Omaha daily bee., 1897-09-25
PLACES CROWN ON ROYAL CoNSoRTS HEAD
Loyal Subjects Greet Their New Monarch
with Glad Acclaim.
ORDINATION CEREMONIES ARE BRILLIANT
King Takes the Throne Amid Flashing
Lights and Fragrant Flowers.
DIN TRANSFORMS D INTO BOWER OF BEAUTY
Fair women and Bruvc Men Gather
from All Parts of the Realm
to Join in the
Festivities.

Ak-Sar-Bcn IL is no more Both the
shadow and the substance of royalty have
departed from him, and, after the inn
memorial custom of his august house. he
has become as a common citizen, and an
other, the third OF the royal name and
lineage, reigns in his stead. Not by force
of arms was this revolution accomplished:
no popular uprising against tyrannous
ruler brought it about; it was not consume
mated by death, as in other monarches,
nor by the stress and strain of political
canvass, as in the great republics; but amid
the solemn and joyous strains of orchestral
music, the plash of of fountains, the trip
of dancing feet and the accamations of his
subjects Ak-Sar-Ben III assumed last night
his throne of year, and chose one of
Omahas fairest maids to share his dignity
and power
ECLIPSES THEM ALL.
The third annual coronation ball of the
knights of Ak-Sar-Ben was announced az
preparing on scale of magniiicence hitherto
unprecedented in the kingdom of Quivera,
and calculated TO eclipse the feeble efforts OF
rival commonN ealths. The event of last
night made good the boast. The board of
governors and the rank and file OF knights
as well, had worked intelligently and with
out ceasng, giving freely of their time,
their labor and their wealth that the new
king and queen might be worthily installed
and the mass of the people take pleasure
and profit thereby. Out of these efforts and
these sacrifices have come the astonishingly
beautiful and elaborate parades of the past
week; and they are the direct source as we'll
poured into the city marts during that time.
The people appreciate the labors and achieve
ments of this efficient company of knightly
subjects. and with returning prosperity will
surely stand behind them with ample fnan-
cial aid
ATTRACTS THE CROWDS.
From whatever quarter the expectant sub
jcct approached the royal castle last night
the eye was inevitably attracted from the
brilliantly illuminated southern entrance to
the somber and grotesque bulks of the floats
of the night before-so gayly prominent then.
the cynosure of all eyes, and now cold, bare
and deserted under the stars The white
walls of the castle cleaned in the radiance
os a perfect night, made doubly bright by
powerful electric lamps. AS last year, the
entrances were two in number, that on the
south giving admittance to the personages or
the court and to those who by any means
were entitled to sit adjacent to the throne
during the coronation ceremonies and to par
ticipate in the dancing which followed; the
other, on the east, gave ingress to the people
in general, whose places within are around
the walls in chairs and benches raised above
the floors. Also, as last year, the interior
arrangements of toilet rooms and the like
were convenient and complete the system Of
checking mems garments being notably we'll
contrived and effective.
VERITABIE FAIRYLAND.
The vast interior space of the castle.
through the remote corners of which the
groans of past candidates, tortured In tho
ordeal of knighthood may yet be heard by
sensitive ears, had been converted into
very fairyland by competent hands under the
direction of Sir Knight David Christie ably
assisted by G. A. Rouze The floor plan
was the same with which previous corona
tion balls have familarized the public. The
royal colors were everywhere, compelling the
eye in their imperative fashion to festoon,
streamer, mass and combination. They
caught the electric lights and blended to
some degree OF harmony in their searching
rays, flooding the enormous hall with an illu-
mnation not dimmed but softened by their
refining influence Three great stars shone
upon the vaulted ceiling, an eght-pointed
figure of green in the middle and one of five
points in red and yellow at either side. The
stars and stripes, too were much I'm evil
dence each of the great stars having CEN
ter of bunting, which also streamed off to
the pillars in festoons and formed deep
frieze round about the dancing space. Two
enormous baskets of verdure hung from the
roof, holding ferns and foliage plants and
trailing vines and brackets surrounding the
supporting columns were loaded with potted
plants, while clusters of green depended
from the arches, punctuating and setting of
the blazing masses of color which glowed
everywhere about. In the center OF the can
vased dancing space a graceful fountain
flashed and played. Its foundations were OF
dark and refreshing green, and out OF Its
basin grew palms and ferns in profusion.
Electricity lent its aid TO this crownlng
beauty of the court, and blaze OF red and
yellow light completed the trinity OF royal
colors. Three bands of music were pro-
yided, those from Fort Crook, McCook and
the Seventh ward of Omaha. respectively.
and they were stationed, the first directly
over the east entrance, the second near the
soulh door ana the thlfd aGJdceht 10 the sup
per rooms to the northwest.
Meanwhile the castle has been rapidly
filling with the eager pOpulace and con-
course of thousands fills the seating space OF
the great hall. The ladies of the court have
taken their places in the boxes which sur
round the throne, only the seat OF royalty
being still unoccupied. The court is made
up on the feminine side of the following
women:
MAIDS OF HONOR.
Misses Gertrude Kountze, Mellora Wool
wocth Clara Palmer. Grace Hlmebangh.
Gretchen Crounse, Elizabeth A. Peck, Flor
ence Morse. Laura May Morse Mabel Taylor
Linda Curtis, Saida Allen. Emily Wakeley,
Gertrude Jones, Edith Smith. Jessie Dickin-
On, Grace Allen. May Bartlett, Lillian A.
Wilcox, May Sargent. Sue Colpetzer Belle
Dewey. Sadie Baum. Cornells e. Beunstt.