Evening star., 1945-01-28

Civil War veteran and led the Pennsyl-
vania Militia in the parade. You will
probably recall the occasion when he
was stopping at the Riggs House-where
now stands Keith's Theater-that Maj
George A. Arms, U. S. A., retired, for
some grievance, imaginary or real,
publicly pulled the Governors nose, a
very old type of the worst form of in
suit. Maj. Arms was then a prosperous
real estate broker here.
President Cleveland was driven from
the Arlington Hotel to the White House
on the morning of March for the COM
mencing of the days program. In
cidentally, the building now occupied by
the Veterans Administration and which
was built during the World War, oc-
cupies the site of the historic Arlington,
in front of which the first asphalt street
was laid in Washington. rs.a s-..
The Retiring President
Mr. Arthur and Mr. Cleveland, botn
New Workers. met and parted on good
terms, and no one participating in the
Inauguration took keener interest in
everything that went on than did the
retiring President. During the cere-
monies at the east front of the Capitol
Gen. Arthur remarked that 1t was the
largest crowd he had ever SEEN Chief
Justice Morrison R. Waite, who was
nearby, more definitely placed the num-
ber by saying: There must be at least
10000" And Senator Hawley said: :
There are undoubtedly 100000 I never
saw the like"
President Cleveland, whose name was
Stephen Grover Cleveland, the name by
which he was sworn in, though the
Stephen" rarely appeared thereafter,
took the oath of Office on small, gilt
edged, morocco-b bound Bible marked
IS. G. Cleveland" 1t was highly priced
by the President, having been given to
him by his mother when he left home
as a young man. Seated on the east
front platform were two of Americas
greatest offlcers-Gen. Philip H. Sherf-
dan and Gen. Winfield Scott Hancock
the latter having been defeated in the
election for the presidency four years
before by Gen. Garfield.
Troops Go Wild
1t is quite unlikely that any one still
living will ever forget the inaugurations
of 1885 and 1889 and the pranks played
by members of the Pennsylvania State
Militia. This contingent amounted to
about 10000 men and it afterward cost
the Keystone State about that many
dollars for the damage it's soldiers did
while here.
These troops were certainly out for a
hilarious time and surely succeeded in
getting what they came for. In num-
store, went behind the counter and
helped themselves to such trif1es as pies,
cakes and everything else which seemed
to suit their appetite or fancy, and all
without the customary formality of
offering to pay for anything. At Penn
sylvania avenue and Seventh street they
even took a rookie policeman and
bounced him up in blanket.
Soldier Franks
The Pennsylvania militiamen were
troublesome also at Harrisons in
auguration in 1885, The Star of March
g. 1889, gives an interesting account OF
the escapades of these young men under
the title Franks of the Soldiers:
Yesterday morning before daybreak
the visiting soldiers appeared on the
streets in large numbers. Some of them
had apparently been out all night They
were bent on having good time, and
they seemed to have only partially sue
ceeded. Daybreak found many of them
hanging on to lampposts and tree boxes
and occupying front doorsteps. An
early break was made for the lunch-
room breakfast tables and then they
started out to do up the town. John
Chinaman' soon found 1t would be more
pleasant for him to remain indoors. His
front door was generally locked. So far
as could be learned, not q single knight
of the fiat iron and queue was seen on
the streets after dsybreak.
"The first thing to be done by the
soldiers was to get up q procession OF
nearly so bootblacks and parade the
Avenue and Seventh street. The pro-
cession was headed by several musicians
and at the end Of the route each of the
colored boys received q lob.