New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-08-05


,,v MEETING FOR THE RENEFlr
-, VOLUNTEERS FAMIrIEs-GEN-
r,u. wooDFoRD AMONG
TIE OTHER SPEAKERS.
,,o,,onant Richmond p hooson' T. :, ~ VINO
h'e".N -,,..a himself by sinking the Merrimac
''i''"'' nth Of the harhor OF santiago was the
al VI. nv. ,,at drew thousands to the metropolitan
n'as"'' ,1.,se last night General Stewart l..
ope'a ..a Minister TO Spain, although Just now
Woou'o'" ,a,,on in that capacity, was also
VIM and made a speech. and so were William
p,.. ex-Assistant Secretary OF the Navy.
~. 7 Ellen Foster. but 1t was Hobson the
49, went TO see and hear. Lieutenant
-, was induced to preside at the meeting
-, .ss Nsw-York Soldiers and Sailors Families
n-.,oc,,ve Association, which has made 1t its
.,,s,,sss TO look after the families that have
80, left in destitute circumstances by the aD-
sorce NJ the bread-winnsrs at the front, and
u,ch will devote to that end the profits of last
nights memorable meeting
.,,opetber. II was a night Of patriotic exulta-
,ion Lieutenant Hobson could have owned the
c,tv. General Woodford could have assisted him
IN tho ownership: Dewey and Sampson and
schley and Captain Jack Philip. who was un-
able 10 attend the meeting, were frantically
cheered by every man jack present. II was
houseful OF worshiprers that was assembled In
the huge auditorium. and the Army and the
Navy were the idols.
When the doors were opened. at 40 p. m.
the crowd began 10 stream in. Outside the spec
ulators were doing a rushing business, but 1t is
safe to say that their profits will not go to the
families Of the soldiers and the sailors. Nearly
every seat in the orchestra was taken. and there
were rows OF people standing at \ o'clock The
galleries were filed too. to the roof. Only few
Of the boxes were occupied, but all OF them were
sold Their emptiness is accounted for by the
fact that so many people were out Of town. and
this same fact Is responsible for the compare
lively general absence OF well-known and fash
ionable faces in the audience. One Of the boxes
had American flags draped over its rail, and was
reserved for Mrs. Hobson and Miss Hobson,
mother and sister respectively Of Lieutenant
Hobson. Others who occupied boxes were Henry
Clarke Coe the War Relief Committee of the
National Society Of New-E England Women. Mrs.
Charles L. Wetherbee. Henry Marquand. r. T.
Wilson, ST., W. ]. Curtis and General Wager
swayne. Brigadier-Gener George L. Gillespie.
U. s. A., commanding the Department of the
East and several members of his staff were
present
GENERAL wOODFORD CHEERED.
Two huge American flags were looped over the
proscenium arch. but otherwise the auditorium
was destitute of special decoration. While the
crowd v'as waiting for the arrival of Lieutenant
Hobson. Professor Fanciullis list Regiment
Band played a descriptive fantaisie called "A
Day with Roosevelt's Rough Riders" General
Woodford came upon the platform few min
utes before the lieutenant, and was Immediately
recognized. and cheered until he was forced to
rise and acknowledge the enthusiastic greeting
Lieutenant Hobson arrived in this city from
Atlanta shortly after noon yesterday, and was
met at the station by Major Byrne and a COM
mittee Of the Protective Association. The party
drove TO the Waldorf-Astoria where the lieu
tenant found pile Of about Ave hundred letters
awaiting him. The nature Of good many OF
these communications may be Judged from the
fact that soon after his arrival one woman tele-
phoned to the hotel saying that she had invited
Lieutenant Hobson to dinner the following
day. and was surprised at not receiving reply.
She was perfect stranger to him.
Lieutenant Hobson with Major Byrne and Mr..
McAdoo reached the Opera House about $50
o'clock They drove in open carriage to the
Fortieth-st entrance of the building. The
crowd there was not large the reason probably
being that few knew at which of the three sides
OF the Opera House the lieutenant would enter.
but 1t made up in enthusiasm what 1t lacked In
numbers and the Merrimac hero was heartily
cheered as he alighted from the carriage.
GREETED AT THE ENTRANCE.
Waiting for him at the door were number Of
well-known citizens. who all pressed around him
and claimed introductions from Major Byrne.
Among the scores who contrived to shake hands
with him before he reached the stage were
Henry Marquand and John d. Crmmns.
A HURRICANE OF APPLAUSE.
When the band struck up 1.-The Star Spangled
Banner" every eye turned toward the en-.
trance at the stage right, where signs OF the
hero's approach could be Already Mrs
and Miss Hobson had slipped unobserved into
the box reserved for them, the crowd seeming
10 be in ignorance es to who they When
Lieutenant Hobson appeared. escorted by Ma
jor John Byrne, all the enthusiasm that had
been pent up awaiting his arrival was let
loose in one cyclonic burst Amid q perfect
hurricane of applause and frantic shouts. and
the waving OF hundreds Of flags and fans and
handkerchiefs. he crossed &c the centre of the
stage Every person the stage arose and
Joined in the uproar. each man striving TO Guido
his neighbor. Every man who got anywhere
near tried 10 shake hands With the Lieuten
ant and scores succeeded In doing So The
band continued to play but the effect was that
Of pantomime The Lieuten ant at length ac-
knowledged the tremendous greeting by a
grave bow.
II the crowd had doubts about the ability
OF Lieutenant Hobson as a speaker they were
all dspeed little later. The Lieutenant has
fine deep, resonant voice. In speed he is a
stenographer's pride. Very rarely did he ex-
coed a rate of thirty words minute Each
phrase came slowly and distinctly from his
lips. but every word counted. While the New