Jasper County Democrat, Volume 4, Number 24, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 21 September 1901 — NATION MOURNS FOR M’KINLEY [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

NATION MOURNS FOR M’KINLEY

Columbia Bows in Sorrow at the Bier of Dead President. i Simple Ceremonies Mark First ot the Funeral Observances in Buf.alo. hnices at Washington Befitting Obsequies of a Ration’s Chief. Irotemn Cortege Moves Between Walls of Grieving Humanity. •istinguished Man's Mortal Remains Nsw Rest in Wcstlawn Cemetery. Canton.

WILLIAM MfKINLKY’S mortal remains now rest in Westiawn Cemetery at Canton, fhethird American president to die tty the band of an assassin lias taken Ids flace among tin? martyrs. A nation is 4owc<i with grief. Funeral formalities and tin* outward manifestations of a nation's grief were all Unit remained after Saturday. With bbeete over, the curtain falls upon the third great tragedy in tin* annals of American Presidents, and that tragedy ami the eareer oi William .McKinley Have passed Into history. Already the aaaeidnery of the chief executive branch of the govt rnment lias resumed a* routine. The body of tin* President lay Saturday ulght in the room wherein lie died, tt was removed to the parlors of the MUburn house for the funeral services at li o’clock Sunday morning. The services were simple in form, and wire private, only tin 1 Immediate members *f the McKinley family and their elos«st friends were assembled. Mrs. McKinley was not with them. As the daily life of William McKinley was marked by the greatest simplicity, ao were the last rites and services over Sis casket at Buffalo. Solemn and Impressive. full of the lessons that the fMdent had sought to live out in ftbeir fullness, tlrere was no pomp or eir•taiustanee to the closing scenes in the aow famous Milhurn house. With the sacred hymns that had been His favorite music, with the loving words of those who had known Idm, with Just a few of the nearest and learcst friends gathered at the side of Ms bier, the noble victim of a wanton wretch was prepared for Ills last jourSey. Then the casket was closed over to precious burden and borne through She streets of the city to where the mid ettmlc might pass in one long, sad pro--MRgioD for the last view of the kindly face. Immediately after the services the ■omnia* of the late President were taken to the Buffalo City Hall, and there lay lu state from 1 o'clock in the afternoon until 11 o’clock at night. Mare than twice ns ninny as could hope ta get through the lines in that time saaM from nil over western New York aattl fully 200,000 were massed during

Hr morning. For nearly ten hours Qmj streamed through the (Jtty Hall where the President lay, passim Mi two lines which formed faster «s»\hey melted. Ten thousand an tsr Bowed past until stormy weather

and physical collapse wore out other thousands and the thi lined lines ended at 11 o'clock at night. When the doors were closed It was estimated that over 00,000 persons had viewed the remains. The body of the President was guarded throughout the night by United States soldiers, nnd at 7:30 o’clock Monday morning it was removed from the City Hall, and under escort of soldiery taken to the union station, from whence a funeral train went direct to Washington, Over the hills and through the valleys that lie between Buffalo and the seat of government moved the funeral train which bore to the capital all that was mortal of the dead President. As it rolled slowly past city and village, town and hamlet, its silent burden lying in solemn state beneath tdie folds of the flag, all in full view in the great funeral coach, the people of the land gathered at every station to pay sad tribute to him who governed them. Manifesting itself all along the route there was an excess of grief, a depth of sorrow, a heartfelt anguish that telis better than aught else the place that America has reserved for William McKinley in its roll of those It loved the best. The entire route wns lined with thousands of weeping and sad-faced men, women and children. That journey front Buffalo with the body of President McKinley was a journey from the great lakes to tidewater through walls of weeping people. Hells

tolled, choirs sang, bands played dirges, veterans and societies stood with draped banders and bare lieada all along the route. The black drapery of mourning was everywhere to be seen. No home was too humble for a mute expression of

sorrow. Hich and. poor alike wore the garb of grief. Great crowds of people gathered along the route. They made hunks of the fields and at the road crossings. They covered houses and fences and piles of lumber. They perched upon locomotives and cars and roofs and factories. All hared their heads as the train swept by. Schools were closed for the hour, and in front of them stood the little boys and girls. Many of them held flowers and some had tiny flags draped with black. At every school house there Is a flagstaff from which floated the national colors at half-mast. Thus William McKinley made his last journey to the capital of the nation—a journey which was one long benediction from the hearts of the people.

Cercmonic* in Washington. After the wonderful journey from Buffalo—a journey of nearly 500 miles between parallel lines of bared heads and weeping eyes—the funeral train drew into the Washington station Monday night at 8:45 o'clock. A tremendous throng was assembled to greet it. Historic Pennsylvania avenue was a sen of faces, ns far as the eye could reach. Not many more people were gathered there those two 4ths of March when William McKinley rode along this same thoroughfare from the White House to the Capitol to receive the civic crown. Monday night he was crowned with a wreath of love and grief. In the press of people awaiting the train were offleers'of the army and navy and high officials of the executive branches. With President Koosevelt at its head the cortege was quickly formed and the casket containing the body of the late President wns quickly borne to the executive mansion amid scenes of woe and sorrow. There it was placed upon a bier erected in the famous east room, scene of so much of tho ceremonial history of our country, nud there it was left for the night under the guard of sailors anti soldiers. The funeral procession formed Tuesday morning and the body was conveyed to the Capitol, where it was again received by the guard of honor and lay in state in the rotunda of the Capitol. The sad procession accompanying the remains was nearly as large as the one that passed np and down the same route last March, when William McKinley entered upon his second term. Thousands of the snme men took part in this parade and thou-‘

sands of the same men and women watched it from curt) and window. The funeral cortege moved from the White House at It‘o’clock sharp. As it moved a steady drizzle was falling. As the casket was borne from the portico upon the shoulders of the sailors and regulars men stood in the raw drizzle with bare heads exposed to the east wind that swept across the square. The marine band played “Nearer, My God, to Thee" as the casket was lifted out of th.» hearse nnd carried up the east steps of the capitol. At I o’clock, while the tremendous crowd was surging toward the east entrance to the rotunda, thousands of people, mauy of whom were women and children, were caught in a crush at the foot of the main staircase. Scores of women and children fainted nnd iiinov were borne into the capitol, where medical aid was rendered. At the Capitol exercises the members of the two houses entered under escort of their respective sergeants-at-arms. The casket and the catafalque were decorated with silk American flags, also tlio walls at intervals around the rotunda. As there is a law forbidding the draping of public buildings with crape the exterior of the Capitol wore no budge of mourning. The tiring of salutes and the tolling of bells took place nt the closing of the Impressive funeral services nt the Capitol, and for the remainder of the afternoon the general public paid last respects to the honored dead. Home in Canton. The funeral train left Washington early Tuesday evening and arrived at Canton Wednesday morning at 11 o’clock. Along the route were scenes similar to those described on the trip from Buffalo. In his home city the remains were viewed by

Mr. McKinley's old friends and neighbors, and at 2 o’clock Thursday afternoon brief church services were held. Afterwnrd a military and civic parade escorted the remains to Westlnwu cemetery, where they were deposited iii the public receiving vault, awaiting the preparation of a permanent resting place.

BODY OF PRESIDENT M'KINLEY LYING IN STATE

MRS. THEODORE ROOSEVELT. The new mistress of the White House