The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-11-08
IN AN ORGY OF JOY.
Topeka Combined All Holidays
Into One Thursday.
City Closed Up and Went Wild
4. Over Peace RumOr.
TEN HOURS OF HILARITY
DenialS From Washington Had
No Effect on Crowd.
Every NOise.Making Device
Brought in Use.
TEN HOURS OF HILARITY

After ten hours of unbridled cele-
bration of the report If the cessation
of hostil.tics on the western front,
after night of dream disturbed sleep,
Topeka is today going about her af-
fairs IN her. wonted way.
1t is true that Some especially
tenac' individuals lave so far be n
unable to throw fl the wild joy en-
sendered by the publication OF
United Press disr-tch that the war
is over" All Thursday afternoon and
far into the wee small hours of this
morning the streets Ct Topeka rang
with the tramp of thousands of
parading feet; the air was thick with
the smoke of burned powder and the
blare an. blast of motor klaxons and
warning signals fell flat and unh eded
except as additional noise.
Utter disregard of Life and limb and
of the city ordinances in regard to
firearms characterized the BIZ; demon
stration. The street was packed from
gutter to gutter with humanity on
foot. Thousands of automobiles.
loaded far beyond capacity. wormed
more or less careful way thru the
dense throng. From the tenders, the
seats, and even the tops of autos and
motor and horse drawn trucks, sundry
ambitious youths glorying in the
1IctdOIIl. ulsCHdESeu SHOT
guns. rifles and revolvers. Nor were
they by any means careful to use
blank cartridges. 1t is a certain fact
that the vast majority of the firing
done in the parade was with real
loaded cartridges, and today the police
force and the citizens tremble with
fear of what might have happened
ut did not.
Accidents Were Numerous.
There were some accidents incident
to the celebration both in the after
noon and in the evening. Several
pedestrians were knocked down and
more or less injured by autos. ~One
serious accident has been reported so
far-and two girls are said to be in
jured badly.
In the evening celebration the To-
peka Street Railway company did
itself proud. 1t dressed up a big street
car in the national colors, bedecked it
with the flags of the allies, mounted
a small cannon on its roof, and sent
it on tour of the streets.
After the first extra of the State
Journal carried the United Press news
of the signing of the armistice to the
people the crowd went wild. Nor
would it be quoted by denials. All
thru the afternoon the State Journal
posted the Associated Press deniaIs on
its bulletin board and carried them in
1t news columns. But the first United
sPresS dispa tch ruled the crowd and
denials had no effect whatever on the
crowd or on its participation in the
celebration.
Within an hour after the first news
of the signing of the armistice came
over the wires the city was agog with
1oy-born emotionaliSm. The fires of
mad celebration smoldered slowly
while the stunned brains of Topeka
vainly sought to grasp the momentous
news from the front. For an hour it
smouldered and struggled for air. Lit
tie knots of people gathered on the
street corners, in the aisles of the
stores. and in between the long rows
of desks in the office buildings
Suddenly some inspired maid with
: sweetheart in France felt the surge
of blood rushing madly thru her veins.
she was employed in the freight audi
tors office of the Santa Fe The fever
hit her She grabbed handful after
handful of wayPills and hurled them
from the windows of the big office
building. The waybirls were valua
bic. of course. but as they futtered
down to the ground and were blown
ABOUT the city, the burning flaming
IRE OF excitement went in their wake
me clerks in the offices poured forth
into the rain-filled air Without
coats or mats or any protection what
ever from the elements, the girls an
peared on the streets 1t was the
torch that started the confederation
Oh unconsidered celebration
All One Mind.
Hardly had the first SQUAD Of the
girls marched down Kansas avenue
When from the four corners OF tbe
city the hurrying forms of men and
women might be seen-eyery indi-
vidual figure bound for one Central
point with one idea in mind. Business
was forgotten. The preservation of
healh was cast to the winds The
CITY gave itself up to an orgy of inv
Inc boys over there were safe A
great news agency said so. In the
race or denials the crowd would have
It's way and for once the CITY noIice
iorce forgot thousand civ ordi-
hances, and exerted itself in the single
e-tort to preserve life.
Shops in Great Demonstration
One of tn sensational features n,
the parade was the part taken therein
by the employees at the Santa Fe shons
AS soon as the news of the signing of
the armistice had permeated thru the
guardians at the gates to the big en-
Closure, the men and women laid down
their tools. promptly forgot all about
work. hastily formed a line of parade
and marched en- masse to the avenue
Headed by their own band and resent
ing any interference with their cello
bration by outsiders, the employees OF
the shops made an appreciable addi-
ton tothe already great crowd.