Rockingham post-dispatch. [volume] (Rockingham, N.C.) 1917-1965, 1919-07-24
GREAT CELEBRATION IN CITY OF
ROCKINGHAM.
Chief Executive Addresses Vast Crowd
Until His Voice Finally Fails
TWIN CnInnals PrAaAnt

issue of July 20, 1919
Rockingham feeding it's quick to
death and memorializing its dead into
everlasting life, Friday ran into Jupe
Pluve, chief nemesis Of the marching
soldier, but Jupe came too late to
break up one of the finest parades of
the whole year.
The flood, the sign that the country
has gone dry and that the prohibition
lists have the world for fair, wrecked
the hopes of Ike London, generalissi-
mo of the occasion, that Governor
Beckett would communicate telephone
cally above the clouds with the wire
| less in a government aeroplane. 1t
also broke up the land specialities
such as baseball, street tango and noe
down and other terpsichorean stunts.
But substantially everything that a
characterization could expect came
between the floods. Coils. Sidney
Minor and Don Scott, first of the
American colonies to buck the linden
burg lines for a touchdown, were here
again to get such an outpouring of
affection that even the Pee Dee Redo
; baptists would regard the showers of
love and of rain a very satisfactory
substitute for all the things expected
of their good old Greek verb.
1t was in Rockingham that North
Carolinians heard the story of the
first offensive against the Hindenburg
line. Things had come to dead stop
and a pill-box in the German gun nest
was spilling deadly medicine in the
American ranks. Lieut.. John F. Will
liams, Of Charlotte, reported to Colo
mel Scott and the agreement was
unanimous that something had to be
done. Williams called fol .'olunteers,
and Willie F. Ingram, of Rockingham
offered himself. Marshall Teachey, of
Raleigh, declared himself unable to
hold back where my buddie goes,
and the two with Williams caught the
German gun nest with its pill-box co,
terie Of eight at dinner The three fed
the Boche some handmade hell, but
Ingram was killed. 81 verify believe
that this was the turning point in the
fall of KENNEL" Colonel Scott said to
Colonel Minor Friday afternoon. And
Colonel Minor nodded his own convic
ton that. it was even so. Ingram vol
unteered for certain death.
The Rockingham celebration drew
it's tens of thousands, the fighting
number of Saul. There was no way tt
get the crowd together and count it
but Ike London, throwing down 5000
i. paper seats for the amphitheater lis
iteners, just took start. The speaking
in Everett's grove. the most beautiful
piece of natural theater building in al
North Carolina, drew less than hall
the crowd and the streets were as full
as they were before the speaking tool
its quota away.
; The Rockingham people were dec
Grating all night and all the morning
They built memorial arch on which
were the names of Kenny C. Russell
Pressly R. Lisk, John F. Blolock
, Willie w. Shankle, Claud Sears, San
Genkins, Will Bowden, Herbert An
drews, John Adams, Frank Lovin, En-
} mitt Kelly, Joseph E. Roscoe, George
G. Philips, William F. Ingram, Wade
Yates, Nose Monroe, Walter Nc
Queen.
| The parade began nearly on time
The streets were full of vehicles ant
if one lined them up in order thu
printers would drop dead in wilder
| ness of names. Some of the designs
were most artistic. The Red Gross
with Miss Hattie Covington and Mis-
Minnie Garrett serving as nurses, rig
| ged up soldier, put him on co
and carted the lucky guy through tn
streets, an angel on either side Of tn
!. laughing youngster. The Long Ful
niture company strung up rattle
E snake watermelon weighing abou
half a ton, put two little niggers t
[ bed under it and over them "Whel
t Dreams Come True" The pickaniI
MES actually slept in one outburst G
the boiling sun during the whole day
e Reid Garrett, a 16-year-old mechan
cal wizard, rugged up 40-inch autt
mobile of his own make and marche
through the streets. The canning clu
IS of the, county presented company {
IS Helens, the homemakers Of Rocking
ham. 1t was gorgeous pageant.
- The celebrators had a real band, a
& aggregation that could function eve
as Gallienne's war players-mak
good men love the things the
loathe," but the music that cause
< most comment was furnished by Cor
at rade E. N. Ingram, of Steele's mil
&c calvary Of company A, fourth Mort
|