People's Pilot, Volume 4, Number 49, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 30 May 1895 — IMPRESSIVE AND SAD. [ARTICLE]

IMPRESSIVE AND SAD.

WASHINGTON DOES HONOR TO THE DEAD SECRETARY. Funeral Service* Held at the White Howe in the Presence of a Distinguished Assemblage—Remains Now . on Their Way to Chicago. Washington, May 29.—Before 8 o’clock this morning the floral tributes to the distinguished dead began to arrive at the old Pomeroydiouse, overlooking Lafayette square, now an annex to the Arlington, in which the remains of the secretary’ of state lay. Only a few ~ pieces, however, were received there. Most of them W’ere sent to the White House, where the services were to be. held. The casket lay in the drawing-room looking out upon the public square. Secretary and Mrs. Lamont, First Assistant Postmaster-General Jones, exSecretary of the Treasury Bristow and Mrs. Bristow and a few other intimate friends were with the sorrowing and stricken family. Mrs. Gresham, broken in spirit, exhausted by her long vigils and overcome with grief, was in such a nervous state that her daughter and son prevailed upon her not to undertake the trying ordeal of attending the services at the White House. At 8:30 o’clock, therefore, the doors were all closed and the stricken family was left alone with theft- dead. For almost thirty minutes they remained, taking their last leave. Then the bugle commands floated across the square as the horses of the yellow-tasseled cavalry, the lumbering caissons of the red artillery and the blue-coated foot soldiers, the military escort, were drawn up into lines along Pennsylvania avenue. At 9 o’clock the doors to the room where the remains lay were opened, and the family retired to. the rear apartrilents. Mrs. Gresham, in an agony of grief, was almost carried from the room by her stalwart son, Otto, and was followed by her daughter, Mrs. Andrews, leaning on the arpi of Mr. Andrews, and Mrs. McGrain and Capt. duller. Mrs. Carlisle and other ladies of the cabinet arrived and offered such words of condolence as they could. Soon after the carriages, containing the members of the cabinet, began arriving. Secretary Carlisle, Acting Secretary Uhl, Attorney-General Olney and Secretary Herbert drove up in the order named. At 9:15 President Cleveland arrived in the White House carriage, accompanied by Col. Wilson. The President looked far from well and ascended the brown-stone steps with some difficulty. A moment later Secretary Morton and Postmaster General Wilson arrived in their carriages, followed by Secretary Smith on foot. The casket ha,d been closed and the President and members of his cabinet were given no opportunity to view the remains.

At exactly 9:30 o’clock five red-coated trumpeters marched up Lafayette place and stationed themselves outside the line of mounted police to give the signal when the cortege departed. Thirty seconds later the hearse, drawn by two coal black horses, drew up at the door. The president, followed, by members of the cabinet in the order of their rank, acting as honorary pallbearers, descended the steps and stood with uncovered heads while the eight artillerymen carried the casket with slow and solemn tread between them. The casket was shrouded completely in the folds of the American flag. The stars and stripes could hardly be discerned for the flowers banked upon the casket. The artillerymen walked beside the hearse as it drew away, halting at the corner until the president and members of his official family in their carriages had taken their positions ahead. Acting Secretary Uhl was with Mr. Cleveland, Secretary Carlisle was alone arid Secretaries Herbert and Lamont, AttorneyGeneral Olney and Postmaster-General Gilson, Secretaries Smith and Morton, and first Assistant Postmaster-General Jones and ex-Secretary Bristow followed in the order named. Bishop Hurst,. tyho arrived at this moment In his carriage, followed the hearse; Mr. and Mrs; Andrews, Otto Gresham and Captain Fuller followed. Mrs. Carlisle, Mrs. Lamont, Mrs. Bristow, the wife of the ex-secretary; Mrs. McGrain, Mrs. Gresham’s sister, and several other close friends remained behind with Mrs. Gresham. The funeral procession, preceded by a squad of mounted police, moved slowly to the entrance of the white house grounds. : The casket, preceded by the president ahd cabinet, was borne by the artillerymen to the east room, where the service took place. Seats were reserved for the immediate kinsfolk and relatives of the dead man, for the president and Mrs. Cleveland and for the members of the cabinet and their wives. Within this solemn, black-robed circle, stood the standards for the catafalque, resting on a large black seal rug. By 10:45 the vast east room was nearly filled. The seating arrangements were perfect. The remainder of the diplorinatic corps came along very rapidly, glri Julian .PauncefGte, .the British ambassador, with his wife and daughter, preceded Ambassador Patenotre, who was accompanied by-KH wife," Then followed |be Italian ambassador and Baron vori Kettler,who is acting as the Germpn ambassador, with full suites. All of the members of the diplomatie body were apparently in attendance, With the exception of Minister Weckerlin of the Netherlands, who is absent from Washington. The members of the supreme court came in singly and were seated on the left of the catafalque. Mr. Thurber, the president’s private secretary, jfkVte the aksisUftce of his arm to Justice Field, who was very feeble. Just in the rear of the diplomatic body In the center of the chamber were seated general officers of the army and navy with their ladies. , The funeral ceremonies were brief and formal, consisting merely of reading the service of the Methodist Episcopal church by Bishop Hurst, the singing of a hymn an£ _ uttering of a prayer. Not lable was said beyond that Pennsylvania avenue, from the war navy and state department west of theWhite House, clear down to the Peace monument, under the shadow of the dome of the Capitol, was densely crowded with people on foot and in carriages and through this multitude the cortege slowly moved from the White House to the railroad station. Ten thousand people assembled at the Baltimore & Ohio station, and as the train bearing the

funeral party pulled out of the depot many a tear was shed. President Cleveland made the imperative stipulation that no newspaper men should go on the special funeral train. Outside of the President, cabinet officers and" immediate relatives there was nobody In the party excepting John W. Doane of Chicago, and I-list Assistant Postmaster General Jones. '