The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1898-04-13
LEE THEIR IDOL.
WashingtOnians Give Him a
Tremendous Ovation.
Crowds Follow Him Every where
and Yell.
STREETS ARE PACKED
Around His Hotel Until Late at
Night.
Band Comes From New York to
STREETS ARE PACKED
Band Comes From New York to
Serenade Him.

4
soil on his return from Havana cuImin-
ated last night in Washington in what
was in many ways one of the most re-
markable demonstrations the city has
ever seen. From the moment he alight-
ed in the railroad station in the AFTER
noon he was surrounded by cheering
crowd that followed him to the state
department, and the spectacle of army
and navy officers and government en-
ployeS cheering outside, the very door
of the secretary of state was wholly
! unprecedented in the history of that
staid department. At night the city
turned out in thousands when seren-
ade was given General Lee at his hotel
and the multitude stood for hours in
the street waiting for a glimpse of him.
The night demonstration was almost
as unprecedented as that which greeted
General Lee at the depot and the state
department. The Marine band had been
secured from the barracks and the Sew
enty-first Regiment band, under the
leadership of Prof Fanciulli, formerly
conductor of the Marine band, came
over from New York on an afternoon
train. The crowd assembled without
calling and by s o'clock was 5000 strong
in the streets about the ShOreham hotel,
where General Lee was Quartered. Be
fore the close it was twice that size. It
was after 9 o'clock before he appeared
on one of the small corner balconies,
accompanied by committee of the
Union Veteran Legion and the Confed-
crate Veterans association, which were
Jointly in charge of the affair.
The bands struck up the Star Spang-
led Banner and there was a burst of
fireworks from the neighboring houses,
While mounds of red, white and blue
lights famed at intervals along the
street, throwing the crowd on the bal
cony into a sharp relief against a back
ground of flags. The crowd yelled it
self hoarse calling for General Lee by
name and demanding a speech. The
speech was brief and so much broken
by applause that the crowd caught
rO1n 9 h
drift. General Lee said:
After all the speeches I have been
forced to make in the past few days, I
can hardly hope to make myself heard
over this gathering. can only assure
you that such a great demonstration
seems to me out of all proportion to the
here and am frank to say that don't
see that deserve it, having only tried
to do my duty as an American where
circumstances placed me-.
The crowd broke out afresh and there
were yells: That's iti'' That's what
you did," General Lee continued:
Il have to thank you most heartily
for this splendid endorsement of my
course. 1t is a thing that can hardly
come to a man more than once in
lifetime and it moves me more than
can tell in Words
You can act pretty quick!" cried a
man in the crowd, and then some one
yelled, War! Fight!' and the cheering
drowned everything else.
Il have not come to talk war;" con-
tinued General Lee, but if war comes,
in a few days, or in a few years, the
present crisis has proved that it will
find us a united people, and the only
contest will be as to who can carry the
flag farthest and fastest.
There is one thing in conclusion. I
friends who have come so promptly to
the front tonight. It is only another
evidence that New York is ready, as
she has been in the past, to stand by
and if the trial
assure you all that Virginia will be
found standing shoulder to shoulder
with New York"
The speaking and music was followed
by brief reception to which a few
score gained admittance in the rooms of
Representative Cornell of Pennsylva-
mia, from whose balcony General Lee
had made his address.
Consul General Lee arriver from Ha-
vana at 2:30 o'clock. A large crowd of
enthusiastic admirers gathered at the
Pennsylvania station and when the
general stepped from the train he was
greeted with a tremendous outburst of
applause. Women waved their hand
kerchiefs and men their hats, and alto
gether the demonstration was a nota-
BILE one.
Long before the hour set for the ar
rival or the train the crowd began to
gather. 1t completely filled the station
and Sixth street, adjacent on the east
and extended far into Pennsylvania av-
enue. The general occupied the last
car in the train and when it was known
that it had reached the station there
was tremendous rush to get a look at
him. By the time he was ready to
alight the crowd was so dense about
the train that, even with the assistance
of a platoon of police it was with diff
ficulty that he reached the platform
Several personal friends of the general,
among them a number of ladies, pressed
forward and finally succeeded in grasp
ing him by the hand. One. of the Ia
dies presented him with a bouquet of
roses tied together by ribbons of the
national colors and bearing a tiny con-
federate battle flag. Immediately the
crowd began to cheer, and round after
round of applause greeted him as he
walked slowly and uncovered down the
long platform of the station. On reach
ing B street entrance, General Lee en-
tered state department carriage and
was rapidly driven up the avenue to
the state department.
News that Gen. Lee was on his way
to the state department spread rapidly
and when the carriage drew up at the
south front of the building, a big crowd
was assembled on the portico. A rous-
ing cheer went up as Gen. Lee stepped
from the vehicle and, bowling right and
left, hurried into the building. The
cheers had apprised the clerks and 9th
er employees of the big building of his
coming, and there was wild rush for
the state department corridor. Clerks
left their desks without leave, officers
of the army and navy Joined the mad
rush, and for the time being the disci-
pline of the building was relaxed. The
crowd lined up in front of the elevator
shaft, leaving a lane from the door of
the secretary's office. As the elevator
came to stop and the consul general
stepped out, scene occurred unprece-
denied in the history of the great
building. Hat in hand, General Lee
passed into the corridor, and some one
said:
Nov, boysi" and three rousing cheers
went echoing down the long halls. Then
there was another outburst and people
e. FTNl--