One of the features of the carnival was the procession of each booth
to the center of the immense stage where the spot-light was turned on.
It was a most admirable detail. It looked like a long caravan of the
past sweeping onward through the vivid light of the present. The
intense light revealed the endless variety and marvellous beauty of
the costumes. It was understood that the same pageant would be
repeated each night so the people came early to witness the procession
of this immense number of participants winding slowly along until they
reached the stage. When the Pecksniffs arrived on the stage a shout
rent the air each night and we were obliged to remain in the spot
light until the cheering had subsided. It was ten days of notoriety
wholly unexpected by the Pecksniffs. We were only carrying out our
idea of these characters and had become the chief attraction of the
motley procession. While some of the characters had individual
pictures of themselves taken, there should have been large groups
photographed as a permanent reminder of the carnival. It would take
volumes to describe the separate costumes of these well represented
characters. There was but one incident which marred the happiness of
the revelers in the booths, the death of Mr. Biddle Bishop, the Don
Antonio of the Cervantes booth, who was drowned in the Alameda baths.
By his affable manners and intelligence he had endeared himself to all
of his associates who felt as though they were themselves bereaved.
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