Morris tribune., 1897-03-03

| wnere the presldent-elect with the mem
bers of his immediate family were in
waiting The executive committee also
paid their respects to the incoming
chief magistrate, and without delay
the party started for the carriages
which were to convey them to the
Ebbitt. Notwithstanding the. long
Journey and the broken night, nearly
all of the party looked fresh and bright.
The president.eleet in particular, ap-
peared to be in the best of spirits, and
those who gazed in his face for signs of
the illness from which he has suffered
very recently, looked in vain for any
sign of distress or impaired vitality. 1t
was generally remarked by onlookers
that he was certainly stouter and of bet
ter complexion than when he was last
seen in Washington. Mrs Mckinley also
appeared to advantage. She was at
tired in dark travelling garb, and hap.
piness beamed from every lineament
as she came forth into the bright sun
shine on the open platform. After a
short greeting to some immediate
friends, who stood near, the party
formed line and started through the
station. Messrs. Parker and Barrett,
tall, robust men, came just behind the
police who cleared the way down the
platform. The president t-elect, with
Mrs Mckinley holding closely on his
arm. came next, with Chairman Bell
and j. Addison Porter ON either side,
to protect them from the pressure of
the crowd. Colonel Britton, with the
greatest care, escorted Mrs. Mckinley,
senior, mother of the president. elect,
and the remainder of the party took
their places in the line just as they
alighted from the cars, the staff of the
governor Of Ohio bringing up the rear
AS he passed the head of the train,
Major Mckinley did a graceful thing
which was quickly appreciated by the
crowd. He paused, beckoned to one of
the party who bore aloft great boquet
of cut flowers, and carefully selecting
from it some white carnations of won.
derful size, he handed them to the en-.
gineer, all grimy and perspiring, who
sat aloft in his cab. Instead of turning
to the right through the nearest pas
sage to the street, the party went
straight through the station and were
seated at once in the carriages pro-
vlded.
The people were packed so densely
in front of the Pennsylvania station
and the electric cars that the horses be-
came so restive that it was not deemed |
wise to wait to form the carriages in |
line, and as fast as they were filed |
with passengers they were dispatched |
by the members of the reception COM
nittee having the matter in hand. |
Consequently that equipage occupied |
Oy the president elect was nearly at it's |
destination before the last of the car
riages started from the station. As
the party drove off, the people outside
set up cheer in which the Ohioans, |
members of Troop A, National Guard, |
who were to have formed part Of the |
escort, made themselves heard above |
all else.
Along Pennsylvania avenue, upon
which the carriages were driven, there
were so many vehicles, pedestrians and
bicycles and street fakirs and so much |
confusion in general, that the presi- |
dent-elect passed along as fast as the
conditions permitted without gaining |
general recognition. At the Ebbitt |
house, the crowd had been gathering |
since early breakfast time, preempting
doorways, carriage steps, windows and
other points of vantage. During the
hour and half while they waited,
strong police guard gradually accumul
ated itself in an unostentatiOus way in
and about the hotel. The presidential
party finally arrived about II 30
o'clock, and by clever coup the presi-
dent-elect gained entrance to the hotel
without crowding and inconvenience.
All the preparations indicated that the
entrance would be made ON the Four
teenth street side of the hotel. There
was guard of policemen at the door,
and the corridors leading in from that
point was kept ostentatiously clear.
The ladies entrance from f street was
left comparatively unnoticed save for a
policeman or two, to keep back the
crowd, and it was there that the presi-
dents carriage stopped. Before the
crowd had. recovered the party had
alighted and had enteced the elevator
and were Immediately out of sight.