Evening star., 1924-08-31
Returns to Station in Open
Car on Noting Public In
terest in Visit.
FEW OF THOUSANDS SEE
HIM GOING TO MANSION
Luncheon and Informal Reception
With Coolidges Only Activity
of Prince Here.

Through tremendous crowds that
cheered and waved a warm welcome
the Prince of Wales went to the
White House yesterday, had luncheon
with the President and Mrs. Coolidge,
met most of the members of the Cabi-
net and their wives at an informal
reception and unostentatiously left
the city. all within a trif1e more than
two hours
1t was the princes second visit to
the National Capital and the ex-
tremely democratic manner in which
he came, was received and departed
makes his call perhaps the most un-
usual one that the crown prince of
great empire has ever paid to the
capital of great foreign nation, par
ticularly while travelling under his
full title.
Followed Princes Wishes.
The utter lack of ceremony, how
ever, was a result not only of the
princes own urgently expressed wish.
but also of the fact that the Presi-
dent and Mrs. Coolidge are still in
mourning for their son Calvin, jr.,
who died less than two months ago.
The only unfortunate feature of the
princes reception was the fact that
more than half of the admiring thou
sands who lined Pennsylvania avenue
to shout greeting failed to get even
the throne of Great Britain. Tho
automobile sent from the White
House for his use had the top up.
On the return trip to Union Sta
ton the top of the car was lowered,
but his royal highness departed
somewhat more than half an hour
before the announced hour and as
a result the crowd that waited for
his passage was nowhere near as
large as the one that stood in
sweltering sun, waiting patiently for
his arrival.
Crowd Packs station.
Two hours before the royal visitors
train was expected to arrive, most
Of the points Of vantage in Union
Station were occupied. Every minute
the crowd there increased in size
until the east end of the grand con-
course. through which his royal
highneSs was to pass was packed
to capacity and the anxious throng
extended all the way down the
bronze grating that separates the
concourse from the trainshed.
Outside, the scene was one of even
more intense enthusiasm. The Presi-
dents entrance had been reserved for
the use of the prince, and the east
end of the Union Station Plaza was
banked with a seemingly endless line
of humanity that extended up Della
ware avenue to the Capitol, down to
the Peace Monument, and continued
in an unbroken line out Pennsylvania
avenue to the gates of the White
House. And there a score of police
men had charge of the largest crowd
of all.
Secretary of State Hughes was
given a hearty welcome when he ar
rived at Union Station few minutes
before 1 o'clock to formally welcome
the prince to Washington in the name
of the American Government With
him was an attache of the British
embassy. 1t was exactly 1905 o'clock
when the princes train came to
standstill in the train shed, five min
utes' late His royal highness was
standing on the observation platform
with members of his suite and step
ped off Immediately.
Cheers All Along Route.
Secretary Hughes and the prince
shook hands warmly. Then, closely
followed by the members of his suite
who had accompanied him from Long
Island. the prince was escorted to his
car. His first appearance in the con-
course was the signal for an outburst
of cheers and applause that never SUBJ
sided until the big iron gates of the
White House grounds changed behind
him-the first time. incidentally, that
the gates were closed for years.
In all of that vast crowd, estimated
to have numbered at least $4,000 per-
sons at the time of the princes ar
rival, not a discordant note was heard
and only one known incident likely to
cause concern. The latter was the ar
rest of a man in Union Station who
was found to have an automatic pistol
in his hip pocket. Suspected of being
pickpocket, he was taken to the Sixth
precinct station, and it was there that
the gun was found
He described himself as British
subject and vigorously denied hav-
ing come to Union Station to see the
prince. With the pistol was found
a pair Of scissors, which the prisoner
equally as vehemently swore not to
have been used to cut women's hand
bags from their arms. He said the
pistol was intended as a present for
a friend who was coming in from a
town in Virginia. The man was held,
however. for further Investigation.
Women In Majority.
The crowd at the station and in
front of the White House was over
whelmingly feminine, but many moro
men were to be found in the throng
that lined Pennsylvania avenue. But
it was a day of days for the woman
hood-young and old-of the National
Capital, an opportunity to see a real
prince and a prince who had sue
ceeded in making himself one of the
most popular young men in the world.
Through that gauntlet of femin-
unity, the prince made his way in
safety twice and succeeded in depart
ing from Washington with his royal
heart still intact, although 1t was
plainly evident that some hearts back.
here were not quite so secure as be-
fore the good looking young man
from London with list of titles sew
eral paragraphs long came to town. :
Dressed in a rather loose fitting,
double breasted suit of blue serge
with pin stripe, blue shirt with col
lar to match, soft gray hat and black
shoes, his royal highness looked like
most any other well tailored young
man. There was nothing extreme.
however, about the style of his
clothes They were cut rather full,
but there was no suggestion of the