The Belding banner-news. (Belding, Mich.) 1918-1973, 1918-07-24
NEWS OF VICTORY
( GAVE CAUSE FOR f,
BIG DEMONSTRATION
CROWD OF 1000 THRONGED
MAIN. STREET IN ANSWER TO
RINGING OF BAPTIST BELL.

AhiANpiAfu vi b<hi
Just about the time when the late
stragglers on Main street were leav-
ing for home last Thursday night and
the folks who ordinarily went home
early and were tucked in bed at a
reasonably early hour, the news of
great American victory flashed into
the city from overseas.
Manager Jessie Pressly of the Cit
izens Telephone Co., was perhaps re-
sponsible for the whole affair in that
she kept at Rev. w. A. Bliss of the
Baptist church over the phone until
Mr.. Bliss promised to go over and ring
ringing of the bell, of course, attract
ed Immediate attention, for as a gen.
eral rule, church bells do not ring in
this city at 10 o'clock at night. The
girls in the central office were kept
busy passing out the news of a great
American victory to people who call
ed the office for information.
AS a natural result many a person
who had been asleep for the night got
up, dressed rather hurriedly and beat
it down town. At first there were
only few people on the streets but
as the ringing of the church bell con-
tinued more people flocked to Main
street where as the crowd grew,
horns, drums, auto horns and other
noise producing instruments added to
the music and kept attracting more
people all the time until a conserva-
tive est mate placed the number of
people on the street at something like
1000.
A number Of girls and others head
ed by Lloyd Underwood as leader, en-
gagged in community singing at the
Belding bank corner singing "Over
There" and a number of other pat
riotic songs. The band boys had
been summoned and began playing.
This was about IL o'clock and of
course,the band music called more
people to the city.
A number Of girls carrying a flag
for a tray passed through the crowd
and caught $33 in money which peo-
pie threw into the tray. the money ia
ken up being for the benefit of the
local sRed Cross. Everyone gave
freely and mixing in with the merry
crowd, enjoyed themselves to the linn
it
] Postmaster 'Bricker got busy and
( formed the crowd into line and an
impromptu parade was given, the line
Of march beginning at the Belding
bank corner and extending east to the
Belrockton then back again. Just
after the crowd began marching, AL
bert Stanton dashed up to the head
of the column with large American
flag and the crowd went wild with en-
thusiasm and Old Glory thrilled the
soul of every person who saw it.
Earl Seeley, son of Mrs. Mae See
ley, printer of Ionia, offered to do
h bit in the getting out of small
special edition of the Banner-News
and within a short time Earl Wright,
linotype operator, Chas. G.. Bailey,
foreman, Ed. Hellus of the Herald
Publishing Co., with George H. Enge-
mann assisting the editor in preparing
copy. were all busy on the sheet. Our
statements, as given out in the mid
night extra edition were as they came
into this city over the wire and while
apparently exaggerated, helped to
make a big story for a small paper
and it turned out that the crowd
would have been disappointed with
anything less in the news line than
we gave them in this special. The
money received from the sale of this
special issue went to the local Red
Cross fund and amounted to $1684,
making practically $50 which the To-
cal organization received as a result
Of the blowout.
Whistles blew for long time and
it soon became evident to farmers liv-
ing out Of hearing of smaller noises
that there was something gong on and
many farmers get up close to the mid
night hour and drove TO town.
il The danger lights hitched to the
automobile and drawn through the
streets by John Andrews, Jack Sager
and others were special features as
were, also the shooting and colored
lights from the top of the Jensen
a. Wheeler store. Andrews, Sager
and others also routed out Alfred
Moore and got him to bring his truck
down and on this they placed high
pole, while some other fellows made
: up the kaiser by stuffing out an old
suit and Wilhelm Hohenzollern of
Potsdam was publicly and cheeringly
hanged in effigy.
The demonstration kept things live
ly until long after 1 o'clock when the
lights were turned out and the ma
jority of the people wended their way
: home in the dark, tired and short on
J sleep, but glad to have taken part in
the big demonstration celebrating
the first big victory Of the Yankee
forces over the Huns.