Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1905-03-13
Saw THE INAUGURATION

OlAW LII sAkvlOOUAAHAl
CADET WIN. cocHRANE WRITES
TELLING or THE INAUGURAL
TON CEREMONIES.
PROUD or HIS SCHOOLS PART
EouALED THE "PoINTERs"
ALRoUND.
w. F. Cochrane. Jr, son Of w. F.
Cochrane Of this city. and cadet at
Annapolis, writes am interesting
letter to his father OF the Inaugural
ton ceremonies at Washington. in
the course Of which he says:
I'VE left here at about s:45 mot
exactly but pretty close to schedule
time) and arrived in Washington
about 10 q. m.wore full dress.
leggins and overcoats, guns and
belts, Of colrse. We formed outside
the train and marched in column OF
tours to the south side Of the capitol
couldn't tell you what street. Here
we halted and stood at rest for about
thirty minutes, / guess. Had about
four dozen people all rubbering for
someone they thought they knew, and
lots OF girls to look at. Then we:
got underway and marched about
two blocks, to a street on which the
east side Of the capitol faces, went
tours left and this put us in a line
that reached from one edge Of the
curb to the other, SO Fats" ran and
climbed fences to get out OF the way.
Here we again halted but in a min
ute advanced to- the inauguration
stand, which was about 200 yards
away. AS we swung into line, the
band played a mixture of Hail
Columbia, them Yankee Doodle and
then Dixie Zimmerman wrote it,
that is, joined it together so as to
form q march. The Pointers we're
already there but there was nothing
doing when the old band played
Dixie and we swung into line, just
as fine a line as man ever marched
In. The crowd went crazy. We
halted right in front Of the stand
with us now to the left and the
Pointers to the right. / was only
about twenty-feet from the stand and
the wind raising all the available
dust in the street, but blowing my
way so I could hear all the presi-
dents speech and his oath. Just as
he came DOWN the steps, General
Mills, superintendent at West Point,
gave the order attention" and then
present arms" Then "order arms"
The Pointers then were given at
ease and were not so easy by a
long shot Parade Rest Then the
chief justice came on. After some
little time, the president, chief justice
and one other officer arose and the
president took his oath ending by
kissing the Bible Then he began
his address. It was "shoqt ami
sweet as is his custom, (much the
better for us) but very forcibly
spoken. Then we presented arms
and he lett. I forgot to tell you
about "Hodah Saw as we called it.
There was a stand with about 400
mea, women and kids on It all with
machines to "shoot' you with. Then
to. the word was kept back until the
president came out. There our men,
the officers, formed a line between
the companies and no one was al
lowed between ranks so they could
not set closer than about IS or 100
feet from the president The steps,
etc, had been built into the form Of
an amphitheatre. This was jammed
with people. Then all over the
capitol was covered with people.
When the last present arms" was
given the line we had formed adj
vanced and the. word went back.
Then we marched OF making our
usual great hit We had perfect
line. West Point may have been as
good but never better. We marched
down to Pennsylvania Avenue and
then down the stfeet NY cap sat on
one ear one moment and on the other
the next, but did not come on. Al
though many did, but never hand
was raised in that line. In front OF
the postonice building we halted for
almost IN hour while the president
took lunch Then on We went. Stands
had been built all along the line to
zee the aflair. We were almost the
head Of the line. the w. P.'s alone
being ahead q us Our band playing
the great mixture and our own swell
drilling xainnf1 great annlnuso frnys