Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1901-08-29
COMPETITIVE DRILL
OF KNIGHTS TEMPT LAR
First Held Since the ConcIave
of the Year 1888.
LIST OF THE CONTESTANTS

Great Crush of Visitors to Churchill
Downs, Where the Drill Occurred.
Bevy of Kentucky Beauties Acted as
! Sponsors.
LOUISVILLE, Aug. 28.-A spectacular
competitive drill by the crack com
manderies of the country attracted a
crush of knights Templar conclave Wis
itors to Churchill Downs today. While
the knights were drilling, the business
end of the conclave-the meeting of the
grand encampment-got under way at
the girls high school When Grand
Master Lloyd called the meeting to or
der there were about 100 knights pres
ent to transact business.
The grand masters, the grand treasu-
rers, the grand recorders and number
of other reports were received and re-
ferred to their proper committees.
The following were the contestants in
the drill:
Columbia commandery No. 2, Wash
ington, d. @.
Colorado commandery No. ], Denver,
Colo.
hanselmann commandery No. is, Gin
cinnati, o.
Allegheny commandery No. 35 Pitts
burg, Pa.
ST. Bernard commandery No 1, Chi
cago, Ills.
Calvary commandery No. 3, Parkers-
burg, w Va.
Golden Gate commandery No. l6, San
Francisco, Cal.
California commandery No (mount
ed), San Francisco.
The competition was the first held
since the conclave of 1883.
Many Handsome Prizes.
The award of prizes will be made to-
night at the Horse Show building and
the prizes distributed, following which
there will be a grand march and dance
by the drill communicates and the la
dies who acted as sponsors. The tro-
phies, which are of silver, are:
First prize, "a pieces, valued at $3,-
900; second prize, % pieces, Ibation
set, valued at So, 900; third prize, center
piece, valued at $1,000; fourth prize,
two pieces, (mounted) valued at 5000;
fifth prize, loving cup, valued at $780,
AT Churchill Downs is situated the
o.
The regular grand stand, holding 5000
people, was filled long before the drills
began. By the time Columbia COM
mandery took the field 2, 500 people had
crowded on to the steps leading to the
grand stand seats, and an equal number
occupied the temporary stand erected
across the track near the judges stand
and by noon the surging crowd had ex-
tended itself into the field. Under a
canopy in the field sat the sponsors, q
dark-eyed delegation of Kentucky beau
ties, who led the members of the con-
testing communicates after their work
was finished to immense bowls con-
tanning cooling drinks.
Crowd Cheered Wildly.
Brass bands were numerous, but mu.
sic was allowed only during the inter
missions between drills, as the Grant
tactics, under which the drills were
conducted, allow of nothing to mark
time. The crowd was an enthusiastic
and impartial one. 1t applauded every-
thing possible. 1t cheered the man who
handled his sword so awkwardly that
he knocked his own cap off; it cheered
the man who got left on a right.about-
face movement and had to run to catch
up with his comrades, and it went wild
at the appearance of a sir knight who,
to defend himself against the hot Ken.
tucky sun, appeared in the temporary
stand with a huge sunbonnet on his
head.
The Columbia knights were good in
foot work. but rather weak in handling
their swords, while the Denver men ex.
celled in handling their swords To
the crowd the Allegheny commandery
appeared TO have made the best show.
ing Their footwork showed the eff.
fects of hard practice.
At noon there was q luncheon and
rest, during which Detroit commandery
No. l gave an exceptionally fine bat
talon drill.