 70,000,000 free men. "Gold is a
coward" was one of the expressions.
at has ever been a coward" and the
reason the advocates of the gold stand
ard are towards is because their con-
sciences bring them to the realization
that brings ruin to the human race"
Referring to the Republicans, he said
they have penned themselves in where
they must receive the attack of every
person who loves his country better
than his pocket book"
All his references to foreigners
ruling this country financially were
cheered, particularly the statement
that ''if you cannot expect pity from
st. Louis, how can you expect it from
Lombard street?'
His remarks that the Republican
party had destroyed the market for
silver. also gained great applause and
the cheers were louder when he said
that he would admit some Democrats
had become particeps criminis in the
transaction for the demonetization of
silver
! The greatest cheering the orator Sc
cured was when he said, 1--WE, as Demo
Gratis, are glad to get rid of those Demo
Gratis who are using the Democratic
party for private gain. hear that they
are gone. We bid them God speed into
the Republican party"
Just as he was concluding a man
in the audience asked him to "give us
something about government banks"
In answer the candidate said: II be
lieye that to invest National banks
with the authority to issue paper
money is comforting benefits on q
r.fia nj xwhtoh ie oonf ,M,t.Y, -