The San Francisco call., 1896-08-11
Speechmaking From the Rear
Platform of a Railroad
Train.
NO REST FOR THE NOMINEE
Remarks of the "Boy Orator of the
Platte" at Different Stopping
Places.

VAN VERT, ONO, Aug. 10.-William
Jennings Bryan was at work early this
morning. In fact, he had hardly left off
handshaking after leaving Chicago before
he began it again. He did not get much
sleep last night. People were waiting for
him between daylight and dawn, and al
though he went to his berth shortly after
midnight he was routed out between 1
and o'clock to see crowd at Valparaiso,
Ind. Valparaiso was reached at 1 :35
o'clock. Mr.. Bryan was lying in his berth,
when Hon. ]. G. Keren, member of the
Indiana Legislature, routed him out. He
made hasty toilet and went out on the
platform, where he was again cheered
The crowd wanted speech, but Mr.. Bryan
told them that he could not talk at that
hour of the morning.
Columbia was reached at 4:40 o'clock
and another crowd was present. There
was no lack of enthusiasm because of the
early hour
At Fort Wayne more than 1000 people
were waiting for the Bryan train when it
arrived at 5:35 o'clock. Mr.. Bryan had
fully dressed by this time. The gathering
was bent on speech, but it did not get
any words from the young orator, except
remark about promising that he would
not speak that early in the morning. The
people rushed forward to shake hands,
and during the seventeen minutes stop
both arms of the nominee were worked in
cessantly.
Monroeville, Ind, turned out a large
sized crowd, which cheered vociferously,
and then the train crossed into Ohio. The
first stop made in Major McKinley's State
was at Dixon, reached at 6:20 o'clock.
People were lined by the hundreds along
the streets of Van Vert when the train
reached, there at 6:45. An audience of
fully 1000 greeted Mr.. Bryan. Cries of
! speech" went up, but Mr.. Bryan said he
really could not comply with the request.
A serious panic was narrowly averted at
Delphos. when the train reached there at
7:13. The crowd was large. Mr.. Bryan
had stepped to the platform of his car and
! just as the explanation that he could not
make q speech was finished, the porch of a
store directly in front of the train and
about twenty feet distant from where he
was standing, gave way with crash, car
rying with it more than 100 people. The
shrieks of those who had been tumbled
| into the cellar beneath the porch and the
| frantic eagerness of others to get away,
started a mad, panicky rush. .Stand
still, don't moveT' cried Mr.. Bryan and
brought the frightened people to them
selves.
Nobody was hurt in the cave-in. When
this was told Mr.. Bryan, he remarked to
the crowd, "If you would get on our
platform it would not fall down." A
laugh followed and the people recovered
enough from their fright to cheer the
nominee as the train moved off.
In addition to the score of newspaper
correspondents who are on the Bryan
train, Mr.. Bryan is being accompanied to
New York by Thomas Gahan, National
Committeeman from Illinois, Judge Will
liam Prentiss of Chicago, ]. G. Johnson,
National Committeeman from Kansas,
and John A. Creighton, National Com
mitteeman from Nebraska.
Lima was reached at 7:45 There were
1900 people waiting for the train. The
demonstrations were enthusiastic in the
extreme. People spent the first few min
utes after Mr.. Bryan came to the platform
in cheering him and then shook his hand
vigorously. Mrs. Bryan made her first
appearance of the day and stood by her
husbands side. The people were so busy
shaking hands that they forgot to ask for
the usual speech. until just as the train
was moving off. State Central Committee
man Durbin of Kenton joined the party
at Lima and asked Mr.. Bryan to make q
speech at Ada, which he promised te do.
There was a large gathering at Ada,
nearly 1000 people in all. The cheering
for Mr.. Bryan was very hearty, and he
and Mrs. Bryan were subjected to severe
handshaking ordeal for several minutes.
After an introduction by Professor Lehr
of the Ada Normal School Mr.. Bryan
said:
Ladies and Gentlemen: cannot Withstand
the temptation to say word here. Professor
Lehr is one OF the original Bryan men. When