The age-herald., 1898-01-11
TIE BANQUET AT MERIDIAN
Deliverance From a Visitation of
 Yellow Fever Celebrated.
MANY PEOPLE WERE PRESENT
Railroad Officials, Heads of Postal Departments, Members of State and City Boards of
 Health, and Others Entertained.
snecIal to The Age-Herald.

I Special to The Age-Herald
 l Meridian, Miss, Jan. 10-The people Of Meridian celebrated in right royal manner | tonight their deliverance from visitation | of the dreaded plague-yellow fever-which scourged numerous sections of Mississippi.
 Alabama and Louisiana. during the autumn just closed
 | In the spacious dining-rooms of the Grand Avenue hotel the representative citizens and business men of Meridian-self-constitu | hosts-made their guests, the leading offi- cials of the various systems of railways l converging here, the heads of postal de- partments, the members of the state board of health, the members of the city board of health and the members of the munich | pal boards feel that they appreciated the efforts individually and collectively put
 forth by them, to the end that Meridian
 might be spared an affiiction which, at one l time, seemed to be inevitable.
 The idea of appropriately celebrating the escape from visitation of the plague orig mated in the midst of the fight to Keep it out of this section, when the railway and postal authorities were cooperating heart fly with the local and state boards of health in everything that had to do with the at- tainment of the end in view. It was agreed | then Dy several geLllelHeH WHo "SiS ee"A ing an active part in the campaign, that at
 the close thereof, if success should crown l their labors, the victory would be appro- | priately celebrated, and the banquet to- night is a carrying out of this agreement | The committee of arrangements was com- | posed of Hon. E. J. Martin, president Of
 the city council and postmaster chairmah' Hon. A. J. Russell, assistant general coun- roiI MT. J. H. Wright, vce-president of the Meridian National bank. These were the originators of the movement, and assisted by the business men of Meridian, who were
 cordial in their indorsement of the Idea, made the banquet the success 1t was. Covers were laid for 15O guests and at
 o'clock all had assembled and the dining
 rooms were we'll filled. Manager l.. H, Hulse had prepared most excellent menu,
 which was served by competent force of
 walters. The guests did full justice to the
 elaborate spread, and at Its close were just
 in the humor to listen to after-dinner
 speeches over their wine and cigars.
 Toastmaster Russell, in neat speech.
 gave the history of the movement result
 ing in the celebration and expressed, on
 behalf of the people of Meridian generally, and the shippers particularly, gratitude to- | those whose personal efforts stayed thei blighting hand of the yellow invader, re- | ferring in feeling terms to the days when
 he and his co-laborers-the guests of honor l on this occasion remained in Meridian and persistently opposed the insidious advance of the plague. He pointed out that the con-
 duct of the railroad people in this crisis of Meridian's history was den1onstrative of the fact that growing city's best friends,
 and the most potent factors in her develop
 ment, are the railroads that the interests
 of the one are the interests of the other
 and that the welfare of the one is bound
 up in the welfare of the other. He
 pressed the hope that this celebration
 would mark the beginning of a closer re-
 lationship between Meridian and the rail-
 roads eentering here, that could but be
 beneficial both and would result fla Me
 ridian's rapid material development.
 Captain John W. Fewell, counsel
 for the Queen snd Crescent system
 responded to the remarks made by
 Toastmaster Russell, and on behalf of the
 railroads, expressed kindly feeling for
 Meridian and her people, and appreciation
 of the uniform courtesy which had been
 accorded to his constituents by Meridian He felt sure that this demonstration to-
 night would mark the beginning of a closer
 friendship between two interests. Capt Fewell is one of the most distinguished or
 ators in the state, and his speech tonight
 was felicitous to a marked degree.
 Capt Fewell was followed by other
 speakers, some of the representative cit
 izens addressing their hearty indorsement of what had been said, while some of the
 more prominent guests reciprocated these
 sentiments, all expressing the thought that
 Meridian would always enjoy high posi- ton in their esteem. +.a.
 All toasts were responded to in a hearty manner. and at the conclusion of the din- ner several hours were spent in speech making over wines and cigars. Among the most prominent railroad people present
 were: President J. c. Clarke, Vice-Presi-
 dent B. L.. Russell, General Manager John
 G. Mann; c. H. Clarke. division superin- tendent, all of the Mobile and Ohio; Presi- dent c. c. Harvey, of the Northeastern; Superintendent w. w. Bond, of the Ala bama and Vicksburg; Superintendent A. G. | Wickersham, of the Alabama Great South ern; Superintendent Jones, of the South ern; General Passenger Agent A. F. Bar | nett, of the Queen and Crescent; General Freight Agent Steele, of the Alabama | Great Southern; H. E. Brevard, travelling
 auditor of the Alabama Great Southern;
 L. N. Kelso, of the New Orleans and Northeastern railroad, besides numerous | others. IT Every member of the state board of | health, the city board of health and the | municipal boards were present, besides va l rious Postal officials. There were about 15o | guests, and the banquet was most thor l oughly enjoyed by all. 4a