The morning times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1897, 1896-09-19
J0Ll|F|ED OVER Maine
Light Battery's Wild Ride and
Almost NOiSeleSS Salute.
FIFTY ROUNDS WERE FIRED
Republicans Could Not Keep Their
Enthusiasm Bottled Up. So the Ma
tionai Guard Rapid Assembly Was
Sounded-Artillery Took Out It's
Two Brass SapoIeons.

Two six-oound Napoleon guns belched
forth .uD,lee of hoIse ana smoke oyeI
Inc Name election TUESDAY night, but
scarcely anyone knew 1t.
All that DAY Il number of local Repub-
Hcans were busy hustlIng around trying
10 provide some way OF giving vent To
their enthusiasm. They found The way,
but kept II 50 quiet That outsiCc tie ar
uneryInen, themselves, Patsy Mann, the
garbage people, the patients in Providence
Hospital and dying man in the neigh
borhood, n one knew anything about it.
III was meant as surprise, but the only
surprise was Offered 10 Major Mckinley
AT his Canton home. Late that evening he
received a dispatch reading as follows:
We have flred salute OF fifty guns
over the glorious victory in Maine. We
VIII firela hundred when you are elected
i'll November
PRIDE OF THE DISTRICT.
How all this was done is quite a story.
Every washingtoniau kno VS. that the price
of the District is its Light Battery, which
finds cofunodious quarters in the handsome
brick armOry on X street northwest. All
summer the blue uniforms of tie Battery
boys, beautifully trimmed with red braid,
have been most carefully hidden away.
More than one fair heart has longed 10.
the return of fall and tie gaudy trim
miDgs Of her artillery lover.
So, when The battery thundered down
Fifth street last Tuesday evening, SWUNG
past the Pension Office on a dead gallop,
which was not checked as the guns turned
into street, and went charging up to
Capitol Hill, there was CONSERVATION and
fear. Surely riot had broken loose
some place, or Cuba was 10 be freed at
once.
The few guardsmen who were fortunate
enough 10 catch even glimpse OF the
shining brass cannon and the red horse
hair pluines OF the Canuoneers Were simply
estuunaod. They knew too well the deadly
letnargy which creeps over the Guard
during the months or August and Scptetn-
ber, and at once a wild rush was made for
the armory.
Here all fears Were quieted by the as
Suring Information that Capt ForsburG
had got a move on and IL WAS only rapid
assembly call" This news spread almost
as rapidly as did the rapid asscn. bly,
call" and all doubts Were set at rest, except
the one To what had hit Capt. orsburg.
Wednesday and Thursday reports were
in circulation TO he effect .Eat some kind
of an unusual noise had been heard down
III the southeast. Quartermaster Spring
man, of the troops. who lives on Penn
sSlvapia avenue was heard TO declare
that the Chinese had been having some
kind of celebration over i'll tiiei quart
tA> III HbhtE Ol llt Sdlt Ol LII
Hung Chang.
This set matters at rest around the
armory until the report came in that the
battery had actually been in service, Tues
day evening, had hastened the death of
a sick man. and that suit was 10 he
brought by his family and friends. This
started a number OF the boys out on the
hunt and yesterday the secret salute of
Waslin Ston Republicans was given to the
world.
IL seems that the news from Maine, with
the addition OF the official returns from
Arkansas was entirely too much for sCme
of Mai. MCkinleys admirers. Their JOY
must find vent. Some one suggested the
light battery and that settled it.
Police headquarters was visited and a
permit secured, as was permission from
that the boys were TO turn an honest penny
by the transaction. Then Capt. ForsburS
was visited He Couldn' t get his men to-
gethcr, he told them.
MESSENGER BOYS UTILIZED.
There's an entire regiment of messenger
boys taDdy," was the response. oh
the expense. Get as many as you want.
Mount item, send them out III all directions.
We've got 10 burn powder tonight
Capt. Fursburgisa sa soldier and determined
TO Show what his boys can do. Messengers
rapid assembly, The artillerymen
received tie summons at their homes, their
and at the la sehall game. They
wondered what it meant But it was not
their right to question. They had but
to do and die They oheyed, and al T:45
that evening the battery was led out of the
The nring point was on E tetween First
and Second streets southeast, and right
behind Providence Hospital. 1t is said
that the entire neiEhhorfoCd was fright
ened half out of its wits as the lombard
nent commenced, and continued until
fifty rounds o ammunition was destroyed. |
But outside that immediate vicinity no one
heard the deep boonis except the people at
Tie garbage plant and at Patsy Mann's |
perfume factory.
The battery reached the arnIury about IL |
1'clocS, Thoroughly tired from the laters |
If the engagement. One of the lead horses, |
the property of Bryan man, |
kicked over the traces on the homeward |
iaunt, but with this exception there were
no uutOward happenings. Since the runor !
IF q suit has reached the armory it is i'm |
possible 10 find any one who knows any |
lining abuut this last brilliant dash of the |
light battery.
IDENTIFIED THE ROBBER.