Hickory Celebrates Armistice, 1918

From the Hickory Daily Record, Nov. 12, 1918

Big Celebration Real Thing in City

Hickory’s peace jubilee came to a close some time during the night. It rounded out a day of celebration in which town and country united in a grand, continuous demonstration that culminated last night with the hanging and burning of William Hohenzern, former Kaiser of Germany, who has fled his once proud empire and taken refuge in Holland.

If the crowds on the streets yesterday seemed large, they did not begin to compare with the number last night. An estimate would be impossible, but the number was placed anywhere from 3,000 to 8,000, and probably 5,000 would be conservative.

The parade last night was the feature event—that and the burning of an oil-soaked effigy of Kaiser Bill. The parade formed at the North school, got under way at the intersection of Fifteenth street and Eleventh avenue and proceeded to the lot to the rear of the post office. Red flames glowed occasionally, horns and other noise-producing instruments were used ceaselessly, and everybody cut loose.

There were not so many marshals a-horseback as the program indicated there would be, for some of the “marshals” confessed that they had not been astride the genus for some 20 years—and there is no reason for setting forth various objections and alibis. Marshals Zeb Buchanan and Ned Raynolds (Reynolds?) attended to that part all right, and Donald Applegate afoot assisted them.

At any rate the parade was headed by the fire truck, was followed by the guards who were onto their job and then by the automobile containing the mayor, two members of council, Frank Henderson and another guy—the other celebrities being lost in the shuffle, it appears—and the West Hickory band and other automobiles. Let it be said that the band was equal to the occasion and its playing of Over There, America and a number of other anthems and popular airs simply made the celebration a success.

Arrived at the lot at the rear of the post office, the crowd saw the solemn ceremony performed. Kaiser Bill was yanked from the band truck, quickly attached to a pole and suspended in the air. A torch was applied and a lot of stuffed something, soaked in oil, made a merry blaze, while several thousand persons in a great circle looked on—and saw it well done.

Mayor Yount was master of ceremonies and he did everything he could think of that seemed likely, and Dr. Ramsay, with his Templar uniform, impersonated Marshal Foch, and right dignified he was.

It can’t be done—this celebration cannot be set down in print. It was simply all to the good, and everybody was proud of the occasion.