The Portland daily press., 1899-05-24
Striking Parts Of the
Parade.
The Smooth Man With the Board
on Hand.
ESPECIAL TO THE PREss.J

Gardiner. May 23.-It was Gardiner s
greatday. The good people of the city
arose early and prepared for the festivi-
ties. BY s O'Clock the streets were crowd
ed, SO crowded that hundreds were unable
to find room on the sidewalks and ! SO
walked in the middle Of 1.-The highways,
lodging the mounted staff officers and
the big floats which were moving about
to take their places in the line. Then
the electrics began to arrive from Angus
ia and Hallowell, with every seat occu-
pied and women standing between the
sests while men unable to find standing
room elsewhere, stood on the running
boards Of the open cars. The fakirs were
early onithe scene. There were the ped
dlars with badges and nicknaoks, and
there, too. in shady place between two
high buildings, was the smooth takler,
who stood behind board on which were
lot OF numbered pins. Over and over
again came the voice of the eloe uent
young man: Now merry men, are you
in? Who gives me the next half dollar
If 1t comes on the red everybody wins q
box of cigars. You're all in it. You win
or lose together. l know everybody who S
in, men, I know you all. Well, let her
90. What's the number? Thirty three.
One cigar all around" And the nice
young man handed out ten cigars to the
ten men who had put up fifty cents each
In the hope that the red would win. 1t
was nice game for the nics young man,
because the red never seemed to win.
However. that was in a bywsy. Except
for the few, the crowd thought not of the
games. 1t was bent on seeing the mighty
parade which was to be the crowning fea-
was as interesting 30 the sightseer as the
parade. There were people from miles
around The hundreds who came on the
electrics were swallowed up in the throng
and still the people came. There were
the maidens in their new summer ttnery.
There were the people from the country
who had driven many miles in the family
carry -alls starting in the early morning.
The busiest men in the crowds were
President McCausland of the Board OF
| Trade, and Chief Marshal John W. Berry.
The Mayor and the Governor were early
| in the carriage which was to carry them
over the route of the parade, and as the
barouche waited in front of the Evans
house, the crowd had good chance to
compare the appearance of the CHER TX
ecutive with the painted likeness which
was the centre-piece oflthe elaborate deco
ratiops on the front of the hotel. Added
to the decorations was the group of ladies
who occupied the balcony of the hostelry
| While it waited for the procession tc
move, the crowd watched the divisions as
they formed. There were the school chill
dren in decorated teams, the great ano
gorgeous trade floats. tiremen with
helmets and white flannel shirts, thu nat
ty little Cadets fromt Augusta! and the
members of the secret orders in theil
bright paraphernalia
| At last the waiting was over and the
parade moved. 1t was headed by squao
of GARDENERS finest, mounted on Whit
horses, and then came the Cantons o
Patriarch Militant, from Gardiner ant
Augusta, with their handsome banner
and bright regalias.l Following then
were the Sons of Veterans OF Maxcy Post
and then came the soldiers of the future
the Augusta schoolboys. They ars sl'ttl
fellows, but they marched with the SWIM
| of veterans. They We're in army uniform
and ready for the fray, for IN the rea
marched the Ambulance Corps to tax
care of the wounded. The young soldier
had the proud distinction of acting a
escort to the Governor and the Other
guests of the occasion who rode In Ions
line of carriages. The open barouch'
which served as the chariot of state FOL
the Chief Executive, was drawn by foui
prsncing black steeds. With the GOV
ernor and Mayor Patten rode Hon. y. d
Clason and Adjutant General Richards
Hon. Charles E. Littleteld, ex-Gov
Alonzo Garcelon and the other guests. th'
members of the Governors Council, the
Gardiner city government and Board ol