EMANCIPATION DAY

--from the Wheeling Daily Intelligencer, Sept. 22, 1891:

This is the anniversary of Emancipation Day, and the colored race of this part of the country, including parts of Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia, will celebrate it in a manner worthy of the event it commemorates. The details of the arrangements are complete and a glorious success is assured for the Tri-State celebration.

The town ought to be profusely and brilliantly decorated in honor of the occasion. It bids fair to be crowded with strangers, colored and white, and they ought to be shown what Wheeling can do when she takes a notion to get herself up in holiday attire.

Mayor Seabright has proclaimed a general holiday, and it is to be hoped that his recommendation will be generally observed.

Ex-Senator B. K. Bruce, who is to be the orator of the day, arrived in the city last night. The patriarchy of the G. W. O.O. F. and the Lincoln Memorial Club, headed by the American brass band, marched down to the B. & O. depot to meet the distinguished guest. An immense mass of people had gathered in and around the depot, the colored folks predominating, and when Mr. Bruce appeared he was loudly cheered.

The procession marched up Main street, preceded by torchbearers, to Fourteenth street, up Fourteenth to Market, and up Market to Tenth street, and over to the Island, where they disbanded. Ex-Senator Bruce will be the guest of Prof. J. McHenry Jones during his stay in the city. The celebration really began last night. All the colored people where enthused, and their churches and halls were thronged with committee meetings or receptions, and brilliant with light.

They were all out in holiday attire, many of the Lincoln memorial badges being noticed in the crowds on the streets. Early this morning the strangers will begin to pour into the city, and it is evident that the occasion will be such a one as the race never had in this section of the footstool.

The procession will meet at 10 a. m. sharp. It will be in charge of Chief Marshal Charles Lee, with Osborne Gray, Lou Davis, Jacob Dungan, Anthony Rice, George McMechen, George Brunswick and Major Lee as assistant marshals. The parade will form on Market street between Tenth and Seventh, and the order of march will be as follows:

First Division -- Chief Marshal and staff, police escorts, band, fire department.

Second Division -- Lincoln Memorial club, float with 44 girls representing the various States, 44 boys acting as an escort of honor, American Cornet band.

Third Division -- Knights of Pythias, Odd Fellows, Mayer's band, Patriarchs.

Fourth Division -- Speakers' carriages, escort, 100 horsemen, miscellaneous carriages and advertising wagons.

The line of march will be up Market to Ninth, thence to Main, down Main to Fourteenth, thence to Market, up Market to Tenth, then across the bridge to the fair grounds.

At the fair grounds, ex-United States Senator B. K. Bruce, of Mississippi, will speak in the afternoon at two o'clock. Then will follow the singing by the states, forty-four girls and forty-four boys, Our Nation's day, reading of the Proclamation by Queen of the Day, singing by William Turner's quartette, thence to the general amusements of the day.

In the evening there will be a grand reception at Turner Hall, in honor of ex-Senator Bruce, and the following programme will be performed: Music by the orchestra, song by the States, prayer by Rev. Wm. Toney, song by Wm. Turner's quartette, speech "Our Guest," Prof. J. McH. Jones, speech, "The Press," by H. C. Smith.

The hotels that will accommodate Afro-Americans are as follows: Hotel Windsor, St. Charles, Ohio River house, Old Home, Mr. Hearn, under the Grand Opera House, and Lasch's hotel.

Second part of the article