The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1919-06-30
German Delegates Affix sigma.
lures First Followed by Amer
leans, Then Allies.
CEREMONY LASTS LONG
Historic Hall of Mirrors In Palace at
Versailles Scene of Most impress
sive Ceremonial In Worlds
History.

Versailles, June 29.-The German
delegates have signed the peace
treaty.
The ceremony took place In the
Trianon palace at Versailles at a ses-
sion of the entire peace congress, in
which % Allied nations participated,
Premier Clemenceau called the
meeting to order and said that they
had assembled for the purpose of sign
ing the treaty and the protocol and
the Rhine arrangement. The German
plenipotentiaries, Mueller and Bell.
were then invited to sign all three doc
uments and when they had done so
the Allies commenced signing, doing
so by delegations. Thus all the Amer
leans signed and were followed by the
other delegations.
The treaty was carried to Premier
Clemenceau, President Wilson and
Premier Lloyd George by William
Martin, official master of ceremonies
and attache of the French foreign Of
fee. Ii was then replaced on the
table to be signed by the other pleni-
potentiaries in the alphabetical order
of their countries, America signing
first.
The peace treaty was deposited on
the table in the Hall of Mirrors at 2:10
o'clock by William Martin of the
French foreign Office. 1t was enclosed
in stamped leather case.
Stage of All French GIories.
afxx - Al N
of Versailles" in the long Hall of Mir
rors in the chateau of Frances great
monarch, Louis XIV, restored to Ver-
sailles its old place as the stage of "all
the glories of France" dimmed in
more recent days by the memories of
mob excesses during the French revo-
luton, the military downfall of France
In 1870 and the proclamation of the
German empire in the same hall. Rep
resentatives of the nations of the
world gathered there to sign and
seal the instrument undoing the
work of conquest of Bismarck and
Won Moltke and inaugurating the
sway of the league of nations in place
of the ill-adiusted European balance of
power.
The ceremony was set for o'clock
in the afternoon, but hours before that
time an uninterrupted stream of auto.
mobiles began moving up the cannon.
lined hill of Champs Elysees, past the
Arch OF Triumph and out through
shady Bois de Boulogne and Park st.
Cloud carrying plenipotentiaries, Off
cials and guests to the ceremony. They
reached Versailles over a thorough
fare kept clear by pickets, dragons
and mounted gendarmes, and were
cheered en- route by throngs gathered
in the flag-decked suburban towns OF
Boulogne, st. Cloud and Sevres-Ville
d'Avray for passing glimpse of the
worlds celebrities of the conference
Hope for Only Glimpse.
In the meantime thousands upon
thousands of Parisians were packing
regular and special trains and inter.
urban lines to Versailles and contend
ing with the residents of Versailles for
places in the great Place d'Armes be-
fore the chateau or in Chateau park
where the playing of famed fountains
of Versailles would mark the end OF
the ceremony. They could hope for
only brief glimpse of the delegates
but they wished to be able to say later
that they had participated in the
event.
The Avenue de Paris, the broad
boulevard leading direct to the chat
eau's court of honor, was reserved for
the automobiles of delegates and secre
taries. For half mile before they
entered the chateau grounds the mo-
tors rolled along between ranks OF
French soldiers OF today, succeeded
within the grille of the court Of honor
by rows of statues of old time military
heroes of France from Admiral Du
Quesclin and Chevalier Bayard with
out fear and without reproach," to
Prince de Conde and Viscount de Tu
renne.
Guard In Full Dress.
A company of Republican guards In
brilliant full dress uniforms drawn ur
at the end of the court as a guard oi
honor presented arms as the leading
plenipotentiaries passed. On entering
the building by the portal through
which. the Paris mob burst in the early
days OF the French revolution, the
delegates mounted by the marble, OF
Queens stairway, to the suite OF
Queens apartments" and the Hall
Of peace through which they gained
access to the Hall Of Mirrors. The
walls Of these apartments were huns
with ANTIQUE gobe.ln tapestries, repre-