Watertown weekly leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1906-1908, 1906-08-10


is estimated that the attendance Wa!
larger than last year and it woule
have far exceeded, had it not been fol
the severe storm of Saturday nigh
and the threatening weather of Sun
day morning, which without doub
kept hundreds away. However, thu
storm clouds broke and the weathurt
the remainder of the day and even ne
was ideal for such an occasion and those
who ventured the journey back to thu
old home to live over in "reminiscences
the days gone by, has no regrets thai
they had ventured back to the scene:
of the childhood or younger days.
Watertown certainly did itself hon
ors in welcoming back it's former sons
and daughters to the strains of Home
Sweet Home" for the fourth annual
homecoming. AS is familiar to all the
idea of homecoming day here origina.
ted with the Milwaukee, Waterfowl
club, but the visitors to the city were
not confined to that contingent, fol
the number of visitors was augmented
by several hundred visitors coming
from all points of the compass.
The exercises of the day virtually
opened about clock in the morning
when the delegations of visitors arriv.
ing at 8:18 o'clock were met at the
Northwestern depot, which was i'm
mediately followed by meeting the
Milwaukee contingent, arriving on the
G.. M. & St. P. road at 80 o'clock
The meeting of the home-comers was
followed by a reception to the visi'
tors. Two trainloads from Milwaukee
arrived in close succession at 10 O'Clock
a. m. The tram bearing the Milwau
kee- Watertown club was greeted al
the station by Mayor Arthur Null.
berger, members of the council, the
German War Veterans and citizens.
A procession was formed, ending
at the Masonic temple, where the
officers of the club, E A. Kehr, presi,
dent; M. A. Blumenfeld, secretary,
and j. E. Schumacher, treasurer,
were entertained by the mayor ano
the committees in the Elks' clut
rooms.
Shortly after l o'clock, parade
was formed on Main street, marching
to Tivoli island, where the exercises
were held. Visitors, citizens, veter.
ans and city officers, headed by Thack.
er's band, formed the procession.
Mayor Becker of Milwaukee, the
chief speaker of the day, had planned
to make the trip in an automobile.
The rains made the roads almost i'm.
passible, so at noon he wired mess.
age saying that he would not arrive
until o'clock.
Later, however, Mayor Becker sur.
prised all by appearing at l O'Clock
with his retinue. He had taken {
train, catching i just as it was leav'
ing the station in Milwaukee. The
mayor was accompanied by Mrs
Becker and a party of friends, includ
ing w. F. Hooker. William Sawyer
Irving Carry, Garrison Smith, Mis-:
Edith Fuller, and Miss Edwina Tut
of St. Louis.
After short trip about the cit.
the Becker party was driven to Tivol
island, a crowd numbering thousand
had assembled, which was anxiousl.
awaiting the arrival of the popula
young chief executive and principa
speaker of the afternoon.
The mayor was received with cheer
and his address was frequently punct
uated by applause, Indicative of ap
probation. The address was repeti
ton of the one delivered in Joliet las
week, "The Young Man in Politics,
with the exception that it was pre-
ceeded by a dissertation on "home
coming
Ex-Mayor Herman Wertheimer
marshal of the day, introduced Mayo
Arthur Mulberger. who extended ;
hearty and cordial welcome to the
visitors. He prefaced his brie ad
dress by saying that Watertown wa
the pioneer in home comings, having
adopted the old New England custom
four years ago. He lauded the spiri
of the citizens and said the custom
way typical of the American people
He lauded Mayor Becker, saying tina
Milwaukee's executive was a mode
of falthfulness to duty. The able re
marks of Watertown's bright youns
chief executive were geeted by liber
al applauses as his soul-sitrring word
reached the ears of his appreciativ
listeners.
Mayor Mulberger then introduce
President E. A. Kehr of the Milwau
kee- Water town club, the originate
of the idea of a Homecoming TO
Watertown's native sons and daughter
Mr.. Kehr spoke of the success of tn
past and said that the plan has bee
more than successful, and that mex
year not only natives of Waterfowl
whv live within a narrow circle woul
be asked, but that every forme
Watertown resident in the Unite
States would be invited to participant
in the 1907 Homecoming.
He said former Watertown resi-
dents who now live in Milwaukee
were more than proud Of their nativ