Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1919-05-27

CITIZENS FROM
OVER ILLINOIS
WELCOME 33RD
Thousands Cheer AS
Heroes of Prairie Di-
vision March.

Chicago, ILL.,, May 27.-Parade
of the first contingent of the Thir-
ty-third or Prairie division, con-
sisting of 5000 overseas heroes,
was greeted by cheering thou
sands and reviewed by state and
city officials from separate stands
today.
In one stand were Governor
Lowden, his staff, Major General
Leonard A. Wood, and members of
the Illinois governors reception,
while in the others for several
blocks away, were William Hale
Thompson, aldermen and other city
officials. and guests.
The last of the special trains
from the east bringing the soldiers
to Chicago arrived shortly after 8
a. m.
Nearly every city in Illinois sent
delegations to Chicago today to
join in the welcome to the Thirty
third division. Every train from
downstate arriving during the
morning was crowded with out of
town visitors. Hundreds of auto
mobile parties came from central
and northern sections of the state
Among the cities represented
were Rock Island, East st. Louis,
Peoria, Quincy, Aurora, Elgin,
Rockford. Dixon. Galena. Wauke-
gan, Freeport, Decatur, Danville,
Centralia, Cairo, Kankakee and Mo-
line.
The delegation from Peoria was
headed by Mayor Woodruff, D. F.
Kinney, Major Harry NJ. Powell
and Major H. S. Nelson. They
were interested in 78 members of
Company C, One Hundred Twenty
third machine gun battalion.
Mayor Woodruff said that when
the men from Peoria are mustered
out of service a special train will
take them home.
While some six thousand of these
bronzed heroes marched proudly
through flower sprinkled streets,
throngs that banked the sidewalks
and draped the windows of sky
scrapers howled themselves hoarse
in the first all-state welcome
demonstration accorded returning
troops.
1t was a demonstration long to
be remembered. 1t started first in
a mild way when a small crowd
met the first of the 13 long troops
trains bearing 6,100 men and $50
officers. 1t will continue tonight
with a score of dinners, patriotic
addresses, martial music and thou
sands of reunions.
The homecoming detachments
comprised the division headquar-
ters troop, the Sixty-fifth infantry
brigade headquarters, One Hundred
Thirtieth infantry, One Hundred
Thirty-second infantry, One Hun
dred Twenty-second machine gun
battalion, One Hundred Twenty
third machine gun battalion, One
Hundred Twenty-fourth machine
gum battalion, One Hundred Eighth
mobile ordnance repair shop, and
a rail head detachment
The men assembled at Grant
park on the lake front this morn
ing for a reception which preceded
the parade and which was attend
ell only by relatives of the men,
who were admitted by ticket OBJ
tanned from the Illinois governors
committee.
Then the parade formed and
shortly before noon started moving
up Michigan avenue, a great lane
of fresh flowers that gave a set
ting not unlike a Portland rose
carnival
A thousand girls stationed along
the line of march sprinkled a bed
of flowers in the paths of the re
turned heroes, while flowers were
scattered from windows over the
heads and shoulders of the men.
This phase of the program liter
ally drained the Chicago market, the
biggest flower market in America,
of its supply.
From Michigan and Randolph the
parade, 400 yards long and re-
uuiring an hour and ten minutes
to pass a given point, turned west
to State street and passed south to
Adams, a giant splash of gold and
black. the divisional colors, form
ed the background of the State
street setting. with thousands OF
Yards Q" national colors waving
frentically for recognition from
windows of the big retail houses.
Business in the loop was suspend
ed during the demonstration.