Smyrna times., 1899-07-05
THE FOURTH IN SMYRNA.
LARGE CROWDS IN ATTENDANCE FROM ALL
PARTS OF KENT COUNTY.
Slim Parade in the Morning; Speech.Making
and Races in the Afternoon, and
Fireworks at Night.

an event of more than usual promi-
nence, and it dawned yesterday beau
tiful day in every respect BY the
time the first streaks of light were
seen in the eastern hOrison. the bang
of explosives announced the Nations
Birthday, and the small boy with his
shooting crackers was up bright and
early to celebrate it with youthful glee
All day long there was constant effort
at celebration.
1t had been thoroughly advertised
through the county papers that a cele-
bration was to be given in Smyrna,
and as natural consequence this town
was made the mecca for large
crowds of people. They seemed
to come from most every point of the
compass and hardly a village or ham
let in Kent county was without a rep
resentative, not to say anything of the
many who came from the Eastern Shore
of Maryland. In fact the the colored
band of ChestertOwn, Md, was en-
gagged to assist the colored people in a
like celebration here, and they brought
with them a large contingent of the
ebOny-hued race, which mixed with
their clans made up of this town and
surrounding country, made that ele-
ment predominant most everything
here yesterday.
The parade from standpoint of dis
play was pretty much Of fzzle, and
proved to be most Disappointing to the
large number of visitors who had
gathered here from a distance. But it
was nothing more than what was ex
pected under the circumstances Under
proper management, and given
amount of enthusiasm, Smyrna could
! get up creditable civic and industrial
parade. This year there was lack of en-
thuslasm from the start, and not only
this but there was considerable clashing
and mismanagement among the COM
mittees, which resulted in nothing being
done which would reflect credit on the
bONns nC OIhS Iu6 Ill
rection of Mr.. NJ G. Fields passed off
very successfully, and was as pretty a
pyrotechnic display as he had the funds
in hand to make it. What there was
of the parade was marshalled by Mr..
j. G. Garner of Hancock Post No. 90,
g. A. r., and at the head of several
mOunfod borSounan taouc SO D,orob :
ed around town. The music for the
occasion was furnished by Johnson's
COrnet Band. All along the line, on
every street in town there was an array
of patriotic decorations. Indeed our
citizens responded well and many of
the stores and residence were very ar
tistic in red, white and blue cOlOrs. At
night the scene was added to by the
beautiful display of Chinese and Jap
anese lanterns, brilliantly lighting sew
eral of the residence yards about town.
Belmont Park Races.
In the afternoon, the races at Bel
mont Driving Park, were witnessed by
several hundred spectators. The ad-
mission fee was twenty-five cents and
it is said that the gate-tender took in
over hundred dollars. The matinee
was interesting and at times exciting.
The first race was the ''free for all'' as
follows:
Lady Duroc," Dr. T. c. Moore, Smyrna, l
Johnnie Pee" John Daily, Hartley, Nd.
sECoSD RACE.
Nellie Benton John Daley, Hartley
Happy Dan," John W Fennimore Leip
Worlds Wonder" Horace Fugh, 1eip-
big Oak" Geo. Thompson. Smyrna o.
THIRD RACE.
Pride" A. F. Huey, Massey, Nd. 8 3 3
'Henrittts,' Geo. Jones' KennPdyville,
"Newma," VIM. Casey, Massey, Nd / ,
FOURTH RACE.
"Torsy RUSSELL Frank Boyer Smyrna. p
Jack Demsey," j. F. Clarke, Kenton. 3 3
Fannie, Henry Haley, Massey, Nd.
Happy Co." Herbert Price, Smyrna.
There was also farmers race, which
was won by black mare belonging to
George Davis, of TempleYille, Nd.
Speeches on SchOOI-bOuse Green.
The speaking was very designated
for the we'll shaded school campus at
o'clock in the afternoon. There was
fair audience which increased after
wards, but that same evidence of incom-
pletness of arrangement that char
acterized the morning. There was no
one to introduce the speakers, but
after some delay, Mr.. Walter o. Hof-
fecker, who was in the audience was
asked and consented to perform this
duty which he did in few we'll chosen
sentences reminding them that we
never had so much cause for patriotic
demonstration as since the late war,
oInaino bv intro1uoin0 Iohn ~ Graxr