Where many of the protesters who stood in prayer had arrived days ago - and some weeks ago - quite a few arrived Wednesday, traveling great distances to see the spectacle they had only previously witnessed on television and in the newspaper.

One man, carrying his banjo, arrived Wednesday from the east coast of Florida. Another drove from New York on Tuesday, with his trumpet. A family from Georgia migrated with silver bowling pins and tennis balls.

``I felt like God said come on down, I want somebody out there juggling,'' Nathan Dorrell said.

Dorrell said he, his wife Kathy and their two small children juggle regularly at schools for the disabled, where they entertain sick children and preach about Jesus. Although they have performed at various protests over the years, Dorrell said this was the first time the family felt they were actually participating in a protest.

``I just want to stand up,'' he said. ``I think Jesus would be here for the sick.''

Richard Jacobson, 60, from Corning, N.Y., played ``The Old Rugged Cross'' and ``Joshua Fought the Battle of Jericho'' on his trumpet. Jacobson came to the protest site Tuesday and planned to stay a week.

``I've been involved in pro- life since 1991,'' he said. ``I'm just out here to blow the trumpet and stand for life.''

Jeff Davis, of Cassadega, picked at his four-string banjo and talked at length Wednesday morning about tax reform. Improper taxation, he said, is directly related to the Terri Schiavo protest.

``Basically,'' he said, ``the people want something and the government doesn't do it.''

Although a sticker on his banjo said ``Ax the Tax,'' Davis said people outside the hospice have to try to keep the message about Schiavo and her family's struggle to keep her alive.

Many protesters traveled from far away to express their feelings about Schiavo's fate. Lisa Wilson said she came from Kansas because, as a trained dietitian, she thinks it is unethical to remove a feeding tube.

Several who were at the Hospice Wednesday, however, were not there to fight for the restoration of Schiavo's nutrition. Wilson's 25-year-old son was along for company and had nothing to do with the protest.

Similarly, John Deleo and his wife, Patricia, came to the hospice from Dade City. Patricia Deleo was against the removal of Schiavo's feeding tube. John Deleo said he wasn't sure.

Much of the early fervor of the protesters had passed by Wednesday. Arrests of protesters trying to cross police lines with water and food for Schiavo were dwindling. By late afternoon, only one arrest was reported: about 6:30 a.m.

A California man, Sidney Raingruber, pushed aside an officer who was trying to keep him from entering the hospice. The man was charged with felony battery on a law enforcement officer, resisting arrest and trespassing. It was the first arrest for a violent crime in the 48 arrests to date.

As the days have passed, security has tightened. Because of recent bomb threats, about 11 a.m. Wednesday, police began inspecting trunks of cars driving through the police checkpoint.

Even as the protest subsided, the media attention remained constant. Cameras and satellite trucks sat everywhere. Reporters for newspapers, radio and television outnumbered protesters and police about 2-to-1.

``The fact is, the longer this goes on, the weirder this is going to get, probably,'' said Kelly McBride, the ethics group leader at the Poynter Institute for Media Studies.

In the current age of 24- hour news coverage, McBride said, protesters have the ability to remain on television for long periods of time.

``It becomes a chicken and egg question,'' she said. ``The protesters show up. Then, the TV cameras show up. Then, more protesters show up.''

Reporter Thomas W. Krause can be reached at (813) 259-7698.