The Sentinel=record., 1909-11-06
PRESIDENT IN CHARLESTON
 7 SPOKE OF GOING HOME TO CHARLESTON WHEN HE LEFT SAVANNAH, GA.
Witnesses Acident as He Passed Down River-5en TilIman Was Guest of Honor at His
 Dinner.

Charleston, $. C., Nov. 5.-Arriving here at dusk this evening, President Taft had one of the most picturesq~v receptions of his trip. vt the head of procession of automobiles and es- corted by an imposing array of militia organizations, he passed through the principal streets of the city, under arches of electric lights that gave an illumination almost equal to day.
 The sidewalks held a throns, that at places overflowed into the street, and the presidents progress frpm the Union Station to the home of Mayor Rhett, where he is spending the night, was marked by cheers.
 Mir Taft is no stranger to Charles. ton. He has been here five times in recent years and said today in Savan- nah that he was going home to Charleston" His reception tonight was a repetition of the cordial wei. comes the president has received else. where throughout the south and have made his stay in this section of the country one of the pleasantest feat ures of the long presidential trip,
 Tonight the president was the guest of honor at banquet, rendered to him by the city of Charleston, at the Charleston Hotel It was arranged with especial regard to the presidents comfort and the only set speeches were the introduction of the president by Mayor Rhett and the response by Mir. Taft, in which he expressed his qualification at being in Charleston and his regret that he could not make a longer stay.
 The president leaves tomorrow at 8 a. m. for Columbia, s. C.. and will reach Augusta tomorrow night for a stay of two days.
 Governor Ansel, Senator's TillmAl and Smith arrived in Charleston this afternoon to assist in the welcome to the president and were among the guests of honor at the banquet to. night This is the first presidential reception in which Senator Tillman has participated in good many years. Until Mir Taft wa sinaugurated, MT. Tillman had not even been caller at the White House for Ing time.
 The presidents train reached Charleston at 5:3O p. m., and he was escorted to Citadel Green, the old pa. rade ground of the South Carolina Military Academy, where the majorD portion of the military escort was drawn up. The president stopped for few minutes at the Charleston Or phans Home and then proceeded to Mayor Rhett's residence, where he held an informal reception before pro. ceeding at 9 o'clock to the banque,.
 President Taft had a busy day in Savannah, before leaving there at 23O D. m. for this city. During sail down the river to Fort Screven during the morning he witnessed an accident in which it was thought at first two men had been killed.
 As matters turned out one man. a negro, lost his arm and another his eye. The two men were firing a sa- lute to the president from a small cannon drawn up at the water front. A premature explosion occurred as the negro was ramming home a charge of powder, and in the cloud of smoke which followed the report of fhe cannon, the president saw a man flying through the air.
 The man fell into the river. The ramrod which he had held, shot across the bDw of the revenue cutter Yama- craw on the deck where the president was standing. Mir Taft called atten. ton to the accident at once. The man struggling in the water was res. cued and when the president landed and make inquiries as to the result