The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1898-04-06
BESrEGING THE CAPITOL.
Muititudcs Rush for Positions When
the Doors Are Opened.


At an early hour this forenoon there
was an immense crowd AT the Capitol,
waiting for the doors to open. 1t was a
| good-natured push" and decidedly a
patriotic one. Many ladies who aided in
making up the concourse carried dimnu-
| tive American flags. which had been fash
toned after the shape of kerchiefs. while
some of the men were provided with sim
| liar colors.
When the doors finally were opened, at
9 o'clock. the crowd had reached proper
tons which made it difficult for every
| one 10 squeeze inside There were no ac-
| cidents, however, and whenever anyone
stepped on the toes of a neighbor the
magic words, Cuba Libre!' wrought
wonders in effecting what apparently was
an instantaneous cure for the pain, for
nothing was heard from the invasion OF
the pedal extremities of the parties in
question.
So early this morning as TO seem al
most TO be coincident with the rising of
tho sun. a man and a woman could be
seen making their way across the plaza
unon the east front of the Capitol The
man carried a luncheon basket and the
woman carried a shawl. They took up
a position Immediately in front of the
immense doors at the head of the steps
on the House side of the building, and
struck attitudes indicative of stern
determination to wait. The woman util-
lied the shawl to good advantage while
the man whistled softly through his
=, h, haTS of En-
10Y Yourself The woman frowned,
and the man desisted.
They had been there on other days,
when the ewes of the nation were fixed
upon Congress, and when dramatic
scenes were expected, and they took
no chances on being left this time AS
the moments flew by others made their
way to the objective point of the first
corners, until. long before o'clock there
was goodly assemblage OF persons fes-
tooned about the east front of the Cap
itol. At $50 the line extended quite a
distance from the base of the steps,
disposition to head nor -by-nor' be-
ing evident upon the part of those upon
the outside, and who were thus forced
to keep the wind off the marble steps,
somewhat to their discomfort.
Although the House side of the build |
ing was clearly the objective point of the |
themselves in solid array at the entrances |
upon the Senate side and at o'clock the |
line there was almost as long that at |
the other end OF the edifce. Cars from |
all directions brought fresh REINFORCE |
ments. Almost everyone carried lunch |
con basket, while a number brought mag |
azines with them, prepared to fill in the |
interim between the excitement of the /
hour and the present with some mental /
food.
Despite the biting wind which whistled |
with incisve persistency around the cor
ners of the building and across the ex-
tent of the area of the east front, not a /
man or woman gave way, and it was a
cold but triumphant, lot of persons who
finally were admitted to the building.
The extra force of policemen detailed
for special duty about the building did /
not have great deal to do, as the crowd |
was orderly. Their principal duty seemed
TO be to stave off fair petitioners for i'm
mediate entrance, whose claims were
based upon the alleged grounds of their
putatfve acquaintance with some senator
or member Of the House.