At Independence, minutes later, every bell, whistle, siren, and automobile horn seemed to go off at once. It had never occurred to anyone in town to plan a victory celebration, but now Mayor Roger Sermon quickly declared a holiday. Schools were let out and at day's end in a roaring spontaneous outpouring of pride and goodwill, forty thousand people jammed the Square to see and honor the victorious native son. Speaking from a small podium, visibly touched by what was the biggest crowd in the history of the town, with his courthouse behind him, Truman called it a celebration not for him but for the country. (McCullough, David. Truman. Simon & Schuster: New York, 1992. Page 710)