The Somerset reporter., 1901-09-26
PUBLIC ASSEMBLY,
In Memory of President
Mckinley.

skowhegan Citizens suspend Business and
gather at Coburn Han.-A Grand Meet
ing and Impressive Exercises
In common with the great majority of
the cities and larger towns of our State
and in fact of the whole country, Show
hogan observed the funeral day of the
great President in a fitting manner.
The demonstration was not excessive,
but was expressive of the heart felt
sorrow of true citizens who appreciate
and honor virtue and greatness in high
places as we'll as in low. The wheels of
industry were stilled. All the places of
business and offices on our streets were
closed at noon and remained closed DUR
ing the remainder of the day. A Sab
bath-like stiffness pervaded the town.
The post Office, court house, halls of the
Knights of Pythias, Grand Army and
Milburn Club were decorated and many
stores, shops and residences had win
dows adorned with the mourning coors
and pictures of the beloved chief. All
flags were at half mast and sense of
sorrow and solemnity rested upon our
town as it seldom does upon so busy a
community.
A magnificent audience of our citizens
assembled at Coburn Hall, Thursday
afternoon last, to express their deep
sense of loss in the death of President
William Mckinley and their love and
honor for the chief magistrate, struck
down by the hand of the assassin in the
zenith of bis fame and hight of the
power conferred upon him by his fellow
citizens. The spirit of the audience was
excellent. There was manifest in the
countenances of men, women and the
youth of our town the deep feeling Of
public sorrow under which they as
sembled. No public man was ever more
sincerely mourned in our town than is
William Mckinley and the fact was very
manifest in this meeting.
The stage was heavily and tastefully
draped in white and black which added
much to the impressiveness of the scene.
1t is worthy of note that the work was
performed by j. c. Ceilings, who 20
years ago in this very month decorated
Coburn Hall for public services held in
memory of President Garfield, the
second of our presidents to fall by the
hand of the assassin. A large picture of
President Mckinley occupied the center
! Nf kIa .;frlN ,,f
President Lincoln and on the left one
of President Garfield; making group of
three beloved chief magistrates of our
Nation who fell by the deadly pistol of
the assassin. The placing of these
pictures was happy conception of Mr..
Ceilings. They mutely, but effectively
told of three lamentable tragedies in
the history of our country and recalled
three loved rulers of our Nation.
Russell Post G. A. r. and Company
E. National Guards attended as bodies
and occupied seats in the front center of
the hall. No other organization was rep
resented except in individual capacity.
1t was citizens meeting, thoroughly
representative of our town and of wide
many of our young people present.
They will long remember the day and
the occasion.
The exercises were substantially as
announced last week, with slight
change in speakers. Gen. Isaac Dyer
presided Mr.. Roland T. Patten read
the proclamations of President Roosevelt
and Governor Hill, designating the day.
The speakers were, Hon. S. j. Walton,
=. W. Gould, Esq, Rev. Daniel Onstott,
Rev. II. w. Kimball and Hon. L. A.
Emery, Justice of the Supreme Court
who presdes at this September term of
court, here. Rev. W. H. Spencer, D. D..
made the opening prayer, Rev. H. A.
Markley pronounced the benediction.
Music was by male quartette consist
ing of Messrs, Albert Watson, E. E.
Harris, j. N. Smith and f. C. Taylor,
with Miss Clara Vosmus, organist.
The musical selections were, "Lord of
The Nations" and Remember me Oh
Mighty One" and the old familiar
hymn, great favorite with President
Mckinley, Nearer my God to Thee" in
which the audience feelingly joined.
Hon. S. j. Walton was the first speak.
er and in part said:
This is time, not for words but for
sorrow and for tears. Seventy-fve
millions of people in the north, south
east and west, bounded and restricted by
no sectional lines, sorrow at the taking
away of William Mckinley, who today
is being laid away in his last resting
place in the city of Canton in the State
of Ohio They sorrow for him as the
ideal citizen of this imperial country,
aid as the President of all the people.
Not the President of any party but the
President of the whole people, laid low
by the hand of brutal assassin.
This is not the first time the people of
this country have been called upon to
mourn for the loss of the head of the
Government by murderous hand of an
assassin, within less than half century.
i the year 1856 Abraham Lincoln, the
man whom the people of the country
now almost deity, fell a victim to the
bitterness engendered by the civil war,
which was then just closing. After that
President Garfield, one of natures
noblemen, after months of suffering,
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