New Britain herald., 1919-06-26
P114ANVIIl.E NEWS UEEk'S 'S,FES1IYI7ES
 END IN N'PltlNyItLE Soldiers &t, Royal Welcome From .' Y TognspeopIe
JAMES F. RIGGLEY DIES
Ea. Had Been Blind for Past 32 Years and Lived a Rather Secluded Life Other. News Items of Interest Cleaned About ToNn.
Cleaned About ToNn.-

FlainNllle enad the most SlOrlOQS
 time in it's history yesterday and when
 night at" fast lMlteds the festivities
 everyone declared it the end of a per-
 feet day. The occasion was the towns
 official welcome home to it's soldiers,
 sailors and marines. and the men
 whom the town honorod expressed
 their appreciation in man. and vari- ous ways.
 From 10 o'clock in the morning
 until Il o'clock at night there was
 not an idle moment and one thing
 went smoothly on until som ethimg
 else as smoothly took it's place. The
 Army airplane from Mineola, L. l..
 started the interest in the morning at
 i Q o'clock, when Lieutenant Kirby, as
 pilot, took the ship into the air. He
 was in the air from then until nearly
 , o'clock, alightnG occasionally and
 then rising agan to thrill tho people
 more and more. From 1 until ?
 o'clock the plane performed it's off
 cial stunts and residents were amazed
 at tho many difficult ones performed.
 Only praise was heard for the daring man who piloted the ship thus with
 out any mishap, despite the fact that he flew low to allow the crowd to see ! the workings of the machine.
 Heroes Seen in Line. The parade was the expected event of the day and proved more than had been anticipated. The returned serv- ice men were, Of course, the object of ! all eyes and the many decorated floats following made up a riot of color admired by all. The marshal was Captain John H. Trum bull, who started the parade promptly on the stroke of o'clock. The Philharmonic band of New Britain was at the head Of tho parade, furnishing music. Next in line came Company I Of the State Guard as escort 10 the returned sol diers.
 Then came the heroes: the boys whom the town has waited to honor for two years; the boys who faced death in the muddy trenches of r France; the boys who suffered all kinds of hardship without a murn1ur; the boys, some of them wounded so that they will bear scars for life; the trusty gohs who kept open tho lanos of sea travel and. who worked hard and faithfully to get the doughboNs over as well as to protect them from the treachery Of the Huns; the boys who did their duty in home camps. where their part was that of aiding their more fortunate fellow fighters who were honored by service abroad There was no difference yesterday whether the boys were fighters of many CT few months, they all received the same amount of acclaim from the crowds lining the route Of march. The ovation was tremendous as the men reached the center of the town and when the men passed the reviewing stand the people went wild. Auto horns, train whistles and all kinds of noise making instruments were used to proclaim the passing heroes. Moth CTS and fathers, sisters and brothers all were out to witness the affair and all tried to Outdo the other in their | plaudits. There Werc many thrills in | the hearts of proud parents as their | boys, eyes left, in rythmic step, and l erect as only service men can be, passed the reviewing stand where | they were honored by the applause of 1 the reviewers. But the thrill was not 1 only in the hearts of the parents but 1 in the hearts of their sons IS well and l the boys felt mighty proud when they 1 walked together for the first time in
 the town, returned veterans of a great l war, the like of which has never been 1 known.
 Reasons galore did the people have l to be proud of their heroes for they 1 made a, fine appearance. Headed by l Lieut.. l.. H. Frost in the absence of 1 Major Green about so of the men pa 1 raded. First Sergeant Walter Living l stone. a hero of the 102d, led the first l platoon. Cadet Officer Eldrid Miner 1 the second and Sergeant Vinton l Knight the third. The three AD es