Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1952-05-18
BY Dick Mansfield

the name by which he was
sworn in-toko the oath Of Office
on a small, gilt-edged. morocco
bound Bible, marked IS. G. Cleve-
land" 1t was highly priced by
the President. having been given
to him by his mother when he
left home as young man.
Seated on the east front plat
form were two of Americas great
est soldiers-Gen. Philip H. Sheri-
dan and Gen. Winfield Scott Han.
cock, the latter having been de-
feated in the election for the
presidency four years before by
Gen. Garfield.
Pronks Of the MiIitio
I do not suppose there Is any
one living who witnessed the in
augurations of 1885 and 1889 who
will forget the pranks of the
Pennsylvania State Militia. Their
contingent amounted to about
$1,000, and it afterward cost that
State about as many dollars for
the damage its soldiers did while
here.
They were out for a good time.
and surely succeeded in getting
what they came for. In number
of places they simply walked into
"a store, went behind the counter
and helped themselves to such
trif1es as pies. cakes and every
thing else which seemed to suit
their appetite or fancy, and all
without the customary formality
|of offering to pay. At Pennsyl-
vania avenue and Seventh street
they even took a rookie police
man and bounced him in q
blanket.
Some Of the Pennsylvanians
would open their blankets. catch
small colored boys and toss them
backward and forward over awning
posts, throwing some of them as
high as IL or IS feet in the air.
There was one crowd that in
dulged in such conduct and had
to be followed from place to place
by an officer who attempted to
keep them in line. But they would
separate when only one officer was
around, and while he would be
watching one crowd the other
crowd would catch a boy and give
him a blanket-tossing.
The italian peanut vendors had
a picnic" for many of them sold
out their stock in five minutes. A
crowd Of soldiers would surround
a stand or cart, and each would
purchase a "5-cent quart" The
small boys knew what was going
to follow. and they watched the
peanut" soldiers closely until they
would shower the nuts on the
crowd. Then the boys would make
a scramble about the feet of the
passersby and gather up the
spoils. The peanuts were also
thrown in store doors and, oc-
casionally, the crowd would sur
round some person and give him
an unpleasant time for a few
minutes.
Police Kept Busy
The police reserves from the
first precinct. called to the corner
of Seventh and D streets to quell
a disturbance. found that the
Pennsylvania soldiers had upset a
wagon and were taking possession
of a horse and buggy belonging
to a citizen who had left the team
in charge of a colored boy.
Everybody was making COM
plants and riots often threat
ened. but the police finally man.
aged to disperse the crowd with
out making arrests.
The crowd that came to this
city during this first Cleveland
Inauguration was actually stu
pendous. The Pennsylvania and
Baltimore & Ohio Railroads
alone brought $4,000 persons.
while the Baltimore g. Potomac
brought in 10000. When we con-
slider the number who came in
by steamboats, and other water
craft and by horse -drawn con-
veyances. the total attendance
might well be put around 30O,0 900.
The expenses Of the citizens
committee were around $4,000
a large amount for that period.
At the inaugural ball, held in
the old Pension Office Building
in Judiciary Square, about seven
L.